Find Your Ideal Sleep Temperature

Sleep can be elusive. It often seems the harder you try, the harder it is to fall asleep. Research enumerating the reasons a good night’s sleep is crucial for your physical and mental health adds to the pressure. So, how can you maximize your potential for a night of restful sleep?

A comfortable mattress is one of the most important factors in sleep. Another is environment. The surrounding elements have a significant impact on the process of getting ready for bed, climbing under the covers, and eventually drifting off to sleep. The amount of light in your room, the feel of the room itself, the noise level, and even the temperature make up the right bedroom ambiance.

Because we can control sleep temperature to a large extent, it’s a relatively easy ingredient to adjust in your best sleep recipe.

A few ways to regulate how warm or cool you are at night include your thermostat, your bedding, and your mattress. Surprised that a mattress can impact your sleep temperature? Read on.

1. Thermostat

According to sleep.org, the suggested bedroom temperature for optimal sleep is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures far above or below this range will actually wake us up. While this makes intuitive sense—how often have you woken up sweaty or shivering because the thermostat was out of control or a bed partner stole the covers?—there’s also scientific reasoning behind it.

Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley told The Wall Street Journal: “If our core temperature is too high the brain cannot easily make the switch from being awake to being asleep, or create the best quality sleep.” He also indicates that core body temperature needs to decrease by a few degrees to begin the process of falling asleep.

2. Bedding

Some like it cozy! If you’re a fan of layered bedding, you’ll need to drop your room temperature by a couple of degrees to compensate. If you prefer fewer covers, and your feet get cold at night, consider wearing warm socks.

If you live in a warm climate, you may need to ditch the down comforter altogether during the summer months to save money on your electricity bill and continue to sleep well. If you don’t have air conditioning, use a fan or open a window on breezy nights.

3. Mattress

You might be surprised that the right mattress can help regulate your sleep temperature. Serta’s premium mattresses are designed with advanced, breathable foams that help reduce sleep-disrupting heat buildup. For example, our iComfort mattresses are made with advanced gel memory foam designed to help dissipate excess heat and promote a comfortable sleep temperature.