I read an interesting article on Mercola.com recently called Do Cold Temperatures Improve Sleep? I occasionally struggle with the temperature in my bedroom, which, due to five—yes, five—windows and poor insulation, happens to be the coldest room in my apartment. One might assume that colder bedroom temperatures are, in fact, better for sleep, but that is not exactly true.
The optimal temperature range, says Mercola, is actually around 60 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the room warmer than 75 or cooler than 54 degrees, and you will likely end up with a restless night’s sleep.
While you do want your core body temperature to cool down, what you don’t want are cold hands and feet. As Mercola points out, cold extremities may be a sign of poor blood flow—another contributing factor to sleeplessness. His recommendation? Socks or a hot water bottle.
Personally, once I started wearing socks to bed, I did find that I had better temperature regulation through my whole body and slept a bit better.
In his article, Mercola also discusses the effect of light on the quality of sleep. Having any light at all in the bedroom, whether from a clock radio, a nightlight, or coming in through a window, can greatly interfere with your sleep—to the extent of inhibiting the production of the hormone melatonin, which plays a vital role in the body’s functioning, including helping you sleep.
Some time ago I read a similar article on fertility awareness on the Weston Price website that discussed how having light in the bedroom at night could interfere with a woman’s cycle. The article suggested that controlling the amount of light in the room could help to regulate a woman’s cycle and so help her optimize her fertility.
Both articles recommend blocking out as much light as possible from the bedroom for improved sleep and health.
So, if you’re having trouble sleeping (or getting pregnant), try regulating your body temperature and the amount of light in your bedroom. And if you have a success story, let me know. I’d love to hear it!
