For you to get quality sleep, there are many factors that come into play. Of foremost importance is your sleep environment. External conditions like temperatures, noise and light greatly influence the quality of rest you get.

As matter of fact, it’s easier to conclude that cold weather makes you want to jump inside your blankets and it’s, definitely, a perfect recipe for a good sleep. Depending on your personal experience, chilly weather changes some of our sleep-related habits.

However, just how conducive is chilly weather favorable for sleep? Before you get to wonder about the effect of cold weather on your sleep, science has some interesting facts to offer. If you leave in areas with cooler seasons, you have more reason to find out about the effect if cold weather has any effect on the quality of your sleep. Let’s find out more.

Unknown to many, temperatures are among one of the most important factors to consider when it comes to finding a good rest. That being said, it plays an important role in the functioning of your body. How warm or cold your body is at night greatly determines how the rest of the night will play out.

So, how do cool temperatures affect your sleep?

There is enough reason to suggest a correlation between sleep and temperature. For instance, just before bed or during bed hours, your body temperature greatly reduces. Your body maintains that body temperature until wake time.

It has also been observed that lunch hours are usually characterized by post-lunch sleepiness. During this time, the body temperature is always slightly reduced.

While there isn’t much of a study on that links body temperature to sleep, science seems to have some answers to this interesting phenomenon. Cold body temperature is said to facilitate quality sleep while a warm body temperature appears to make sleep harder to find.

There have been findings and expert opinions on this critical issue such as the one given by Professor Michael Decker PhD Decker are the spokesperson for the American Academy of sleep medicine. In one of his published articles, the Professor talks about temperature and rest.

He argues that as a person sleeps, their body temperatures acclimatize to the temperatures in the room. He goes on to say that, if we adjust our body temperatures to be lower in a room that is cooler, we tend to experience better sleep.

There have also been similar expert opinions from other medical websites such as Web MD. According to these experts, too cold or too hot temperatures in a room interfere with one’s ability to sleep. This has also a negative effect on the quality of rest. The doctors were also quick to mention that individual preferences are a factor when it comes to temperature and sleep.

However, a temperature range of between 65 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit is said to be the most ideal.

Do cold body temperatures treat sleep disorders?

It appears that body temperatures seem to have a biological impact on sleep and its quality. For instance, irregularities in body temperature have been linked to some certain types of insomnia.

The most possible reason for temperature induced insomnia could be that your evening body temperatures may have slightly been delayed. On the other hand, the rising of your body temperatures in the morning may have slightly been advanced.

There is no evidence that has been found yet to back up these assertions. However, experts from sleep hygiene recommend keeping your body temperatures low as a way of treating insomnia. Certain types of foods are also known to elevate your body temperatures. You want to avoid such meals if all you are looking for is a quality sleep at night.

According to a study published in the Diabetes journal, it was found that cool temperatures of 66 degrees Fahrenheit promoted the growth of brown fat as compared to temperatures that ranged from 75 -80.6 F. Brown fat is said to be healthy for your body as it helps you burn energy. It’s also beneficial for protecting your body against diabetes and obesity.

Having said these, body sleep temperatures vary from one person to another. Personal preferences and one’s comfort ability play an important role in deciding what temperature ranges suit you best. Too hot or too cold temperature cannot favor sleep.

Do cold winters affect sleep? 

To those living in seasonal areas, winter is known to bring with it a change of temperatures in the environment. Because you are used to your indoor and bedroom environment, winter is bound to change your environment which will definitely affect your quality of sleep.

Because of less sunlight during winter, people are known to spend more time indoors. While this is good as it comes with dark nights that will want to make you turn in early, the less sunlight could interfere with your ability to sleep.

When your body is exposed to less sunlight because of winter, its circadian rhythm, otherwise known as the body clock tends to be interfered with. Consequently, this could make you sluggish and sleepy the whole day interfering with your nighttime sleep.

To maintain your regular circadian rhythm, sleep experts suggest getting out for the early morning sunlight. Alternatively, if sunlight is hard to come by, one could opt for bright light therapy. Bright light therapy is useful in improving symptoms of a seasonal affective disorder.

Here are other tips sleep experts suggest for better sleep during winter

  • Use a warm water bottle or keep your feet and hands warmer with socks
  • Keep room temperatures in the range of 60-72 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Make use of breathable brooklyn bedding or any other breathable bedding of choice
  • Maintain a regular sleep-wake schedule on both weekdays and weekends
  • Use a humidifier to remove feelings of dryness on your nose and skin
  • Have several layers of blankets to accommodate the changes in temperatures
  • Exercise more during winter to support the best sleep habits
  • Get out into the sunlight for at least 20 minutes in a day
  • Ensure to take a warm bath an hour or two before bedtime
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