What Happens to Your Body When You Sleep in a Cold Room Every Night

From verywellhealth.com

Sleep is key for overall health and wellbeing—and research suggests that sleeping in cooler temperatures around 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit may support your health even more. From getting better quality sleep to improving your mood, here are some of the potential benefits of sleeping in a cold room.

1. Your Sleep Quality May Improve

Because research suggests that many people get less sleep as the temperatures rise, sleeping in a cold room may help you get more, better quality sleep. The cooler temperature stimulates the production of melatonin (a hormone that signals it's time to sleep), so you can fall asleep and stay asleep, potentially enhancing overall sleep quality.

2. You Might Fall Asleep Faster

Your core body temperature naturally drops as you get ready to go to bed—so being in cooler temperatures can support this process by more rapidly signalling to your body that it's time to snooze. This may support a faster sleep onset, as research shows that warmer temperatures can delay the time it takes to fall asleep.

3. It May Help You Deal With Night Sweats

Night sweats and hot flashes (such as experienced by those approaching menopause) can impact sleep. Ensuring that your bedroom temperature is cooler may help you rest better.

4. Your Diabetes Risk Could Be Reduced

Keeping your thermostat low at night can help prevent metabolic conditions, like diabetes. Research shows that the cooler temperatures boost metabolic activity—specifically, triggering better calorie burn and increasing brown (or "good) fat tissue mass. This, in turn, can lead to more effective insulin sensitivity in the body.

Insulin sensitivity refers to how well your body responds to insulin, drawing blood glucose into cells to produce energy. People with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes have reduced insulin sensitivity, leading to high blood glucose.

5. You May Support Anti-Aging Efforts in the Body

In addition to being a sleep hormone, melatonin is also an antioxidant that supports the anti-aging process. Because sleeping in a cooler temperature can promote the production of melatonin, it's possible that overall anti-aging efforts in the body may be enhanced.

What Are Potential Downsides of Sleeping Cooler?

Sleeping in cooler temperatures can have downsides:

• Temperature preference: For some people, feeling cold while sleeping may negatively impact their sleep quality due to individual thermal sensation (a person's comfort level in response to temperatures in the surrounding environment).
• Certain health conditions: Research suggests that for people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cold air can actually trigger lung inflammation and hinder circulation in the body.
  

What Other Habits Can Help You Sleep Better?

In addition to sleeping in a cooler room, experts recommend the following tips to help improve sleep hygiene:

• Follow a night-time routine, winding down gradually and going to bed at the same time every night.
• Limit consuming big meals, alcohol, and caffeine in the evening, as the body requires energy to digest food and process beverages or stimulants.
• Try working out in the morning, as exercising too close to bedtime can activate the mind and body.
• Avoid blue light in the evening (such as from phones and computer screens) as much as possible. Blue light can disrupt the body's natural sleep-wake cycle.
• Keep the bedroom dark by using blackout shades or curtains to promote melatonin production.
  

If you find that lifestyle and environmental adjustments aren't helping you sleep better, see a healthcare provider. They can help recommend a sleep routine and suggest over-the-counter (OTC) sleep aids or prescription treatment if required.

https://www.verywellhealth.com/sleeping-in-a-cold-room-11778588