How a Food Blanket can help Regulate Body Temperature during Sleep
This one is too hot, this one is too cold, maybe one foot in and one foot out. Sleeping can sometimes feel like Goldilocks looking for the best bed in the three bears' house. But, it doesn’t need to be like that. While things may be the perfect temperature as you are going to sleep, your body is shifting its temperature while you snooze, and can be affecting the quality of sleep you get.
Research has shown over and over that we sleep better when our bodies, and environment, are in a cooler temperature. So why, even when we keep the room around us cold, can we still wake up in the middle of the night tearing the sheets off of us because we are too hot? Or desperately looking for another blanket to keep warm. We’ve created our Food Blankets to combat this problem but more on that later. Let’s talk through some commonly asked questions to help you figure out how your body operates and the best temperature situation for you to sleep in.
Room Temperature
After a few different studies have been done, they have shown that the best temperature to keep your room is about 66 to 70ºF (18°C to 22°C). If you want the best sleep you can get without having to grab for more covers or rip off layers of blankets — then this is the golden temperature to set your air conditioning to.
While setting the temperature of your room, be sure to account for humidity as well. The more moisture there is in the air, the more it will enhance how much you sweat. If your sweat isn’t able to evaporate due to the humidity, then your body will start to overheat.
Body Temperature
Just like your body temperature changes throughout the day, it also changes throughout the night as you sleep. When you fall asleep your body tends to lose heat and will actually drop one to two degrees in the middle of the night.
Things That May Be Making You Hot
While outside temperature is a large contributor to why you may be getting hot at night, there are also other things that can play a part in the sudden rise in our body heat.
Exercise — If you are someone who likes to work out before bed, try and finish your workout at least one hour before your bedtime. When you work out, your blood is pumping at a higher right and spikes your body temperature to burn fat. While this is a great thing in the middle of the day, if you are trying to cool down so you can sleep well — then good luck. It can take a few hours for your body temperature to come down from a workout. Since your body sleeps better in the cold, it may take you longer to fall asleep.
Caffeine — For the caffeine addicts who say, “coffee doesn’t affect the way that I sleep”, unfortunately, it does. While it may not hinder your ability to fall asleep, it has been shown to bring up your overall body temperature. Caffeine may not be keeping you awake at night but it may be the culprit of why you wake up at midnight in a sweat.
Alcohol — While most alcohol is consumed at night, it can be messing with your body’s temperature at night. If you have ever drank too much and woken up in a sweat, you know exactly what we mean. Try and limit the amount of alcohol you drink the closer you get to bed for a “cooler” way to sleep.
Medication — There is some medication that can bring up your overall body temperature. Check the side effects of your medication, talk with your doctor, and adjust your room temperature accordingly.
Bed Partners — If your partner or pet radiates a lot of body heat, this plays a very large factor in how you will sleep. If the room you are in is decently warm, along with bedding, and then body heat — you are in for an uncomfortable night. Try and bring the temperature of the room down and sleep with lighter bedding to try and combat the body heat for a more restful sleep.
Hormones — If your hormones are out of whack, then your body is doing everything it can to bring them back to re-alignment. That means, your body temperature is fluctuating. If you have unbalanced testosterone or estrogen, then this may be playing a larger factor in your sleep than you may realize.
Your Feet — did you know your feet can regulate your entire body temperature? Having your feet covered or not can make a drastic difference! Learn more by checking our post “Cover your Feet with a Food Blanket”.
How To Get Cool At Night
The most common way to get cool would be to turn the air conditioning down, turn on a fan, and then maybe strip away some extra blankets or get the right blanket that won’t overheat you. While all of these are great things to do to cool down, here are a few other ideas that may help regulate your body temperature as well.
Take a warm shower — taking a warm shower before you get in bed is a great way to cool down your body. While a hot shower may heat up your body temperature at the moment, as soon as you walk out, your body will being to cool down as it regulates your body to the cooler air around you (aka the temperature that you’re about to sleep in.)
Keep the blinds shut — keeping your blinds closed during the day allows your room to stay cool and remain that way through the evening. Leaving your blinds open allows the heat from the sun to gradually raise the temperature in your room and it will take it longer to cool down at the end of the day.
Limit alcohol before bedtime — drinking alcohol before you go to sleep may be a reason your body temperature spikes. So try and avoid alcohol at least two hours before it is time for you to sleep.
Drink ice water — drinking a glass of ice cold water can help to bring your body temperature down slightly before you go to bed. While this won’t drastically change your body heat, it can help you bring it down just a tad.
Don’t work out — well, work out…just not close to when it’s time for you to sleep. Exercising brings up your body heat; try working out earlier in the day and leave the evening as a time to relax and recover from your day.
Check your bedding — see if your bedding is a breathable fabric. If not, it may be time to switch. The thicker your bedding the more insulated it is and the warmer you will be.
Our Food Blankets are perfect for enjoying a refreshing sleep no matter the season! These cozy fleece blankets are highly breathable and lightweight, making them ideal for body temperature regulation and preventing you from overheating. Snuggle up in these funny blankets that are both comfortable and have cool blanket designs - from a pizza blanket to a donut blanket to a human burrito blanket! Transform your bedroom into an oasis of relaxation with these stylish vibrant designs!
Invest in a cooling mattress — since there are plenty of people that get overwhelmingly hot in the evening, companies heard their cry and now there are cooling mattress options. By investing in a cooling mattress you are getting better air circulation that will keep you cool at night.
Cooling pillows — not only are there cooling mattresses but there are cooling pillows as well! Pair a cooling mattress and cooling pillow together and you are set for no sweat.
Sleep in the nude — sometimes your body just needs to do its thing on its own. Try sleeping commando so your body temperature has one less layer of fabric to combat.
Sleep separately — if you sleep with a partner that radiates heat, try investing in a larger bed so you can each have your own side of the mattress. While cuddling is great, it doesn’t always make for a cool night's sleep.
Bedding and Sleepwear
The bedding that you choose can be playing a large factor in the way your body temperature is regulated. Your bedding is supposed to act as an insulator for heat and keep you warm. The thicker your bedding is — the more insulated the heat will be. If you are someone who gets hot easily at night, then it’s time to swap your heavy bedding for something lighter like our Food Blankets. From crisp fall days to bone-chilling winter evenings, our huge food blanket can provide you with quality insulation from different seasons.
The fabric that you use in your bedding and in your sleepwear can also change how cold or how hot you are while you sleep. If you are sleeping with wool sheets, then you are going to have a warmer night than if you were using cotton sheets. Take into consideration the kind of fabric in your sleepwear as well. If you get cold easily, wear pajamas that will insulate your body heat. Do you run on the warmer side? Then wear clothing that is more breathable so you can allow airflow to cool you down.
Polyester, flannel, cotton, linen, fleece, and wool are all different fabrics that your bedding can be made of and all of them operate differently. Check the tags of your bedding and find what is right for you and your body temperature so you can sleep deeply through the night.
If you’re interested in learning more about the different types of blanket fabric available and what we recommend especially during the chilly seasons, be sure to check out our post Is Fleece Blanket warm enough?
Your body is incredible and is working even when you don’t realize it. Understanding how your body operates gives you the tools to work with your body and not against it. Since everyone is different, some of these things may work for you, and others don’t. So whether you run hot at night or are as cold as an icicle, figure out how your body operates and work with it.
