The Great Debate: How Does Sleeping Hot or Cold Impact Your Rest?

If you’re someone that likes to keep it hot in your bedroom, especially during the winter, did you know that by cranking the heat up you could be impacting your quality of sleep? Your body does some magic as you’re getting ready for bed, and that’s called thermoregulation. Keep it too hot and your body will have a more difficult time regulating its temperature for optimal sleep, keep it too cold, and you may toss and turn in the night. Read on to learn more about what thermoregulation is and the ideal temperature for a restful night.

How Can Temperature Impact Your Quality of Sleep?

Did you know that your body has a preferred temperature that makes it easier to reach deep and REM sleep? If you didn’t, you may want to rethink your current habits! Now that the weather outside is getting colder, your body may work harder to keep warm, and vice versa during the summertime.

This process of maintaining the ideal internal temperature is called thermoregulation, and it’s a part of homeostasis, which is the natural regulation process necessary for survival. However, what many people don’t know is that when they fall asleep in a room that’s too hot or cold, it can also impact their ability to reach deep sleep.

How Does the Body Thermoregulate?

Thermoregulation is an intricate process carried about by many parts of your body, including signaling hormones and effectors, or the parts of the body that carry out the an action, like sweat glands. Or, if you’re too cold, your skeletal muscles will cause you to shiver to generate more heat and keep your body warm. In both cases, your body is having to expend energy, create messages, and carry out actions in order to regulate your temperature, which can prevent your brain from being able to relax and focus on falling into deep sleep.

Is It Better to Sleep Hot or Cold?

Every human being’s core body temperature ranges from 98°F to 100°F. When your body’s temperature falls below 95°F, you could risk hypothermia, and when your body heats up past 107°F, it could cause brain death, so your body does the work to maintain a nice in-between of about 98.7°F. To create less work for your body to do this, the ideal bedroom temperature is typically about 67°F. However, it’s important to note that everybody is different, so a higher or lower temperature may feel more comfortable for you.

It’s not always your bedroom temperature that could be impacting your quality of sleep, though. Other factors, like sleep apnea that’s agitated by sleeping in hot environments, can also lead to a restless night. If your restlessness throughout the night doesn’t subside when you adjust your bedroom temperature and you’re experiencing chronic, loud snoring or waking up gasping for air, then you may need to visit a sleep physician. With proper testing, they can help determine whether other interventions, like CPAP treatment or an oral appliance, can help you get a better night’s rest.

About the Practice

At Robert G. Dernick, DDS, our sleep dentists provide at-home sleep testing and have a vast referral network to help patients navigate the why of their sleep deficiency. We also offer a noise-free and face mask-free alternative to CPAP treatment for patients who are looking for a more comfortable answer, called oral appliance therapy. To learn more or schedule a consultation, visit our website or call 281-771-1294.