How Does Room Temperature Impact Sleep Quality?

Everyone has experienced the frustration of lying awake at night unable to fall asleep because you are hot and uncomfortable in a stuffy bedroom. It can be equally challenging to sleep when your bedroom is too cold. Let's talk about the ideal temperature and humidity level for optimal sleep quality and how your local HVAC company in Knoxville can help you achieve it.

How Temperature Can Impact Your Sleep

When your body is too hot or cold, it can make it more difficult to fall asleep. If you start to shiver or sweat once you are asleep, it will likely wake you up and disrupt your sleep, leaving you feeling lethargic the following day. REM, which stands for rapid eye movement, is a crucial phase of sleep as it plays an important role in our memory, emotional processing, and repairing & resting the brain. Your body temperature will naturally increase during this REM phase after dropping in the earlier slow-wave sleep phase. However, if your room is too warm, as your temperature rises when entering REM, you will wake up. This means you never get the benefit of REM sleep. Over the long term, this can impact your overall health. On the other hand, if you get too cold while sleeping, your blood vessels start to constrict, and your breathing becomes shallow as your body works to warm itself. This also disrupts your sleep. As you can see, getting a comfortable temperature in your bedroom is very important to get a great night's sleep!

The Optimal Temperature For Sleep

According to extensive medical research, the ideal temperature for good quality sleep is between 60°F and 67°F for adults and 65°F to 70°F for children. Experts advise setting the thermostat in your home between 2 and 5 degrees cooler at night than your standard daytime temperature. You may also want to drive different bedding options and nightwear to achieve the perfect temperature for sleeping. You may even want to consider zoning your HVAC to keep your bedrooms at a cooler temperature than the rest of your home. Ask a local HVAC company in Knoxville if you would like more information about zoning.

Humidity & Sleep

Humidity and temperature go hand in hand, so we also need to consider the impact humidity has on the quality of your sleep. High humidity can increase wakefulness, worsen asthma, and increase the risk of bronchitis and other respiratory infections. These will all disrupt your sleep. However, if you lower the humidity and go too low, you may find yourself dealing with dry throat and nasal passages, headaches, itchy eyes, and an increased risk of nosebleeds. Finding just the right balance can be tricky. According to the EPA, the recommended humidity level is 40% to 50% in summer and 30% to 40% in winter. Never let your house get above 60% humidity, as this will result in mold and mildew.

How Can Your Local HVAC Company in Knoxville Help?

Your local HVAC company in Knoxville may not be able to help you choose the best pillow or bedding to keep you cool at night, but they can offer a few solutions that can help you stay comfortable all night. Some potential solutions to discuss with an HVAC company in Knoxville include:

• Programmable Thermostat - A programmable thermostat is a great way to take control of your room temperature and cool things down at night before you go to bed. Once you set your preferred program, it will automatically reduce the temperature in time for bedtime without you having to remember to do it manually every night. Consider taking it even further with a smart thermostat, which has its own temperature and humidity sensors and will adjust the temperature accordingly. Talk to an HVAC company in Knoxville for their recommendations.
• Upgrading Your Old HVAC - If your HVAC system is more than ten years old, it may not be working as effectively as it once did, which could be contributing to your feeling hot and stuffy in bed at night. Consider talking to an HVAC company in Knoxville about upgrading to a new, more efficient HVAC system.
• Zoned HVAC System - We touched on the benefits of a zoned HVAC system above, but if you choose to upgrade your HVAC system, this may be something you wish to consider. Zoning gives you more control over the temperature of individual rooms, allowing you to set the ideal temperature in each zone. You can set bedrooms to a cooler temperature than main living areas and even reduce the heating and cooling in rooms that are not used often, such as spare rooms or basement areas.
• Ductless HVAC - If you have a single bedroom that needs some help achieving optimal sleep temperatures, you may want to consider a ductless mini-split. This is a cost-effective way to install additional heating and cooling without installing ductwork.
• Dehumidifiers - When living in a high-humidity area like Tennessee, adding an integrated dehumidifier to your HVAC system can help remove some of the moisture from the air, bringing it back to an optimal level for sleep.

Achieving the perfect temperature and humidity levels in your bedroom is crucial for ensuring a restful and uninterrupted night's sleep. Maintaining an environment supporting your body's natural sleep cycles can significantly improve your sleep quality and overall health. Whether it's through the use of programmable thermostats, upgrading your HVAC system, or integrating dehumidifiers, your local HVAC company in Knoxville has the expertise and solutions to help you create the ideal sleep sanctuary. Don't let uncomfortable temperatures disrupt your rest any longer—consult an HVAC professional to make your bedroom the perfect place to catch up on that beauty sleep.

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Gent Heating and Cooling provide heating and air conditioning for residential and commercial clients in Knoxville, Knox County, and the surrounding East Tennessee area. Over 20 Years experience. Customer Service is Our Top Priority. We strive to be on time, provide accurate estimates, and have most replacement products on our service vehicles.

Call 865-213-3818 or email office@genthvac.com

www.gentheatandcool.com