Figuring out your ideal body temperature is a great place to start when you're looking to stay comfortable when you sleep. Most people like to sleep in colder temperatures, creating the need to layer up their beds with warm blankets. Sleeping in a room that is too warm can actually negatively affect the quality of your sleep.
Researchers actually suggest that you should sleep in a room temperature between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5 and 19.5 degrees Celsius) in order to get the best sleep.
Where should you start?
1. Avoid Heating the Entire House During the Night
Depending on the layout of your house or apartment, heating a large area during the winter can become very costly, especially when the space isn't being utilized. So, instead, rather than heating the entire home during the night, it's more efficient from a cost perspective to focus on the rooms you sleep in.
2. Use Flannel Sheets
On a cold night, sleeping with flannel sheets will warm you up faster than cotton because of the ever-useful fuzz. The fuzz on flannel captures air in little pockets, and the air acts as insulation to keep body heat in, cold air out. The fuzzier the fabric, the more effective the insulation. Make sure you don’t put some heavy horse blanket on top of your flannel or you’ll squash down the nap and negate the insulating effect.
3. Create Layers of Top Sheets and Blankets
Rather than just using one thick faux-like blanket, comforter or duvet, create layers instead. Layers allows you to create weighted, and insulated sleeping arrangement to trap the heat, ultimately warming up your body. Layers also work well because you can remove them if you get too warm in the night. Try alternating between thinner and thicker layers to maximize the insulation effect.
4. Add Warmth By Sleeping On It
5. Wear Warm Pajamas
Continuing with the theme of creating insulation for your body heat, try wearing some warm flannel pajamas. They also make getting out of bed in the night a slightly less shivery experience.
