In a recent study, 41% of the participants reported that they suffer from night sweats. This is a peculiar find as your body should have a lower temperature while you sleep. These findings have led many to ask the question, “Does your body temperature drop when you sleep?”
Does Your Body Temperature Drop When You Sleep?
The answer is complicated and has many variables that affect the outcome. Let’s take a look at what we have found!
Thermoregulation
This article focuses on understanding your changing body temperature, and one of the fundamental pieces of the puzzle is Thermoregulation. Thermoregulation is the process that the body undergoes to regulate its core temperature. A healthy body temperature ranges between around 98 degrees and 100 degrees.
Certain factors, such as exercise, drinking alcohol, or illnesses, can affect your body’s Thermoregulation. In turn, your body could have issues with excessive sweating, especially while you sleep.
Sleep Cycle
Your sleep cycle is dependant on something called the Circadian Rhythm. The Circadian Rhythm is essentially your body’s internal clock. It is most evident in action during the sleep-wake cycle. The Circadian Rhythm influences Melatonin production, which mainly affects the quality of your sleep.
During the sleep cycle, your body will go through stages from NREM 1-3 and then finally REM. During each of these transitional stages, your body’s core temperature should fall slightly. This helps the body stay sleeping and comfortable during the night. With that being said, outside factors can disrupt the Circadian Rhythm and REM cycles, which could cause sleep issues such as Insomnia and increased body temperature.
Thermosensitivity
Thermosensitivity is the body’s response to outside temperature fluctuations. Extreme hot or cold temperatures can affect your body temperature while you sleep, making it difficult for your body’s natural Thermoregulation process to occur. The body is especially vulnerable to this during the NREM 1-3 stages and less vulnerable once the body has entered the REM cycle.
With that being said, a dramatic shift in temperature while you are in the REM cycle could still be detected. That is why it is recommended that you should sleep in a room that is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit. This might seem a little bit cooler than what you would think; however, this is the optimal temperature to allow your body to lower its temperature appropriately during sleeping hours.
Does Your Body Temperature Drop When You Sleep
So, does your body temperature drop when you sleep? The answer is yes! With that being said, you can see that many variables affect whether your body can lower its temperature appropriately. External factors play a large role in the body’s abilities to correctly manage Thermoregulation.
So, in a perfect world, you should give your body all of the help it needs to get a good night’s sleep. That means taking it easy a couple of hours before bed, saying no to the nightcap cocktail, and lowering that thermostat!
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