Temperature is universally one of the most annoying aspects of sleep.

Oh, you're too hot?

You're dehydrated and sweating.

So, you throw off the comforter and turn on the AC.

Now, you're too cold you say?

Okay, now you scavenge for the warmest blanket you can find shivering all the while.

We can all relate to this perpetually annoying dance between being too hot and too cold during sleep.

But, luckily, we can also leverage our body's natural temperature tendencies to get to sleep faster and get better sleep quality.

So, without further ado.

Let's dive in.

Table of Contents

• Why Does Temperature Affect Sleep?

• How the Body Regulates Temperature

• The Ideal Temperature for Sleep

• Temperature-related Tools for Better Sleep

• Summary

Why Does Temperature Affect Sleep?

Temperature is one of the most important levers to pull when looking to improve sleep quality and get to sleep faster.

Here's why.

Every night, your core body temperature drops about 2-3 degrees Fahrenheit.

This drop in temperature begins 1-2 hours before sleep with the release of melatonin and does not end until early morning.

This is why too hot (>75 deg F) of a bedroom is bad for your sleep.

Because it disrupts your body's natural desire to drop slightly in its core body temperature.

It's been shown that too high of core body temperature is associated with less time spent in the restorative stages of sleep, non-REM and REM.

That being said, feeling too cold can also disrupt natural sleeping patterns, although this is less common of a problem than sleeping too hot.

How the Body Regulates Temperature

Your body enables this drop in core body temperature by actually warming up first in order to cool down.

This process of warming up to cool down is called vasodilation.

It's where your blood vessels widen to increase blood flow to the surface of your skin.

This causes your body to radiate heat and, in turn, your core body temperature to drop.

Warming up to cool down seems counter-intuitive but is a key mechanism our bodies use for cooling.

The Ideal Temperature for Sleep

The scientific answer: somewhere between 64-72 deg F (18-22 deg C) depending on the season.

My answer: for most people, keep your bedroom cooler than you think you should, without overdoing it to the point where you start actually feeling cold or shivering.

Temperature Tools for Better Sleep

While there's your typically thought-of options as listed below:

- Use a fan

- Open the windows

- Turn the thermostat down

- Use a separate AC unit for the bedroom

- Use linen sheets during warm months

My personal favorite trick to leverage temperature to fall asleep faster is the following:

Take a warm shower or bath 1-2 hours before bed.

But, don't I want to be colder for sleep, not warmer?

Yes, that's exactly correct.

Remember, when our skin warms up, this causes our internal body temperature to cool down.

So, taking a warm shower actually speeds up your body's natural tendency to cool down before bed.

For this reason, this should help you fall asleep faster.

And, let's be honest.

Who doesn't want an excuse to take a warm shower or bath before bed?

Summary

Temperature highly influences your quality of sleep.

Too hot (above 75 deg F) or too cold (below 62 deg F) and your sleep will be worse.

So, what's the ideal temperature for my sleeping environment?

Well, your body naturally drops its core temperature by about 2-3 degrees F during sleep.

This is why a cooler sleeping environment is usually better.

Here's a good rule of thumb:

Make your bedroom slightly cooler than you think, without overdoing it to the point where you start actually feeling cold or shivering.

This should be between 64-72 deg F (18-22 deg C) depending on the warmth of the season.

To achieve this temperature, you can use the typically thought-of tools like using cool, linen bed sheets, turn down the thermostat, use a fan, open the windows, etc.

And, my favorite trick to decreasing your body temperature is the following:

Take a warm shower or bath 1-2 hours before bed.

Counterintuitively, his will help accelerate your body's natural cooling process.

This is because warming up your skin's surface causes your body to give off more heat.

Which, in turn, drops your core body temperature, helping you get to sleep faster and get higher quality sleep.

Action Items:

1) Take a warm shower or bath 1-2 hours before bed

2) Try keeping your bedroom a little colder than usual tonight (between 64-72 degrees Fahrenheit)