I LOVE sleeping with my windows open. Sometimes I wake up with my nose and hands cold as a result, and I look forward to that feeling so much. If it’s between 50 and 67 degrees outside, every window in my house is opened to allow as much fresh air as possible to blow inside; I even set up fans throughout the house to make this happen. Energy tip: If you cool your house as much as possible overnight, then close all windows/curtains before the sun rises, you can get through a fair amount of the day before ever needing to turn on the A/C.
Sleeping in a cold room is not just enjoyable, but healthy. Here are six reasons why:
- Your body temperature drops as you prepare for bed, helping you produce melatonin. A cool room mimics this, supporting production of this sleep hormone.
- You usually sleep better, and better sleep in a cooler room stimulates fat burning.
- Cool rooms support glucose disposal, helping you balance blood sugar and avoid insulin resistance.
- Your body produces more serotonin, needed both for melatonin production and a good mood.
- Keeping your window open circulates the air better, removing carbon dioxide from your room, which improves sleep quality.
- Sleeping at an ideal temperature lowers cortisol levels.
Studies show the ideal room temperature ranges between 60-69 degrees, so my preference to have it hover around 54 degrees may not quite match the norm. But how one sleeps is often a personal preference — the low temperature works for me, and very well. I retire to bed at night knowing I will sleep like a baby when the room is cold and the air is moving.
