Turning the thermostat down a few degrees may not sound comfortable, especially during today’s severe frost.
But a cold house could be the secret to lowering your chances of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and getting better sleep.
That’s according to Professor Hannah Pallubinsky, a researcher at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, who studies the effect of temperature on the body.
Here, MailOnline investigates why turning down your heating – for short, fixed periods – can change your health.
A cool room has been shown to improve the body’s glucose metabolism, meaning how quickly excess sugar is removed from the blood
Reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes
According to Professor Pallubinsky, turning down your heating slightly can help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
In one of her studies, volunteers were exposed to 14 to 15 degrees Celsius (57.2 to 59 F) – a relatively cold room – for six hours a day for ten days.
The researchers measured glucose metabolism – how quickly excess sugar is removed from the blood – before and after cold exposure.
The results showed that participants showed marked improvements in glucose metabolism after the study. People were up to 40 percent better at controlling their blood sugar levels.
Speaking on Dr Michael Mosley’s BBC podcast Cold Therapy, Professor Pallubinsky said: ‘This was caused by something called glucose transporter 4. We saw much more of this in muscle cells after acclimation to the cold.
‘It is a protein that can remove glucose from the bloodstream more quickly. That is positive, because it can really improve glucose metabolism.’
However, experts recommend that those hoping to reap the health benefits of lower temperatures should start by turning the thermostat down a few degrees for a few hours each day before building up to longer and colder temperatures.
Being too cold can cause hypothermia, which young and old people are especially vulnerable to.
People with heart problems also need to be extra careful, as blood vessels constrict in response to the cold, which can increase blood pressure and heart function.
Keeping the heat at around 15 degrees can also lower blood pressure and cholesterol
Lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease
Spending time in a cooler environment can also lower your risk of heart disease.
This could be because brown fat can increase as the body adapts to the cold, according to Professor Pallubinsky’s research.
Brown fat is believed to lower cholesterol, combat obesity and lower blood pressure, all of which can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Professor Pallubinsky told the podcast: ‘Brown fat is called brown fat because, when you look at it under the microscope, it contains a lot of these little energy factories called mitochondria, which are a brownish color.’
These cells can produce heat to maintain the body’s internal temperature at 37 degrees Celsius.
Unlike white fat, which is abundant around the midriff, buttocks and chin, the brown type is invisible and compactly distributed deep inside, especially around the shoulder blades, spine and kidneys.
It is thought to be strategically located to keep important organs warm.
Keeping your heating somewhere between 16 and 20 degrees Celsius can help you beat the cold and sleep deeper and longer
A cooler room means a deeper sleep
A cold room can provide the perfect conditions for the best night’s sleep.
That’s because it can help the body cool down naturally when it’s time to sleep, and make it easier to fall into a deep sleep.
A cooler room temperature can make it easier to fall asleep because it works with the body’s biological clock.
“At night our body temperature drops, this happens around the time we want to go to bed, it’s almost a signal for us to go to sleep,” says Professor Kathryn Reid, an expert in neurology at the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine at Northwestern University in Illinois.
“So when the core body temperature rhythm starts to drop, by about 1 degree Celsius, the body is telling you that this is the time when you should be sleeping,” she told the podcast.
‘We want to tailor our activities to what our body tells us to do.’
Dr. Reid recommended decorating the room you sleep in cool, dark and quiet by turning turn down the thermostat, open a window or turn on a fan.
In one study, discussed in the podcast, healthy volunteers slept in a room at 17°C (62.6F) or 22°C (71.6F).
The volunteers who slept in the cooler room spent a greater percentage of the night in the deepest stage of sleep, called N3.
This sleep phase is vital for memory, brain health, tissue repair and strengthening the immune system.
The cooler room also helped people spend more time in a REM cycle, which is important for consolidating memories.
Another trail, published in 2012 in the magazine Sleepexamined 40 people suffering from constructive sleep apnea, a condition that causes breathing to stop and restart, interrupting sleep.
Participants slept for three nights in a laboratory with a temperature of 16, 20 or 24C (60.8, 68, 75.2F).
Researchers found that those who slept at 16 degrees Celsius slept significantly longer and spent less time awake.