Is it really better to sleep in a colder room?

An expert has issued a warning about sleeping in overheated rooms, saying it can be harmful to your health.

Since it’s World Sleep Day, we thought we’d dive into the issue.

While bills may soar if the heating is left on all night, the real problem with sleeping in warmer rooms has to do with our bodies.

Dr Elizabeth Hawkes told Woman and Home: ‘If you are indoors, central heating can be extremely drying to the eyes, as heating the air evaporates the water in it, creating an atmosphere dried.

“It plays an important role in regulating melatonin and cortisol. Temperature can disrupt the production of melatonin and cortisol by affecting the body’s internal clock, or circadian rhythm.”

So, is it really better to sleep in a cold room?

A study published in the National Library of Medicine showed that sleeping in a cooler bedroom with cooler bedding and nightwear benefits health, mood and aging. According to the Sleep Advisor organization, maintaining a low temperature has many benefits. Here are a few.

Anti-aging

Cooler rooms encourage the body to produce melatonin, a powerful anti-aging hormone. Increased melatonin production can lead to:

Better quality sleep

Studies have shown that when an environment is created for the body to lower its core temperature throughout the night, people sweat less and the body spends more time in the two most important phases of restorative sleep:

• REM: Rapid Eye Movement (the stage of sleep where most dreams occur);

• deep slow-wave sleep, also called deep sleep, which lasts between 70 and 90 minutes and occurs within the first few hours after bedtime.

According to Dr. Maja Schaedel, co-founder of The Good Sleep Clinic: “We know that in order to fall asleep and stay asleep, we need our core body temperature to drop by one or two degrees.

“Lowering the room temperature from 24°C to 18°C ​​has a significant impact on sleep quality, making it much better in cooler climates.”

Stress reduction

Good quality sleep reduces stress, and cooler temperatures reduce the production of cortisol, the stress hormone. Chronic stress can lead to long-term health complications such as depression, stomach problems, muscle tension, weight gain, and difficulty with memory and concentration.

Improved atmosphere

Sleeping in a cold room can improve mood in several ways. It seems obvious, but better sleep quality due to the cooler temperature can make individuals feel rested and calm. The other reason has to do with the connection between melatonin and serotonin. Serotonin is a mood enhancer and is a constituent of melatonin. Having enough of these two hormones in the brain will again lead to better rest and overall mood.

Reduced risk of disease

Although cooler temperatures are often credited with increasing the risk of respiratory illnesses, including asthma or even heart disease, this theory has long been debunked by health experts and typically only occurs when the temperature is too low.

Sleeping in colder rooms may actually lessen the risk of illnesses due to increased insulin sensitivity. An increase reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes because glucose is transported from the bloodstream to muscle tissue, leading to an overall improvement in tissue health.

Increased melatonin production may also have a positive influence on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. However, experts advise against melatonin for older adults who already have dementia because of the increased risk of falls and other accidents.

In addition, insomnia, which results from organ disease, can be prevented as well as metabolic diseases, including obesity.