A Simple Fix to Enhance Sleep Quality
If you are waking up at night, this may be what's happening - especially if you are waking up early in the morning, like 3:00 am.
Poor body temperature regulation.
That's because at night your body dips to its lowest thermal set point. If you can't regulate to that ideal temperature, sleep quality suffers.
Here is what happens: a few hours before bedtime, the core body temperature starts to decline, coinciding with the release of melatonin. The temperature continues to go down until the early morning, when it starts to rise again.
If it's too hot, your body won't be able to release heat and cool down.
Here is the solution:
Allow your body to cool down sufficiently by adjusting your temperature in accordance with your sleep environment.
The ideal room temperature for sleep is around 65ºF (18.3ºC). Individual preferences play a role, as the efficiency of heat regulation varies between people.
So, what should you do if you suspect temperature regulation may be affecting your sleep?
Adjust the ambient temperature in the bedroom:
Set the thermostat to go lower at night
Open the window for a cool breeze
Use a fan
Get your own temperature right:
Adjust your bedding
Wear pyjamas to suit your needs - or sleep naked
For some people these suggestions aren't enough, as their bodies don't cool down easily.
This could be you if you are always waking up at 3:00 am.
Do you suffer from chronically cold hands and feet?
Chronic cold hands and feet are an indication of vasoconstriction of the extremities. This means that less blood can flow to these parts of the body.
To understand what this has to do with cooling down and waking up at night, it helps to know how your body regulates heat.
The primary way the body cools down is by moving heat from the core to the extremities. Blood is diverted to the little capillaries at the surface of the skin, where heat can easily escape from the body.
People with poor circulation or vasoconstriction of the extremities are less efficient in moving heat away from the core. As a lower body temperature is necessary for sleep, this inefficiency can cause them to wake up more easily.
Here is a counterintuitive solution to the problem:
Wear socks at night.
Wearing socks helps with vasodilation. That is expansion (dilation) of the blood vessels. This allows blood to flow to the feet. Heat from the body core can reach the feet, where it can be dissipated.
Wearing socks can help your body regulate temperature all night long.
Wear socks in the evening so the core body temperature can start dropping, signalling your brain to feel sleepy. Wearing socks when you go to bed you will help you drop off to sleep more easily. It will also be easier to sleep through the night as your body will be better able to maintain the optimum core temperature for sleep.
Getting the right temperature for an optimal sleep may take some experimentation, but it’s worth it.
You will get higher quality, uninterrupted sleep.