The Impact of Room Temperature on Sleep Quality: Finding the Optimal Sleep Environment

Sleeping to rest and having a good night’s sleep are two different concepts. People in hot countries like the UAE and other temperate countries in the Middle East are well aware of the challenges of sleeping through harsh summers.

This is where room temperature, choosing the best mattress ideal for your sleeping position and style, and other factors of comfort come into play.

Although rather overlooked, the temperature of your room plays a crucial role in creating the ideal environment for you to sleep. In fact, it is an instrumental factor that promotes a high-quality sleep experience next to the right choice of mattress.

This article will explore the interesting connection between room temperature and the quality of your mattress.

What’s The Correlation Between Your Sleep Cycle And Optimal Temperature?

Your body, by nature, follows a natural cycle. This includes falling asleep at night as it tends to lose its energy efficiency. During this time, your brain signals the body to rest and restore energy. However, not all get to achieve the state of a deep and restful sleep. This is one of the reasons why many tend to wake up feeling tired and rather lethargic, no matter how long they sleep.

If you’re wondering what causes this, here’s what happens during your sleep cycle:

Stage 01

Sleep Onset: While your optimal body temperature typically hovers around 98.6 °F (37 °C), it experiences a shift of approximately 2 degrees as bedtime approaches. This decline commences two hours prior to falling asleep, concomitantly triggering the release of the hormone melatonin.

During the transition to deep sleep, your body temperature gradually diminishes. Scientifically, the natural flow of your sleep cycle can interfere with environments or temperatures that are too warm or cold. For example, if you’re sleeping in a hot room, your body might find it hard to cool down. This will challenge melatonin production, resulting in difficulties in falling asleep. Similarly, when your room is too cold, your body will struggle to warm up, making it difficult for your body to rest.

Stage 02

Non-REM Sleep: Non-rapid eye movement sleep is when body temperature steadily decreases. In the initial phases of non-REM (NREM) sleep, your body temperature continues to decline further during deep sleep. As you progress through the NREM sleep stages, your body reaches its lowest temperature point early at night. This cooling process contributes to maintaining a restful night’s sleep.

Stage 03

REM Sleep: Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep represents the deepest stage of sleep experienced during each cycle. REM sleep typically occurs approximately 90 minutes after you initially fall asleep and recurs multiple times throughout the night in episodes lasting anywhere from 10 minutes to potentially up to an hour. During this stage, your heartbeat becomes irregular and faster while your body remains predominantly immobile. REM sleep is characterized by intense brain activity and vivid dreaming, facilitating cognitive restoration essential for learning.

Stage 04

Waking Up In The Morning: Upon waking in the morning, having completed your sleep cycle, your body commences a temperature increase. This natural awakening process is closely linked to the production of the cortisol hormone, which promotes wakefulness and alertness, setting the stage for the start of your day.

This body’s natural rhythm shouldn’t be disturbed by temperature settings. Always try to maintain your room temperature at 60-67°F (15.5-19.5°C) as it’s the optimal level that helps your body fall asleep and achieve the state of "Deep sleep."

The Science Behind Sleep Quality And Room Temperature

The connection between room temperature and quality sleep has scientific roots. Generally, a temperature of 65°F (18.3°C) is considered optimal for a good night’s sleep because of its connection with your body’s natural temperature regulation.

This natural regulation changes during 24 hours and is called circadian rhythm. The rhythm works as per the light cycle of the sun, and it is regulated by one of the brain parts in the hypothalamus, which is the suprachiasmatic nucleus. This clockwork is similar to a biological clock; it gets its signals from environmental factors, personal factors, exercise, temperature, and light exposure.

Optimal Sleep Temperature And Individual Preferences

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqHsAZcFvom/

Individuals often exhibit different temperature preferences when it comes to sleep, a factor that extends to their choice of the best mattress for sleeping.

However, people should pay more attention to the fact that there are no-size-fits-all solutions for achieving the perfect sleep quality. Whether it’s finding the best mattress in UAE or the ideal temperature for a comfortable sleep, it depends on many factors.

Increase The Temperature By A Degree Or Two For Newborns And Toddlers

Generally, newborns are not exposed to very high temperatures as there’s a risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). This is why a regular temperature that is optimal for adults isn’t recommended for newborns and toddlers.

However, newborns and toddlers don’t also require a huge change in their room temperature or environment to sleep, but it’s recommended to increase it by a degree or two. Usually, they will be fine in a room with a temperature between 60 and 68°F (15.6 and 20°C). You just have to make sure they are well-covered and tucked in for a cozy sleep.

Never Less Than 65 Degrees For Older Adults

As people age, their body’s ability to regulate temperature changes, so they prefer warm environments to sleep. However, their comfortable temperature level varies daily, meaning without a consistent preference. Adjusting the room temperature according to their daily comfort is essential, but the recommended range is 65 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 22 degrees Celsius).

While you focus on individual preferences for room temperature, you should give equal importance to creating an ideal environment for quality sleep.

