The Best Sleeping Temperature for a Restful Night

There are a lot of things we all do to try to sleep well at night. Some of us invest in high-quality pillows to support our necks, while others choose adjustable bed bases to get the perfect sleeping incline for a restful slumber. But there’s one thing that many people forget to take care of as part of their sleep hygiene routine, and today, we’re shining a spotlight on it:

Temperature. Specifically, what is the best temperature for sleeping, and why does your bed temperature impact your sleep quality in the first place? Whether you struggle with night sweats or you just can’t drift off as quickly as you used to, we have a few must-try tips to curate the perfect temperature for eight restful hours – or more – each night.

The Relationship Between Temperature and Sleep

The human body is a fascinating thing, and there are so many bodily processes happening without us even realising. For instance, did you know that your body’s temperature naturally changes throughout the day? As soon as your circadian rhythm starts to tell you it’s time to go to bed, your body will begin to ‘shed’ warmth, which can actually make the room around you feel warmer than it is in comparison to your usual temperature.

Your body’s goal is to reduce your core temperature for a restful state, releasing warmth through your feet, hands, and head to cool you down. If your room is too warm or too cold, this delicate balance is disrupted, which can impact your sleep.

What is the best temperature for sleeping?

To find the sweet spot, most sleep specialists recommend that your room’s ambient temperature be somewhere between 15 and 18 degrees Celsius. Any colder and you’ll be too cold to reliably fall asleep. If it's any warmer, you’ll likely wake up in the middle of the night as your body’s core temperature continues to drop and responds to the warm room.

If you’re sitting between those two temperatures, you’re golden. But if your room’s temperature has been giving you a headache lately, here are a few things you can do to get it just right.

Tips for Sleeping Cooler at Night

Practice good sleep hygiene

First, the preventative approach. There are aspects of your sleep hygiene (a.k.a. what you do before drifting off) that can impact how hot your body runs as you sleep. Finding ways to tailor your routine before bedtime can help reduce your natural body heat to more comfortable levels, especially if you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night with pervasive sweating.

Some adjustments you can try making to your routine include:

• Avoiding hot baths before bed, as these can seriously raise your core temperature and make it harder to drop off.
• Avoiding alcohol or caffeine in the hours before bed, as they both create inflammation and increase heat in your body.
• Choosing breathable pyjamas that allow air to circulate easily, even in cooler months, to prevent getting too hot in the middle of the night.

Adjust the ambient room temperature

This might be a no-brainer, but one of the best ways to sleep cooler at night is to simply cool the room down a few degrees. Using your HVAC system or a plug-in fan can be helpful for cooling down the room initially while you’re trying to drift off.

If you’re concerned about the impact on your energy bill, consider using a timer function or a plug-in timer to turn off the device a couple of hours after your ideal bedtime.

Use a cooling bed pad or pillow

Finally, investing in some cooling sleep technology can help a lot, especially if running too hot is a persistent issue for you! Cooling bed pads and cooling pillows are a lifesaver for hot sleepers, allowing cool air or water to constantly circulate and carry any built-up heat away from them during the night.

To summarise, what is the best temperature for sleeping? Ideally, your room and surroundings will hover somewhere between 15 and 18 degrees Celsius throughout the night, allowing you to drift off easily and sleep more deeply. If your room is not naturally cool, you can adjust your sleep hygiene, cool it manually, or invest in cooling sleep technology to help you achieve that optimal temperature.

The number one takeaway here is that it is worth taking the time to curate better sleep for yourself. The longer and more deeply you can rest, the more prepared you are for the rest of your day. And considering we all spend roughly one-third of our lives horizontal, it pays to create the best conditions in which we can lay our heads down each night.

Sleep cooler, better, and deeper with Mazon.

At Mazon, creating a good night’s rest is what we do best. With fifty years of expertise crafting and designing comfort for the home, we are proud to help Kiwis all over the country rest peacefully, no matter what their unique sleep needs might be.

To experience this change for yourself, browse our range of luxury bed bases, mattresses, and cooling sleep technology today.