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Cooler bedroom temperatures help the heart recover during sleep:
Maintaining a bedroom temperature of 24°C [75°F] at night while sleeping reduces stress responses in older adults, according to new Griffith University research.
Dr Fergus O'Connor from Griffith's School of Allied Health, Sport and Social Work assessed the effect of increasing nighttime bedroom temperatures on heart rate and stress responses in older adults.
"For individuals aged 65 years and over, maintaining overnight bedroom temperatures at 24°C reduced the likelihood of experiencing heightened stress responses during sleep," Dr O'Connor said.
"When the human body is exposed to heat, its normal physiological response is to increase the heart rate.
"The heart is working harder to try and circulate blood to the skin surface for cooling.
"However, when the heart works harder and for longer, it creates stress and limits our capacity to recover from the previous day's heat exposure."
Study participants wore fitness activity trackers on their non-dominant wrist, and the bedroom temperature was monitored via installed temperature sensors throughout the Australian summer-long data collection period.
The data from the study provided the first real-world evidence of the effect of increasing bedroom temperature had on heart rate and stress responses.
"Climate change is increasing the frequency of hot nights, which may independently contribute to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality by impairing sleep and autonomic recovery," Dr O'Connor said.
"While there are guidelines for maximum daytime indoor temperature, 26°C, there are no equivalent recommendations for nighttime conditions."
Journal Reference: O'Connor, F.K., Bach, A.J.E., Forbes, C. et al. Effect of nighttime bedroom temperature on heart rate variability in older adults: an observational study. BMC Med 23, 703 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-04513-0
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Tomahawk on Wednesday February 04, @08:11PM (2 children)
I'd have to have the heating on all night to maintain that temperature, even in summer.
I'll stick with my 20°C or less room.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Reziac on Thursday February 05, @04:18AM
Waaaay too warm. I spent too many Montana winters in a semi-heated trailer where it might be zero to 10 C in there by morning, and even now that I live in a real house just like a real person, in winter I usually keep it around 15-18C at night, and it's probably not that warm when I sleep downstairs next to the big window. When the heat comes on in the morning, when it gets to 20C it wakes me up. I start the night with a down comforter, but by morning it's usually on the chair. Summer nights the big fan is pulling in cool air all night, and it's around 16C by morning. (Needless to say, I don't use the A/C much.)
So, according to this research, I should live forever. :P
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Thursday February 05, @11:26AM
Same here, at 24°C I'd be awake half the night unable to sleep due to the heat.