Research shows sleep can be disrupted by temperatures anywhere below 65 degrees Fahrenheit or above 75 degrees Fahrenheit. But for most people, heat interferes with sleep more than cold does. Sleep experts believe the best temperature for great sleep is between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sleeping too hot
“Heat is a huge disruptor for REM sleep,” Dr. Drerup says. With the heat of the room, your body temperature will also rise, thus undoing the sleep initiation process entirely. If your bedroom temperature is above 70° F, it's too hot.
The Bottom Line. Camping in 100-degree weather is no joke, and it poses real risks to your safety and comfort. Dehydration, exhaustion, and heat stroke are just a few of the dangers to be aware of, alongside the fact that you'll likely have to lean into the discomfort of being hot most of the time.
For most people, the temperature in the bedroom at night should not exceed 72 degrees Fahrenheit, and it should be even lower for people that sleep best in a cool bedroom.
Oller points to the heat index for this one: Temps between 90 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit are considered “extreme caution,” and anything above falls under the “danger” and “extreme danger” categories. “When it gets to be over 100 degrees, anyone is going to have ill effects from heat before very long,” she says.
Researchers investigated when the body starts exerting more energy to keep itself cool at high temperatures. They found that this upper-temperature limit lies between 40℃ (104F) and 50℃ (122F) when the human body stops functioning optimally.
4 Hyperthermia is an internal body temperature above 100.4 degrees F. It may cause changes in blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate, or a hormonal imbalance. 4 Any of these changes may cause a person to pass out.
If your bedroom temperature is above 70 degrees, experts say it's too hot. On the flip side, sleeping too cold also has its issues. It does not affect your sleep cycles as drastically as being too hot, but it could potentially lead to other health issues.
“Looking at the available research, most studies agree that a temperature between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit is optimal for sleeping, with temperatures above 75 degrees and below 54 degrees disruptive to sleep.
But in addition to making you uncomfortable and interfering with healthy sleep patterns, being too hot at any time of day or night can cause health risks like dehydration and heat stroke.
Wear a hat wide enough to protect your face. Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated. Avoid high-energy activities or work outdoors, during midday heat, if possible. Check on family members, older adults and neighbors.
Use thin sheets
Reduce your bedding but keep covers handy. Thin cotton sheets will absorb sweat. However hot it is in your bedroom, your body temperature will fall during the night. That is why we sometimes wake up feeling cold.
Good ventilation with an open window can help. Many find ceiling fans useful but even a small, cheap fan can make a difference. If it's noisy, try ear plugs although they can take a few nights to get used to. Be sure to expose as much of your skin to flowing air as possible.
How hot is too hot? “If someone told me that they slept in a temperature between 70 to 75, I'd say that's a range that promotes insomnia,” Avidan says. “That's toasty.” If you're used to keeping your bedroom so warm, “Lower the temperature 2 to 3 degrees at a time,” Ramos says.
Some research suggests that sleeping naked can promote better sleep, leading to various mental and physical health benefits. By encouraging core body temperature regulation, naked sleeping may help support reproductive function, skin health, cortisol levels, metabolic control, and more.
In most cases, sleep experts do not recommend sleeping in a warm or hot bedroom. Warmer temperatures can cause restfulness, dehydration, discomfort and irritability. Hot bedroom temperatures also reduce time spent in REM sleep.
If your bedroom is too warm, as it can be in summer, then this can increase your body temperature. View Source and disturb your sleep. You are more sensitive to temperatures during the first two sleep stages, and thus more likely to wake up during these stages if you feel hot.
Safe range means a set variation where there's minimal risk. If the room temperature is below 68 degrees Fahrenheit or above 74 degrees Fahrenheit, their health is at risk because the temperatures will be outside the safe range.
The human body can't tolerate its temperature reaching 43 degrees C (about 109.4 degrees F). “Anyone who reaches that core temperature — 99.9% would die,” Vanos said. This is the upper limit of survival. Heat often kills in more subtle ways — by worsening pre-existing issues, like cardiovascular or renal disease.
Heat-related illnesses include heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps and heat rash. Heat stroke and heat exhaustion involve an abnormally high body temperature (hyperthermia) and need immediate treatment. You can lower your risk of heat illness by staying hydrated and limiting physical activity in hot weather.