The Ideal Sleep Temperature For Adults
To fall asleep and stay asleep, having your bedroom at the right temperature is key. While that number varies from person to person, according to Today, a new study suggests older adults may want to bump the thermostat up at bedtime.
It is hard to fall asleep when you are uncomfortable and the temperature in your bedroom has a lot to do with not only how you sleep but how fast you fall asleep.
So What Is The Perfect Temp?
Researchers analyzed sleep and environmental data for 11-thousand nights of sleep for a group of 50 adults ages 65 and up, who wore devices to monitor their sleep for a full year. The data shows that bedroom temperatures between 68 and 77 degrees helped to “enhance sleep quality” in these seniors.
That’s slightly warmer than the 60 to 67 degrees the National Sleep Foundation recommends for a comfy sleep environment for most folks, since being too hot while sleeping is associated with spending less time in the restorative sleep stage.
Like a lot of couples, my husband and I participate in thermostat wars. He is 10 years older and prefers the 72 degrees, which sounds like the gates of hell to me. I prefer the temp to be a chilled 69. And even though 3 degrees doesn’t sound like a lot it makes a HUGE difference to both of us!
But study authors found that sleep efficiency only started to decrease in participants when temperatures were over 77-degrees. That may be because as you get older, it’s harder to regulate your internal temperature, so having a warmer room may help them sleep more soundly, according to sleep expert Dr. Carol Ash. But if you’re tossing and turning when it’s 75-degrees, find the right temperature for you as even small changes in temperature can affect sleep quality.
Here is another survey that asked people why they can’t stay asleep at night (not pertaining to the temperature).
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