What’s The Best Temperature For Sleep?

Written by Jill Zwarensteyn, Editor

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In This Article

The temperature of your room can play a significant role in the quality of your sleep. Learn more about the perfect temperature for sleep from our experts.

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Both your body and room temperature can play a crucial role in the quality of your sleep, and we’ve done the research to show you how to find the right balance. 

We’ll walk you through the ideal bedroom temperatures for different age groups and show you how to achieve that “perfect” temperature and improve your sleep health.

Age	Fahrenheit	Celsius
Adults	60-67 degrees	15-19 degrees
Babies/Toddlers	65-70 degrees	18-21 degrees

For most adults, the best temperature for sleep is 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit¹ (15 to 19 degrees Celsius).

The best temperature for a baby’s room should be slightly cooler, around 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 21 degrees Celsius).¹

However, this will also depend on personal preferences. Some people naturally sleep hot, and others sleep cold, so it’s perfectly normal to go below or above these recommended numbers to what makes you feel most comfortable.

Achieving the Best Temperature for Sleep

How to Keep Your Bedroom Cool

As mentioned above, the ideal room temperature for sleep is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit.¹ However, this can be harder to achieve for those who live in warmer climates or during those hot summer nights. If your bedroom feels too warm for you to sleep well, there are steps you can take to help bring down the temperature.

• Close the blinds during the day – Keeping the hot sunlight out of your room during the day should help it stay cooler overall. This is especially important for those who work overnight and need to sleep during daylight hours. 
• Adjust the windows according to the outside temperature – If it’s hot outside, leave the windows closed to keep the warm air out of the room. Conversely, if it’s cooler outside, open your windows to let the breeze in. 
• Sleep at the lowest level – Heat rises, so if you live in a multi-story home, try sleeping on the bottom floor. 
• Use a fan – You can utilize a fan to keep the air circulating, but make sure it’s not pointing directly at your body since this could result in sore muscles and headaches. 

How to Regulate Your Temperature for Sleep

Just like it’s important to keep the room temperature cool for a good night’s sleep, it’s also important to keep your body temperature cool. This is because a drop in core body temperature at night signals that it’s time to get sleepy². Sometimes, even in a cool room, if our body temperature is elevated, it might make it harder to fall asleep. 

Below are some ways you can cool your core temperature before and during sleep. 

• Use cooling bedding and accessories – Temperature-regulating sheets and cooling pillows, as well as a good cooling mattress, can help you stay comfortable. However, different mattress types and materials have varying thermal properties. Memory foam mattresses typically sleep much hotter since this type of foam traps heat (unless they contain cooling gels), while hybrid beds or innerspring mattresses usually fare much better due to improved airflow from the coils.
• Sleep in breathable pajamas – Look for pajamas made with cooler fabrics like cotton, linen, and bamboo.
• Avoid vigorous exercise just before bed – Exercise increases your body temperature³, and according to research⁴, vigorous exercise within one hour before bed could impact the time it takes to fall asleep. Instead, try working out earlier in the day to improve your sleep.
• Take a warm shower –This might seem counterintuitive, but taking a warm shower or bath⁵ one to two hours before bedtime can actually help lower your core temperature in time for bed to help you feel more sleepy.
• Limit screen time – Our phones, tablets, computers, and televisions emit a blue light that inhibits the production of melatonin⁶, an important hormone for sleep. Further, melatonin is correlated with decreased body temperature at night to help facilitate sleep.^{2, 6} 

Learn more: Best Cooling Mattress

Tips for Sleeping Better in Winter

During winter, especially in northern states where temperatures get near or below freezing, it’s recommended to keep the room slightly warmer to accommodate the significant nighttime temperature drops.

