Ideal Temperatures for Sleeping
There’s nothing that can divide a family more intensely than control of the thermostat. Even sleeping, people will grab blankets away from their most loved family members in a sleep-induced haze. Warmer or colder weather offers a change in how we use our HVAC system because it’s at the center of home climate comfort. Because the activity people participate in the most at home is sleeping, the optimum sleeping temperatures should be considered carefully.
Leaving babies out in cold weather is still the norm in many areas.
Optimal temperature
The best temperature for optimum sleep quality promoted by the national sleep foundation, Sleep.Org, is between 60 and 67 degrees. For some people, that range may seem relatively cool! However, we can take it into consideration, along with the caveat, ‘your mileage (and temperature) may vary!’
To help this low range make sense, we also need to think about how people sleep. A person wearing anything from nothing to winter pajamas climbs into bed with sheets, a blanket, potentially a comforter or bedspread, and loses consciousness for about eight hours. He has zero memory of the hours he was asleep, during which the HVAC quietly surrounded him in unappreciated comfort.
The sleeper’s lack of memory is critical to the story because of the electric or gas bill resulting from this unnoticed comfort. Only a few degrees higher or lower during these large swaths of time will significantly impact the bill. No one enjoys being hot or cold, nor do we want to pay for the comfort we won’t have the chance to appreciate.
The other side of this story is the people who get up frequently throughout the night when cooler temperatures can make getting out of bed inconceivably uncomfortable, or it can be too warm to fall back asleep.
REM sleep
In some Nordic countries, they put their babies to sleep bundled up outside during cold weather. However, this practice isn’t widespread in the U.S. These Nordic families claim their children sleep better, have better health, and presumably sleep more peacefully. But, they also say it’s critical to bundle the child up sufficiently for the weather.
Sleep.Org has proclaimed cooler temperatures to be better because it increases REM sleep. More REM sleep indicates higher-quality sleep. So, it’s possible these Nordic ‘mormor’s’ may have a point. There is a Swedish saying - “There is no bad weather, only bad clothing.”
Of course, Sleep.Org recommends using sleep socks, a hot water bottle, and other sources of heat to warm the bed so one can comfortably settle into colder conditions. Some people attempt to make the bed cozier by using a hairdryer or heating pad preemptively to heat the covers before climbing into bed.
Bedding
It is imperative to have appropriate bedding for seasonal conditions. Shared bedding solutions in winter include every person in the bed having their own blankets over having the person who lives with a cover thief tucking the blankets in on their own side.
Being Smart and cool
The best way to control the thermostat and night time temperature is by using a Smart thermostat. Homeowners can adjust the temperature to fall when he knows he will be asleep already, or set it to a more economical temperature at bedtime to remind themselves to get into bed.
Better than that, a Smart thermostat can be programmed to start the HVAC before the family wakes up, providing them the highest comfort for morning showers and changing from their bedclothes.
A periodic HVAC maintenance call will keep the HVAC in prime condition, making it even more efficient and saving on repairs in the future.
Stud Air Conditioning is a full-service installation, maintenance, and repair HVAC company serving Broward, Miami-Dade, West Palm Beach, and Port St. Lucie counties. Call us when you need help with your heating or cooling needs at (954)324-2905. We can help!
