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What is the best temperature for sleep?

Written by Tuck Staff

Did you know that your body and room temperature play a pivotal role in helping you fall asleep?

Your core body temperature naturally fluctuates during the day, reaching its highest point in the late afternoon, before it starts to cool down and prepare your body for sleep.

body temperature during sleep

This cooldown in temperature signals to your brain that it’s time to get ready for bed and kickstart melatonin production, the hormone responsible for regulating your sleep. It’s no coincidence that the nightly drop in body temperature starts after sunset, as our sleep-wake cycle is dictated by our circadian rhythms – the 24-hour internal body clock that revolves around the sun (“circa” = around, and “dies” = day).

Maintaining a consistently cool bedroom temperature is essential for facilitating your body’s natural cooling process and ensuring an uninterrupted night of restful sleep.

What’s the best temperature for sleep?

The best temperature for sleeping is 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit (or 15 to 19 degrees Celsius)

The best temperature for sleeping babies and toddlers is a bit higher, between 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 21 Celsius).

Best temperature for sleep by age:

Fahrenheit Celsius
Adults 60 to 67 degrees 15 to 19 degrees
Babies and toddlers 65 to 70 degrees 18 to 21 degrees

It’s important to get your bedroom temperature just right. A cooler temperature helps your body maintain a consistent temperature, preventing night sweats and related insomnia. But if it’s too cold, your body has to expend more energy warming you up, so you’ll have a harder time falling asleep.

What’s too hot or too cold? Experts agree that temperatures above 75 or below 54 degrees can both interfere with sleep quality.

How do you find the perfect sleep temperature for you? Adjust your temperature within the recommended range to see what makes you comfortable enough to sleep.

Things that might affect your ideal sleep temperature include:

  • Whether you tend to sleep hot (in which case you’ll need to set it on the cooler end)
  • The temperature regulation qualities of your mattress (memory foam beds trap heat, while cooling mattresses provide a cooler sleep surface)
  • How much clothing you wear to bed (there are many benefits to sleeping naked)

Why cool temperatures are best for sleep

Sleeping at the recommended cool temperature can help you fall asleep faster, enjoy more restful sleep, prevent certain types of insomnia, and improve your metabolism.

Cool temperatures facilitate better-quality REM and deep sleep, both of which are critical to healthy daytime functioning. During REM sleep, you experience dreams, while your brain processes learnings and consolidates memories. In deep sleep, your body restores and repairs your muscles and tissue. Keeping your body cooler can lead to more time spent in deep sleep, while a too-hot environment can actually reduce the time spent in deep sleep and result in less sleep overall.

In order to keep your bedroom temperature consistent during the night, following these tips:

  • Keep your bedroom windows closed at night, as the outdoor temperature can fluctuate and affect the consistency of your bedroom temperature.
  • Keep blinds and curtains closed to block out sunlight and its associated warmth. Keeping your bedroom as dark as possible will also help facilitate deeper sleep.
  • Consider wearing socks to bed. Keeping your extremities warm helps dilate your blood vessels so they can better redistribute heat throughout your body.

Darkness and coolness are two of the most important factors for a good night’s sleep, but much more can make an impact on your sleep, from the colors you paint your bedroom to the mattress you choose. For more tips like these, check out our guide to creating the perfect environment for sleep.