Yes, sleeping in a cool environment is generally better for sleep quality because your body's core temperature naturally drops to initiate sleep, but a bed that's too cold, or cold extremities (like feet), can disrupt rest, so aim for a cool room (around 60-67°F or 15-19°C) with warm, cozy covers for comfort and better rest. The key is balancing a cool room with warm bedding to support your body's natural cooling process without making you shiver.
Yes, sleeping in cooler temperatures is widely recommended for better sleep quality. As your body naturally lowers its core temperature to prepare for sleep, a cooler environment—ideally between 60-67°F—supports this process. This can promote deeper, more restorative sleep and help you wake up feeling refreshed.
What is the ideal sleep temperature for the bedroom? Your body heat peaks late afternoon and then starts to drop in the evening to prepare your body for sleep, kickstarting melatonin production. An ideal bedroom temperature is around 16-18°C (60-65°F), anything colder, and you might struggle to drop off.
Key Takeaways. Most people sleep better in a cooler environment. Hot sleepers may overheat due to factors like caffeine, spicy food, or certain health conditions and medications. Cold sleepers often have less muscle or fat, eat fewer calories, or have conditions like hypothyroidism that affect heat regulation.
In fact it is advisable for better sleep to sleep in a cool (but not real cold) room. Your body's metabolism slows a bit in the night, and you'll sleep far better in a cooler room rather than a room that's too warm. From 65 to 68 degrees is good, up to 70 degrees or so will let you sleep better.
Recognize the warning signs of hypothermia
The 3-2-1 sleep rule is a simple wind-down routine: stop eating and drinking alcohol 3 hours before bed, stop working/mentally stimulating activities 2 hours before, and turn off screens (phones, TVs) 1 hour before sleep, helping you transition to rest by reducing stimulants and preparing your mind and body. It's often part of a larger 10-3-2-1-0 rule, which also adds no caffeine 10 hours prior and no hitting snooze (0) in the morning.
Sleeping too cold
“When we're cold, our body kicks into high gear to try and get us warm again,” says Dr. Drerup. Blood vessels become constricted, breathing becomes shallow and it puts extra pressure on our cardiovascular system to get our body temperatures regulated again, she adds.
Cold Sleeping
It can result from improper insulation, poor circulation, and a lack of proper bedding. A few solutions for cold sleepers include wearing socks, using more insulated blankets, and wearing pajamas that cover more of the body. Thermoregulation is one of the key components of a good night's sleep.
Set it somewhere between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. People sleep better in that temperature range. “Not only in terms of maintaining sleep, but also of falling asleep,” says Alon Avidan, MD, MPH, director of the UCLA Sleep Disorders Center. That also goes for how long you sleep and how well.
Sleeping in a cold room can lower your body's core temperature more quickly, which boosts melatonin. A cool bedroom also helps people sleep deeply for longer periods. Besides, is there anything better than snuggling under a pile of blankets when the thermostat is turned down low?
Research suggests lower temperatures can help the body burn more calories by activating brown fat and may support slower aging by improving metabolic and hormonal balance during sleep. Cooler environments are also linked to deeper, more restorative sleep cycles.
Abstract. Background: Cold ambient temperatures are known to increase blood pressure (BP), but the influence of room temperature remains understudied.
In Japan, it is standard practice to heat only the living room, rather than heating the entire apartment or house, as seen in Europe and America. It is not common to heat the bedroom in Japan. As a result, average bedroom temperatures are much lower in Japan.
Finally, there's also research to suggest that your immune cells are more sluggish in cold temperatures than in warmer temperatures, which is why feeling cold or spending time in cold weather is more likely to make you sick.
Ideal room temperature for sleeping
According to The Sleep Charity, the ideal bedroom temperature for sleeping is 16–18°C. Anything over 24°C could be too hot and make you restless, while trying to sleep in a cold room with a temperature below 12°C could make it harder to nod off.
Keep your sleep space cool but not frigid. For healthy adults and kids, aim for a range of 60°F to 65°F. For older adults, a slightly warmer range of 68°F to 77°F is typically more comfortable. Think of it as the Goldilocks zone—not too hot, not too cold, just right for restorative, uninterrupted sleep.
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Sleep specialist Micheal Breus, PhD, explains that humans can be classified into four different types of sleepers—dolphins, lions, bears, and wolves.
For Australia, the ideal sleeping temperature is generally cool, between 15°C and 20°C (59-68°F), with some experts suggesting 17-19°C for deeper sleep, as a cooler environment helps your body's core temperature drop, facilitating better rest, though personal comfort varies. Temperatures above 24°C can disrupt sleep cycles, so using air conditioning, fans, or good ventilation helps, especially in warmer Australian climates, to keep the room cool enough for quality sleep.
Keep cool (but don't forget blankets).
“Even if you don't feel the cold disturbing your sleep, your cardiovascular system might still be affected,” cautions Dr. Maslinski. Maintain indoor temperatures above 50°F during winter and stay comfortable year-round with the right bedding.
A room temperature of 66 degrees Fahrenheit could help speed metabolism. Photo by Getty. The Healthy recently interviewed Bridgette Agee, RN, Bariatric Program director at the Marina Weight Loss Center at Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital, about how sleeping in a room with a cool temperature could boost metabolism.
Depending on one's age and individual needs, the National Sleep Foundation (USA) states that adults need seven to nine hours of good quality sleep per night to remain healthy and alert. School-age children require between nine and eleven hours, while older adults may need only seven to eight.
In his piece, he revealed that through his years of research, he's found that rumination is the biggest thing that causes poor sleep. He says that being worried about something at night has affected his own ability to fall asleep.