Sorry to bang on about this but you really don’t need to have the heating on at night until temperatures dip well below 15 degrees inside. Dress appropriate to the seasons, even when you are in bed.. wear cosy brushed cotton pyjamas, invest in a good duvet, a hot water bottle, even an electric blanket if you must.. but don’t sleep with the central heating on any higher than 16 degrees. Why? Because:
- it costs a lot of money
- using excess energy causes global warming
- it makes you sleep badly
The Energy Saving Trust recommends heating your home to between 18 to 21 degrees Celsius during winter in daytime. . And The World Health Organisation (WHO) suggests 18 degrees is the ideal temperature for healthy and well-dressed people. They also recommend that turning your heating down just a few degrees at night saved £80-100 a year back in March .. that was before the rates increased by 75%!
Clearly the less energy we use the less damage we do to the planet.
The Sleep Foundation advise that most doctors recommend keeping the thermostat set between 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6 to 19.4 degrees Celsius) for the most comfortable sleep. Our bodies are programmed to experience a slight dip in core temperature in the evening. Surprisingly this is also the temperature recommended for babies and young children.
According to doctors, when your body gets the sleep it needs, your immune cells and proteins get the rest they need to fight off whatever comes their way — like colds or the flu. And according to the well-rested sleep specialists over at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, proper sleep can also make vaccines more effective, which is obviously a plus.
Sleep can help you loose weight.. Racking up eight full hours of sleep isn’t going to result in losing the lbs. by itself, but it can help your body from packing on the pounds. If you don’t get enough sleep, your body produces ghrelin, a hormone that boosts appetite. Your body also decreases the production of leptin, a hormone that tells you you’re full.
Not getting enough sleep can lead to heart health problems like high blood pressure or heart attacks. That’s because lack of sleep can cause your body to release cortisol, a stress hormone that triggers your heart to work harder. If you sleep well, you wake up feeling rested. Being rested helps your energy levels soar. When your energy is up, your mood will improve too.
Even though sleep gives your body the rest it needs, your mind is still hard at work. It’s actually processing and consolidating your memories from the day. If you don’t get enough sleep, who knows where those memories go. Or worse, your mind might actually create false memories.
The bottom line: Sleep is good. And necessary. So get keep those bedrooms cool and sleep well in the knowledge that you’re saving the planet, your pocket and your health. Sweet Dreams!