Keeping It Cool: Researchers Uncover the Optimal Bedroom Temperature for a Peaceful Sleep

Ensuring your bedroom maintains a temperature range of 20-25C (68-77F) is essential for a good night’s sleep, as found in a recent study.

Researchers have discovered that older adults experience the most efficient and restful sleep within this specific temperature range.

The study highlights the importance of avoiding extreme temperatures – too hot or too cold – in the bedroom.

Conducted by the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research in the US, the study involved 50 participants aged 65 and over wearing sleep monitors for a year and a half.

The research took place in Boston, a city known for its warm and humid summers as well as cold and stormy winters, with participants sleeping in their own homes.

The scientists collected a total of 11,000 nights of sleep data and information about participants’ sleep environments.

Analysis revealed that participants had the most efficient sleep when the bedroom temperature was between 20 and 25C.

They also experienced the least restlessness within this temperature range, with 20C being associated with the longest duration of sleep.

Furthermore, the study found a 5-10% decrease in sleep efficiency as the nighttime temperature increased to 30C, with the most restlessness occurring at this level.

Previous research suggests that this decrease in sleep efficiency is significant enough to affect cognitive performance, stress levels, activity, anxiety, mood, and fatigue.