How Temperature Affects Your Sleep and What You Can Do About It

Ever wake up drenched in sweat or shivering under the covers? You're not alone. Temperature plays a critical role in sleep quality and understanding how it affects your body can help you sleep better.

Why Temperature Matters for Sleep

Your body’s core temperature naturally drops as bedtime approaches, signaling your circadian rhythm that it’s time to rest. But when your sleep environment is too warm or too cold, this process is disrupted. Overheating can lead to night sweats and wakefulness, while being too cold can cause discomfort and restlessness.

Why Do We Sweat at Night?

Sweating during sleep is your body’s way of regulating temperature. As you fall asleep, your core temperature drops, and your skin temperature rises. If your bed traps heat, your body may sweat to cool off. While this is normal, excessive night sweats can be uncomfortable and disruptive.

Common triggers include:

• Hormonal changes (e.g., menopause, thyroid issues)
• Heavy meals or caffeine before bed
• Synthetic bedding or pajamas
• A room that’s too warm

10 Ways to Cool Down at Night

Try these strategies to beat the heat:

• Cool the room: Set your thermostat to 64–68°F which is considered optimal for sleep. You can use fans or open windows to circulate air and cool down the room.
• Take a warm shower: It may seem counterintuitive, but a warm shower causes blood vessels to dilate, helping your body release heat. When you step out of the shower your core temperature drops, signaling your body it's time to sleep.
• Eat cooling foods: Watermelon, citrus fruits, and leafy greens are great choices. These foods have high water content that help hydrate and cool your body naturally.
• Stay hydrated: Proper hydration supports overall health and sleep quality. Drink water throughout the day but taper off before bed.
• Uncover hands and feet: These extremities help release body heat. Keeping them uncovered allows excess heat to escape, helping lower your core temperature.
• Use light bedding: Try our True Temp™ bedding that absorbs excess heat to keep you comfortable all night long.
• Cover yourself lightly: Even a thin sheet helps regulate temperature during REM sleep.
• Wear breathable pajamas: Choose sleepwear made from natural fibers like cotton, linen, or moisture-wicking synthetics. Or skip pajamas altogether- sleeping nude can help reduce skin temperature and improve sleep quality
• Try cooling hacks: Use a chilled eye pillow or breathing techniques like 4-7-8 method to relax and reduce body heat.
• Adjust partner sleep position: Sleeping close to a partner can increase shared body heat. Try sleeping apart or lightly touching. For couples with different temperature needs, consider Sleep Number’s DualTemp™ layer.

Solutions for Sleeping Too Cold

If you’re waking up chilly, try these warming tips:

• Warm shower before bed: Just like cooling down, warming up with a shower helps regulate your body’s temperature. The warmth relaxes muscles and promotes sleepiness while preparing your body for bedtime.
• Avoid late exercise or heavy meals: Exercise and large meals raise your core temperature and can delay the natural cooling process needed for sleep. Try to finish workouts and dinner at least 2–3 hours before bedtime.
• Use warmer bedding: Try flannel sheets, thermal blankets or tightly woven fabrics that trap heat. Layering also allows you to adjust warmth throughout the night.
• Warm your feet: Use Sleep Number’s FlexFit 3® base with foot warming technology to gently warm your feet on either side, which can help you fall asleep faster.††

Smart Solutions from Sleep Number

Sleep Number offers a range of products designed to help you sleep at your ideal temperature:

• Sleep Number® smart beds: All smart beds feature breathable layers of temperature balancing comfort to help you sleep just right.
• Climate360® smart bed: Offers active cooling and warming on each side of the bed.
• ClimateCool™ smart bed: Adjust up to 15º cooler on each side.*
• True Temp™ bedding: Absorbs excess heat and releases it as your body cools.
• DualTemp™ layer: Lets each partner heat or cool their side of the bed independently.

Final Thoughts

Whether you're battling summer heat, winter chills or a partner with opposite temperature preferences, Sleep Number’s science-backed solutions can help you sleep better. By combining habits with innovative technology, you can create a personalized sleep environment that supports deeper, more restful sleep every night.

Like diet and exercise, quality sleep is essential for optimal wellbeing and performance. Because everyone's sleep needs are different, Sleep Number^® smart beds sense your movements and automatically adjust firmness, comfort and support to keep you both sleeping comfortably. Find your Sleep Number^®setting for your best possible night's sleep. 

^††Available with a FlexFit^™ 3 smart adjustable base.


*Based on internal microclimate testing.