Healthy Sleep – What Temperature Is Right?

A healthy sleep depends on many factors. When the ambient temperature starts to drop and it gets colder and colder, we have a habit of adding a bedspread to our bedding or changing the quilt to a warmer one. There is also cozy pajamas at your fingertips.

However, is it appropriate to ensure a blissful and healthy sleep ?

When the winter weather looks at our windows, we sometimes “sin” by sleeping in excessively high temperatures, whether it is due to excessive dressing for sleep or due to poorly selected thickness of the bedding. In our case, will providing yourself with excessive heat mean a healthy sleep?

How to prepare for lower temperatures? Dress warmer to sleep or put on extra bedspreads? We will consider this topic in our today’s article.

Get a good night’s sleep in a cool environment

It is obvious that the very topic of choosing our sleeping conditions could in fact turn out to be controversial. There are many supporters of cold sleep, but also many who love warmth. However, apart from the comfort itself, we should take into account whether we really provide a healthy sleep.

When winter comes or in the fall months, more and more bedspreads land on our bed. And for some people, socks also appear on their feet. When the cold rises, we don’t hesitate to turn up the heating and reach for our favorite pajamas.

Does this action to keep us warm during sleep really ensure a healthy sleep? The answer is no. You may not know it, but sleeping in an environment above 18 ° C can be harmful to your health. In fact, we should sleep in a cool room.

Why is it healthy to sleep cold?

The body can activate its thermoregulatory mechanisms, which means that if we dress too much for sleep, it is not good for our health.

Another important factor that we disrupt by wearing too many clothes is freedom of movement during the night’s rest. We cannot relax properly, and therefore we are not fully recuperating.

On the other hand, when the temperature in our bedroom is between 15 and 19 ° C, it is much easier for us to wake up from sleep in the morning. It is also essential for keeping active during the day. If we are in the habit of overheating at night, in the morning and during the day, we will be lethargic, without energy and without the will to act.

Another situation is when the temperature in our bedroom exceeds 21 ° C. Such a fever prevents the body from freely producing melatonin, which is responsible for lowering body temperature.

It also does not allow the stabilization of cortisol levels, which affects the appetite and the occurrence of anxiety, as well as depression.

Healthy sleep – perfect temperature …

Cold is much easier to control than hot, especially when we want to sleep.

When we get too hot, we start to sweat. Additionally, there is a thirst and we hate contact with bedding. In winter, on the other hand, to tremble from the cold or feel icy feet is also pointless.

• When the temperature exceeds 26 ° C, whether it’s because of the summer season or because we’ve turned up the heat, the body starts to sweat to lower its own temperature.
• The blood vessels dilate, blood circulation is faster, and you may have trouble falling asleep. All because the brain is busy trying to cool down our body.
• If the temperature in our bedroom drops below 12 ° C or we do not have the right amount of bedspreads or blankets, our mind will also have trouble falling asleep. This time he will be dealing with the processes that allow us to warm up our chilled body.
• We will feel chills, the pores will dilate, the blood vessels will constrict, and the blood in our limbs will flow more slowly.

Healthy sleep in winter – practical advice

Bearing in mind the temperature that we should maintain in the bedroom and the reasons why we do not set the heating to the maximum, we can adopt appropriate habits in this regard. So how do we prepare our healthy sleep when it gets colder?

Do light exercise

For example, you could stand with your feet slightly spread, raise your arms so that your palms come together above your head, and take a deep breath at the same time. Repeat this exercise several times.

Drink a warm infusion

One of the characteristics of winter is that sipping a cup filled with hot tea is then a special pleasure. A cup of hot drink is also very helpful in increasing body temperature. This, in turn, will allow you not to wear too warm clothes at night.

Hot bath

You should take such a bath about an hour before going to bed. Of course, you can add appropriate salts or aromatic oils to it to take full advantage of its relaxing properties.

Onion clothing

It is quite possible that you feel cold especially when you go to sleep. After a few minutes, however, the body heats up. So if you dress up in layers, you will be able to take off one of the blouses over time so that you can still enjoy the comfort.

When it comes to healthy sleep, we strongly do not recommend clothing that is tight-fitting, tight-fitting, with buttons, zippers, or any other object that may make you uncomfortable while sleeping. Of course, also avoid sleeping in a bra.

Pajamas consisting of a sweatshirt and trousers are the best. For this you will need socks and nothing else.

You can use a similar procedure for bedspreads. Instead of one thick blanket, you might be better off with a few thinner bedspreads that you can adapt to your needs overnight.

Appropriate heating setting

It is not good to leave the heating on all night. If possible, start the heating one hour before bedtime and program it to switch off shortly after you fall asleep. Remember that healthy sleep requires an ambient temperature of around 18 ° C.

Avoid drafts

If outside air enters the room under the door or through a leaky window, your bedroom can cool down significantly overnight. Don’t hesitate to plug such leaks. This way you will avoid the direct effects of cold air on your body.