Sleep and body temperature!
We are all keen to improve our lives and maintain our health and it is a well known fact that if you sleep well, not only will you cope with daily life better, in fact, you might stand a better chance of living longer. How amazing is that!
There is one task that could really improve night time recovery, and I know because, with hand on heart, it has worked for me…and that is room temperature.
We at Homebody have been making sleepwear / pyjamas for over twenty years – and hopefully, during that time, we have learnt a thing or two about what helps you really sleep well, and what doesn’t, and one of those things is temperature.
Whether winter or summer, in our centrally heated homes, it is an element of our bedtime regime that we need to keep a constant eye on, to ensure the best temperature for sleep.
When you are sharing a bed, that can be quite tricky as we all feel the heat differently – some of us are hot blooded and some cooler: My partner prefers a very warm room and I like it cold – nothing better for me than sliding under cold sheets, it feels so fresh and inviting.
Age also plays a part in whether we prefer to sleep in a warm or cold room. As we mature we might go through those hot / cold phases or ‘sweats’ as they are affectionately known: and when we are young, our body also reacts differently, my son NEVER feels the cold, even in the height of winter he doesn’t want to wear a coat!
So what can we do?
Firstly let’s look at the bedroom: Many sleep experts say that a cool room, somewhere around 65 degrees, makes for the best sleep, and research backs this notion.
During the course of a typical day, the body temperature rises and falls slightly. This pattern is tied to your sleep cycle. As you become drowsy, your temperature goes down, reaching its lowest level around 5:00 a.m., and climbs slightly as morning begins.
This is why the air in your room can affect the quality of your sleep: if it's too hot in the bedroom, it may interfere with your body's natural dip and make you more restless through the night.
In fact, studies indicate that some forms of insomnia are associated with an improper regulation in body temperature. Of course each of us has a slightly different optimal temperature for sleep, so experiment with keeping your room cool and find what makes you most comfortable.
Shivering and Sweating at Night
During the night, your body uses its own heating and cooling mechanisms to keep your temperature in a healthy range. But the sensations that come with this natural "thermoregulation" can make it hard to sleep peacefully.
When your temperature rises, your body produces sweat that is meant to cool you down as it evaporates off your skin. If the air, your mattress, blankets, or pyjamas keep you too warm, you might find yourself damp and uncomfortable.
If the bedroom is too humid, sweating may not even cool you off, since the air is already saturated. On the other hand, if temperatures get too cool, this will produce a shiver, in which your muscles contract and expand rapidly to produce heat. Both of these automatic processes can happen without our conscious knowledge and they tend to make for restless sleep.
So what can be done to adjust our body temperature?
This is where we step in and why we have customers that love what we make – because our fabric ‘Modal Sens’ regulates the body temperature throughout the night, so that when we first put on Homebody, it feels cool and fresh, and as the night progresses, our nightwear adjusts to the body temperature and feel so comforting and warm but not in a disturbing way.
Our fabric has a mix of technical and natural qualities, meaning it works in a similar way to cotton, but with the benefit of draping beautifully and a baby soft touch that moves with the body during the night and is very easy care, unlike cotton or silk!
With our easy wearable styles that move with the body for maximum ease, they really do work and the best way to judge is try for yourselves!