Some people may find it harder to fall asleep during winter, especially if they’re not hot sleepers, so here are a few tips:

• Layer up – Wearing multiple layers is a simple and effective way to keep your body warm during winter. You should also consider the fabric of your pajamas since some materials are naturally cooling and may not be the best for the winter. In this case, look for fleece or wool pajamas for extra warmth.
• Use extra blankets – Placing an extra blanket or two over you at night should help you warm up quickly. You might also consider investing in an electric blanket, which is a blanket that contains an electric heater inside of it. However, it’s important to be safe using electric blankets since they’re not ideal for certain groups, including pets, children, older adults, and pregnant women, among others.
• Wear socks – We lose a lot of heat through the feet, which means keeping them insulated can help lock in warmth. Thicker wool socks can be great for cold winter nights.
• Use a hot water bottle – A hot water bottle can make your bed warm within minutes. You can use it to warm your feet, stomach, or any other area where you feel cold. 
• Drink hot tea – Having hot tea before bed can warm you up and also help you relax at night. 

How Temperature Affects Sleep

Body Temperature

As we briefly mentioned, core body temperature plays a big role in sleep. Normally, a person’s body temperature will fluctuate during the day but only by 1 or 2 degrees⁷. This is known as thermoregulation⁸, the body’s ability to maintain a certain internal temperature. 

However, body temperature drops around two hours⁹ before bedtime. This drop in temperature is natural and helps signal the body that it’s time for sleep.² The circadian rhythm, which is the body’s internal clock, controls these temperature fluctuations, among many other important physiological patterns. Research has found, though, that as we age, our thermoregulation abilities aren’t as strong¹⁰. 

Thermoregulation is important for sleep onset, and with many adults reporting worse sleep¹¹ as they get older, it’s possible there’s a connection.² This is also why the elderly are considered more vulnerable when it’s extremely hot or cold out.¹⁰ That being said, it’s important to note that while diminished thermoregulation may play a role in sleep worsening with age, there are other causes of sleep problems in older adults, including an increased prevalence of sleep disorders¹².

Last Word of Advice

While an ideal room temperature is helpful for sleep, it’s one of many ways you can improve your sleep quality. Practicing good sleep hygiene, investing in quality bedding and the right mattress, and consulting health professionals for more serious conditions affecting your sleep will also be important steps toward more restful nights.

Jill Zwarensteyn

Editor

About Author

Jill Zwarensteyn is the Senior Editor for Sleep Advisor and a certified sleep science coach. She is enthusiastic about providing helpful and engaging information on all things sleep and wellness.

 

Combination Sleeper

References:

1. “What’s the Best Temperature for Sleep?”. Cleveland Clinic. 2021.
2. Harding, Edward C., Franks, Nicholas P., Wisden, William. “The Temperature Dependence of Sleep”. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2019. 
3. Damatto, Ricardo Luiz., Mariano Cezar, Marcelo Diarcadia., Portugal dos Santos, Priscila. “Control of Body Temperature during Physical Exercise”. Journal of Brasilian Society of Cardiology. 2019. 
4. Stutz, Jan., Eiholzer, Remo., Spengler, Christina M. “Effects of Evening Exercise on Sleep in Healthy Participants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”. Sports Medicine. 2019.
5. Haghayegh, Shahab., Khoshnevis, Sepideh., et al., “Before-bedtime passive body heating by warm shower or bath to improve sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis”. Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2019.
6. “Blue light has a dark side”. Harvard Health Publishing. 2020. 
7. “What is a Normal Body Temperature?”. Cleveland Clinic. 2021. 
8. Osilla, Eva V., et al. “Physiology, Temperature Regulation”. StatPearls. Last modified May 8, 2022. 
9. Harding, Edward C., Franks, Nicholas P., Wisden, William. “Sleep and thermoregulation”. Current Opinion in Physiology. 2020.
10. Balmain, Bryce N., et al. “Aging and Thermoregulatory Control: The Clinical Implications of Exercising under Heat Stress in Older Individuals”. BioMed Research International. 2018.
11. “Aging changes in sleep”. Medline Plus. Webpage accessed January 6, 2024.
12. Tatineny MD, Prathusha., et al. “Sleep in the Elderly”. Missouri Medicine. 2020.