hellish heat summer 2023 this seems to have given us a truce in almost all of Spain. But just because it’s not hot as hell doesn’t mean it’s cold. They are still high enough to make it difficult to sleep in some places. But what does it mean? That is, how hot is it for catch a dream? Or, to put it another way, what is optimal sleep temperature?
This is something that has been studied a lot in recent years. The latest study on this topic has just been published by a group of scientists from Harvard Medical School, by analyzing what temperature is optimal for sleeping in an uncontrolled environment.
Such studies are usually carried out in laboratory conditions. There the temperature can be changed, but always with careful control to keep it constant. In real life, this is not the case. We can air-condition the room for as long as we want, but usually the temperature changes. For this reason, the participants in this study were observed while they slept at home. It was concluded that the optimal sleep temperature between 20°C and 25°C. Of course, there are big differences between people, so when someone is too hot to sleep, the other person may think they have the perfect temperature.
Why is heat so bad for sleep?
When we talk about heart rhythms light comes to mind. This is not uncommon as it is one of the main indicators of our brains preparing for sleep or waking up. When there is light melatonin secretion, a hormone that helps us sleep. However, as the light decreases, more and more of this hormone is released.
But light is not the only indicator of our circadian system. In order for the dream to start, it must also be extinguished. our body temperature. And it becomes more difficult if the ambient temperature is extremely high. It mainly affects REM sleep, deep rest, as its duration is reduced. This means that they produce more awakenings during the nightto be more tired the next day. If we add to all this the problem dehydration, we see that we are faced with a serious problem. To prevent all this from happening, we must find the optimal sleep temperature, which can vary from one person to another, but is usually within certain limits.
What is the optimal temperature for sleeping?
A study just published in General environmental science focused only on the elderly, age over 65. Total was 50 volunteersresidents of Boston, USA.
They all had to sleep, as usual, at home, but with indoor temperature and humidity sensors installed in their rooms. In addition, an annular device was placed on them for track sleep, skin temperature, heart rate and movement. Therefore, the data was collected from 11,000 nightsconcluding that, as we have already seen, the optimum temperature for sleep is generally equal to between 20°C and 25°C.
If they slept more or less, the quality of sleep suffered. In fact, the amount of time spent in sleep exceeds the allowable limit. dropped by 10%. This may not seem like much, but it is a very alarming figure, since health can suffer on many levels: from increased stress and anxiety before imbalance in blood sugar levels.
The important thing is that although the tenants were in all types of buildings, from social housing to own houses with better infrastructure, in general, most of them had a good economic level. This made them better air conditioner their homes: better insulated windows, automated air conditioning methods, etc.
Worse outcomes are seen in those who live in more modest places, so this is an important factor to consider. Still, you can try to ventilate the room, use light pajamas and other measures that do not require large financial investments. It is clear that a good rest is necessary, so choosing the optimal sleep temperature for each of us is a task. great need.
Source: Hiper Textual
