What Is the Best Temperature for Sleep?

The short answer

For most adults, a bedroom around 60 to 67°F (15.6 to 19.4°C) works well for sleep, with about 65°F (18°C) a common middle point (Cleveland Clinic). That number comes mostly from sleep experts' clinical advice, and the research behind it shows a pattern more than a precise setting: heat that's too high or too low makes you wake more and cuts into deep and REM sleep (Okamoto-Mizuno 2012). Older adults may sleep better a bit warmer, and babies need their own safe sleep rules.

Where does the 60 to 67°F number come from?

You'll see this range everywhere, so I went looking for its source. Large sleep organizations and clinicians recommend it, including sleep psychologist Michelle Drerup at Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland Clinic). I couldn't find a single trial that tested 60 versus 67 versus 72°F in regular bedrooms and crowned a winner.

What the research does support:

• Too hot or too cold disrupts sleep. Heat or cold exposure usually increases wakefulness and reduces slow wave (deep) sleep and REM sleep (Okamoto-Mizuno 2012).
• With blankets and pajamas, heat causes more trouble than cold. In lab studies with people lightly dressed, cold hurt sleep more. In real life, with bedding and clothing, heat exposure did more damage to sleep stages (Okamoto-Mizuno 2012).
• People vary. A study of older adults sleeping in their own homes found big differences between individuals in which temperature suited them best (Baniassadi 2023).

So treat 60 to 67°F as a reasonable starting zone. Your own sleep tells you the rest.

Why a cool room helps you fall asleep

Your body runs on a daily temperature rhythm. Core body temperature falls in the evening, and sleep comes most easily while it's dropping (Okamoto-Mizuno 2012). To shed that heat, blood vessels in your hands and feet widen and release warmth through the skin. This shift lines up with the evening rise in melatonin (Okamoto-Mizuno 2012).

A cool room makes that heat dump easier. A hot room fights it. Your bed creates its own little climate too: when people sleep normally, the air between skin and covers tends to sit around 90 to 93°F (32 to 34°C) at 40 to 60% relative humidity (Okamoto-Mizuno 2012). Heavy covers in a warm room push that pocket past comfortable, and you start kicking off blankets at 3 a.m.

Does humidity matter for sleep?

Yes. Humid heat disrupts sleep more than dry heat at the same temperature. It increases wakefulness, cuts deep and REM sleep, and blunts the normal drop in core temperature (Okamoto-Mizuno 2012). Sweat can't evaporate well in muggy air, so your body keeps the heat.

For the house in general, the EPA advises keeping indoor humidity below 60%, ideally between 30 and 50%, mostly to keep mold in check (EPA humidity). An air conditioner or dehumidifier helps on sticky summer nights.

Best temperature for sleep in summer and winter

The target bedroom temperature can stay about the same all year. What changes is everything around it.

| Season | Bedroom air | What to adjust | |---|---|---| | Summer | 60 to 67°F (15.6 to 19.4°C) if you can cool to it; otherwise as cool as you comfortably can | Breathable cotton or linen sheets, light sleepwear, a fan, lower humidity | | Winter | 60 to 67°F (15.6 to 19.4°C) | Layered blankets you can peel back, warm socks if your feet run cold |

Two winter notes. First, you can set the thermostat back at night to save energy and sleep cooler at the same time; the thermostat settings guide covers the numbers. Second, if cold feet keep you up, socks may help. Your hands and feet release core heat at bedtime through widened blood vessels (Okamoto-Mizuno 2012), and many people simply find warm feet make it easier to drift off.

In summer, many homes can't reach 65°F without a big power bill. Aim for the coolest setting you can manage, then lean on airflow, light bedding, and dry air.

What about older adults?

Here the advice shifts. Older adults appear more sensitive to heat at night: even mild heat exposure increased wakefulness and reduced REM sleep more in elderly people than in younger ones (Okamoto-Mizuno 2012).

At the same time, they may not need the room as cold as the standard advice suggests. Researchers tracked 50 older adults in their own homes for nearly 11,000 nights. Sleep was most efficient and restful when the bedroom stayed between 68 and 77°F (20 and 25°C). When it climbed from 77 to 86°F (25 to 30°C), sleep efficiency dropped 5 to 10% (Baniassadi 2023). One study can't set a rule, but it suggests many older adults can sleep well a little warmer than 67°F, and should protect themselves from hot bedrooms.

If you care for an older parent, keep their bedroom from getting hot on summer nights. Heat carries real health risks beyond poor sleep; see heat stress symptoms.

Babies: follow safe sleep rules first

The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't give a specific room temperature. Its guidance focuses on preventing overheating, which can raise the risk of sleep-related infant death (AAP safe sleep):

• Dress your baby in no more than one layer more than you'd wear in the same room.
• Skip hats indoors once you're home from the hospital.
• Keep blankets and soft bedding out of the crib. Use a wearable blanket or sleeper instead.
• Watch for signs of overheating: sweating, a hot chest, or flushed skin.

Talk with your pediatrician if you're unsure how to dress your baby for your home.

Ideal sleeping temperature for women and hot flashes

I found no strong evidence for a separate ideal bedroom temperature for women. The 60 to 67°F starting range applies to women too, adjusted for personal comfort.

Hot flashes change things. When they hit at night, they're called night sweats, and they can last for years (NIA hot flashes). The National Institute on Aging suggests:

• Lower the bedroom temperature.
• Drink small amounts of cold water before bed.
• Layer bedding so you can adjust it during the night.
• Run a fan.

A partner who sleeps cold can add a blanket on their side. Cheaper than a divorce.

How to cool a bedroom for better sleep

• Set the thermostat lower at bedtime. If you use a schedule, start the cooler setting a little before you actually go to bed.
• Run a fan. Moving air helps sweat evaporate and feels cooler on your skin.
• Control humidity with air conditioning or a dehumidifier in muggy weather (EPA humidity).
• Block afternoon sun with blinds or curtains so the room doesn't bake before night.
• Switch bedding by season. Lighter, breathable layers in summer; layers you can remove in winter.
• Dress light. Breathable sleepwear lets your skin release heat.

Your ideal number can also shift with the day's weather, how active you were, and your own body; that's why the perfect temperature changes. If you're always freezing or always sweating at night, see why am I always cold.

When to see a doctor

A room tweak fixes a lot, but talk with your doctor if:

• You wake drenched in sweat often and don't know why, especially with fever, weight loss, or fatigue.
• Night sweats from menopause regularly ruin your sleep.
• You snore loudly, gasp at night, or feel exhausted after a full night in bed.
• You feel unusually cold or hot all the time.

Call 911 for signs of heat stroke, such as confusion, fainting, or a very high body temperature, especially in an older adult in a hot home.