Creating The Ideal Environment For Quality Sleep

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn6EDkgAUDO/

As you would have already figured out, many factors impact your good night’s sleep. One such important factor is your environment. To enhance your sleep quality and to have a restful, deep sleep, you should have a facilitative environment that carries you into a calm, relaxed state.

In that case, every element becomes significant when creating that ideal environment, from wall color and room temperature to the bedding and mattress you use. So, let’s see how you can create an optimal environment to fall asleep peacefully.

Avoid Lights In The Bedroom At Night

An optimal sleeping environment shouldn’t have lights turned on because it’ll be difficult for you to fall asleep. While it’s true that some people sleep with lights on, it significantly impacts their mood when they wake up in the morning or the middle of the night.

If you’re wondering why lights affect one’s mood, it’s because of the concept we discussed above – circadian rhythm. Light is the primary factor influencing your body’s internal clockwork (circadian rhythm). It tells your body whether to stay awake or stimulate sleep.

However, some people don’t prefer sleeping in the dark, and the best option is to select dim light that doesn’t interrupt their sleep.

Invest In Quality Mattresses And Bedding

Investing in quality bedding and a mattress is another important element in creating an optimal sleep environment for falling into a slumber. If your mattress is too hard or too soft, you cannot get into a comfortable position. You might twirl and twitch often, so this will impact your sleep.

When selecting your mattress, ensure it aligns with your weight; otherwise, getting a good night’s sleep will be questionable. If you’re ready to invest in quality sleep items, look for the best mattress brand so you don’t have to spend twice. Likewise, you should also purchase quality pillows and sheets, as these items also significantly impact your sleep quality.

Keep Electronics Away

If you want a good night’s sleep, leave your phones outside your bedroom or away from your bed stand. That is only part of it; you should switch off all devices one hour before bedtime. It’s even better to stop using your mobile 3 hours before bed because the light radiating from your phone stimulates your brain to assume that it’s daytime. So, your brain will not go into sleep mode, which means you cannot relax and rest.

If you keep your phone near your bed just for the alarm clock, replacing it with a traditional alarm clock that doesn’t radiate light would be the best option.

Add Calming Fragrances To Your Space

A foul smell can ruin your sleep, while a calming scent will enhance it. This is why it’s best to consider adding the right fragrances to your space. Avoid citrus-based scents as they can be too harsh. Before you purchase, check with the seller that the fragrances are not too strong and won’t impact your sleep.

Lavender is one of the best fragrances that most people prefer due to its calming effect that makes you fall asleep instantly. The lavender scent lowers your stress hormones and calms you down so you can feel relaxed before bedtime.

It’s important to mention that even if you are ensuring all the standards for promoting a quality sleep schedule, including the right temperature, are met, the concept of “Sleep hygiene” should not be overlooked. In fact, sleep hygiene and optimal temperature should go hand-in-hand to get into a discipline of high-quality sleep.

Sleep Hygiene And Sleep Quality: How Do They Relate?

As you have read, body temperature, quality of the mattress, calming aroma, and many other factors impact the quality of your sleep. However, there’s one thing that can easily be changed to get quality sleep – your habits, also called “sleep hygiene.” Although sleeping habits are easy to change, this is where we don’t pay enough attention. Here are two simple steps that can enhance your sleep hygiene and establish consistent habits that can promote deep and restful sleep.

Have a sleep schedule

This might sound like something you often hear, but now you know the science behind quality sleep and how your body regulates temperature. It has an internal clock, which deserves proper timing and attention.

Stick to your sleep schedule and try to get a proper 7-8 hours of sleep. Follow the same schedule even on weekends; if not, you’ll find it hard to get back on track. Always try to make sure you are getting your sleep investments and accessories from the best mattress store in Dubai. What you sleep on and how it enhances your bedtime experience plays a key role in maintaining a disciplined nighttime routine.

Stick to a bedtime routine

Have a warm shower, meditate for a while, stay away from electronic devices 3 hours before bed, read a few pages, and maybe do some stretches. You can customize a bedtime routine based on your interests, preferences, and work shifts.

The best part about sleep hygiene is that you prepare yourself to enjoy your good night’s sleep.

This isn’t something that everyone does. While it’s essential to give your complete attention to a restful sleep every night, people often forget how crucial it is given their busy lives.

Conclusion

A good night’s sleep can be interrupted by many factors, such as room temperature, body temperature, sleep environment, and, most importantly, a good mattress.

With proper observation and attention, it is possible for everyone to develop a strict nighttime routine and a healthy sleep cycle. Especially when it comes to a warm country like Dubai, maintaining proper indoor temperature plays a crucial role in giving your body the uninterrupted rest it deserves.

Apart from these, maintaining consistent sleep hygiene, as discussed, can also promote healthy sleep patterns. Collectively, making sure you are putting in the little effort to create the ideal sleep temperature and environment, in general, can help you achieve a state of deep and quality rest, promising a productive morning every other day.

Lastly, remember that quality sleep is an individualized process, and it takes a lot of understanding to know how you can get that restful slumber every night to enhance your experience.