How Temperature Can Affect Your Sleep?

Our sleep cycles are fine-tuned to match the environments that humans are most accustomed to. We are awakened by exposure to sunlight, and our nervous systems are delicately calibrated to allow us to sleep while retaining the ability to wake quickly to respond to danger. While this delicate balance has given us the ability to get the most out of sleep, there are more factors governing our ability to sleep well than we might be aware of- such as small changes in temperature.

How Temperature Can Effect Your Sleep

Our nervous systems respond to cues associated with the time of day. Light is the most obvious of these cues. But temperature is also a significant indicator of time. With few exceptions, temperatures tend to be lower at night than they are in the daytime. This is due to the simple fact that the light of the sun heats the atmosphere by bombarding it with light during the daylight hours.

It is for this reason that most people tend to sleep better when they are slightly cooler than they would normally prefer to be. This can seem counterintuitive, but it’s just one of the ways that our advanced biology works to help keep us active during optimal hours, and to sleep when doing so is most advantageous.

Optimizing Your Air Conditioning For Sleep

Because it is best to remain slightly cool during sleeping hours, a high-quality AC system should come equipped with a timer that you can set to drop the temperature by a few degrees during bedtime. This can be of great benefit for those who work at night and have irregular sleeping patterns.

By setting the temperature in your home to dip by a few degrees at the times of day or night when you need to sleep, you can help to trigger the body to be ready to shut down. This is a great way to help ensure you get the maximum amount of REM sleep- the phase when the body and brain are healed and rejuvenated.

Contact Us

Here at Barker’s Heating and Cooling in Graham Road and College Station, we value comfort above all else- and sleep is synonymous with comfort. Our HVAC pros will help you to adjust your heating and cooling system for optimal comfort and sleep for better health and wellbeing all year long. Get in touch today to learn more, schedule an appointment- or access our 24/7 emergency service.