Remember when you were a kid, when your mom tells you to go to sleep so you can play outside? We’ve all been there and it hasn’t been easy—especially if you’re not sleepy at all. Now that we’re adults, we crave for sleep in the afternoon; we want to feel that comfortability that envelops our whole body when we’re in a cold room.
Little did we know that sleeping in a cold room has its health benefits. It’s not just about the comfort that you feel while you’re under the sheets and that cool breeze hits you—it’s something much more.
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What is the best optimal temperature for sleeping?
You might have been curious about what the optimal temperature is. To tell you, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), the optimal temperature for sleeping is about 60 to 67 degrees Farenheit (about 15.6 to 19.6 degrees Celsius).
Anything outside this range might disrupt probably the most important part of our sleep cycle which is the REM or the Rapid Eye Movement.
But sleeping in a cold room; what benefits do we get out of it? Not to mention that we tend to feel cozier and more comfortable, here are some of the health benefits that sleeping in a cold room gives us.
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You fall asleep easier and better
It’s actually a no-brainer if you think about it. But Scientifically speaking, sleeping in a cold room helps us fall asleep better and faster. When we start to doze off, our bodies’ natural temperature decreases. This allows us to recharge and go over various stages in our sleep.
To help your body fall asleep faster, reducing the temperature of the room you are in can be of great aid. It sets the mood of your body, making it think that it’s ready to sleep. So, sleeping in a cool room with a temperature of 15 to 19 degrees Celsius can definitely give your body a boost in losing heat easily—making you more susceptible to sleep.
If you are in a warm environment, your body would still strive to cope with the temperature you need to sleep. Thus, wasting energy, causing you to stay wide awake.
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It decreases the risk of diseases
Sleeping in a cool, comfortable room also reduces the risk of developing diseases. As your body develops and produces more growth hormones, it reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease-development and mental health problems like depression and anxiety.
Sleep in a cold room also helps you dispose sugar not needed by the body. Thus, helping you regulate the usage of the body’s sugar—while also helping you battle diabetes.
Your metabolism is improved
A study done by the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that sleeping in a cold room between 15 to 19 degrees Celsius, helps the body lose weight. Based on their findings, it was because of the improved and hastened metabolism of the participants. How did it happen? Well, it’s because of the sudden increase of brown fat in the body when they rested and slept at a lower temperature.
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Moreover, some studies have shown that decreased room temperatures is the most effective in improving your metabolic rates. People who sleep in colder rooms gain metabolic advantages than those who rest at warmer temperatures.
It helps insomniacs get a good night’s sleep
In a study conducted by the University of South Australia, researchers found out that a colder room can greatly assist insomniacs. Dr. Cameron Van den Heuvel, one of the researchers of the study, explained that the regulation of temperature plays a critical role in both sleep maintenance insomnia and sleep onset insomnia.
The latter condition, insomniacs take about two (2) to four (4) hours to fall asleep. Sleep maintenance insomnia, on the other hand, insomniacs fall asleep easily. It’s just that they wake up quite a few times in the middle of the night. The reason for this is that insomniacs have warmer body temperatures, making it more difficult for them to fall asleep.
A cold room can give them and help them in regulating that temperature, making them fall asleep easier.
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Promotes uninterrupted sleep
Did you know that if you sleep in a cold room, you’re less likely to be interrupted? Several studies have shown that dozing off in a warm sleeping environment can heighten the wakefulness of a person; it decreases the slow wave sleep, too.
Slow waves of sleeping involves both the third (3rd) and fourth (4th) stages of non-REM sleep and is believed to play an important and a vital role in the cerebral restoration. Furthermore, it also aids in the recovery of our cells and in the consolidation of sleep maintenance.
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Boosts anti-aging properties
Being deprived of sleep, as we all know, exhibits on the physical appearance of a person. Meaning, a person who sleeps less than the recommendation would have the greater amount of lines, wrinkles, and dark circles under the eyes.
On the other hand, people who always get the right amount of sleep, can expect that they receive sufficient amounts of anti-aging properties. Leading UK sleep specialist Dr. Guy Meadows, said that sleeping is the body’s own time to heal and eliminate toxins. This is why people who sleep in a cold room boosts melatonin, a powerful antioxidant.
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It prevents vaginal infections
For women, this is good news. University of California, Los Angeles Doctor, Dr. Nicole Praus, explained that sleeping in a cold room can prevent vaginal infections, especially when women sleep n***d.
This is because bacteria easily multiplies in warmer and moist environments; thus, increasing a woman’s risk to fungal infections. Basically, women who sleep in a colder room, who is n***d, reduces her risk of developing fungal vaginal infections.
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How can you make your room cooler?
Now that you’re aware of some of the health benefits of sleeping in a colder room, you might want to do the same. But what can make your room colder even if it’s a hot summer day? Well, turning your fan or your air conditioning unit can help in reducing the room temperature when you doze off.
Oftentimes, an air conditioning is enough; it’ll be able to lower the temperature to the recommended 15 to 19 degrees Celsius.
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Furthermore, a mattress that can absorb heat can also do the trick. You can purchases innovative mattresses that absorb heat so you can be sure that the temperature you’re feeling isn’t that high.
Now, would you still be clinging to that warm room when you sleep? Or have you changed your mind and look forward to sleeping in a cold room tonight?
