If you’re optimizing for improved sleep, cooler temperatures in your bedroom might be the move.
Today, I spent some time chatting with former Navy SEAL and current sleep expert, Kirk Parsley. His life’s mission is to change the way the world views sleeping. He submits that when we are sleep deprived, we are essentially drunk. Kirk was in a strong, general educating mode, but we narrowed our focus in this chat to room temperatures. He dropped knowledge about optimal temperatures to get into the tissue repairing, cognitive function boosting and performance enhancing state we all mine for. His estimation was between 63 and 68 degrees. Time magazine backs Kirk’s claim up:
…That’s a lot of bedroom science, but here’s the bottom line: keeping your head nice and cool is conducive to good sleep. To achieve that, set your thermostat somewhere around 65 degrees, research suggests. And layer up until you feel the Sandman creep closer.
This makes perfect sense to me. If I don’t need a blanket, it’s too damn hot to sleep for me. I don’t mean want a blanket, I mean need one. There’s nothing quite like pulling chilly covers over my shoulders and resting my head on a cool pillow. This is my lean, but there is (obviously) a subjective nature to this discussion.
While a dip in core temperature before bedtime flips on your brain and body’s “time for bed” switches and helps you fall asleep, Someren’s research shows that keeping your skin temperature “perfectly comfortable” is important when it comes to maintaining deep, restful slumber. Your level of “perfect comfort” is quite individual. But if you’re cold enough to be shivering, you’re not sleeping deeply
During spring training, I’m renting a condo in downtown Phoenix. The default setting on the thermostat is 75 degrees. I’ve been messing with it without much luck. I’m about to get serious and pull up online manuals. I have to practice what we preach. As we talk about often around here, supreme health and well-being is directly tied to hunting value at the margins. While sleeping in mildly warm room temperatures may seem innocuous, if our ultimate goals are to be stronger, faster, healthier and mentally tougher, we need to take the detailed action steps as well.
Strong mind,
Kap
~Al~ says
“set your thermostat somewhere around 65 degrees”
In the heat mode I’ll agree with that statement from the Time article. However, if you set your thermostat to 65 degrees in cool mode, you’ll damn near be able to hang meat in your bedroom.
Proper humidity levels in your shelter are more important to health than temperature ever will be, assuming you have a properly working HVAC system.
~Al~
Curtis Ippolito says
Gonna have to disagree with you on this one. I can’t get to sleep if it’s too cold (in the mid-60s or cooler) in the room). It’s too uncomfortable. At those temps, the covers are cold, you’re cold, the air is cold. No thanks.
Charlotte Marks says
Hahaha 65 degrees?
I’ve lived in New England all my life. 68 degrees during the day, 60 at night. That’s why God created quilts and flannel sheets. 😉
Paul says
I’d agree with Charlotte. No higher than 68. But if you want to save money,
fuel, etc. what about maintaining a steady setting (rather than going up &
down from day to night)?
Charlotte Marks says
From what I’ve read, changing the setting vs. keeping it steady doesn’t make a difference; meaning the furnace doesn’t have to work any harder to bring the heat up. Keeping the heat as low as possible while sleeping, OTOH, is a big money saver.
Andy says
I agree. I sleep much better when I set the thermostat to 68 compared to 72.
What works well for me is taking a cold shower at the end of the day. This can sometimes suck really bad during, but it pays off with great sleep! I feel very relaxed afterwards.
lien says
for home, mattress that regulates the body temperature is important, imho … that’s why i have been contemplating on this one http://www.hastens.com/en-us/
Mike Ingrao says
Hey Kap, What about the effects of resting your head on your arm, allowing it to lose feeling, during the night. Does this effect muscle growth?