Health · Medical Research · 6 hrs ago
Changing bedroom temperature may affect sleep-related body processes
A small study found that bedroom temperature changes may affect processes linked to sleep.
Eight people slept under two conditions: one with a changing room temperature and one kept at 27°C.
In the changing-temperature room, it cooled from 27°C to 24°C by 10 p.m., then warmed back to 27°C between 3 a.m.
and 7 a.m.
Participants in that room had a higher melatonin marker and felt more refreshed when they woke.
Melatonin is a hormone involved in preparing the body for sleep, and body temperature normally falls as people get ready for bed.
Light is a well-established signal for the body’s roughly 24-hour clock, but research suggests temperature may also play a role.
The study does not establish an ideal bedroom temperature or prove that a cooler room alone has the same effect.
More research is needed to understand how temperature changes affect sleep and the body clock.
A study found that changing bedroom temperature overnight was linked to higher levels of a melatonin marker and participants feeling more refreshed when they woke.
The study assessed eight participants under two temperature conditions, including one that varied from 27°C to 24°C and back to 27°C.
Participants in the variable-temperature condition reached their lowest internal body temperature about an hour earlier on average than those in a room kept at 27°C.
Researchers say the findings suggest temperature may affect sleep-related processes, but its role in regulating the human biological clock remains uncertain.
The available evidence does not establish an ideal bedroom temperature for everyone.
- Who
- Eight participants took part in the study.
- What
- Researchers compared sleep in rooms with changing temperatures and in a room kept at 27°C.
- When
- The study’s publication date is not stated. The article was published on October 26, 2026.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- Researchers investigated whether thermal conditions could affect sleep-related processes and the regulation of the biological clock.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
In the variable-temperature condition, the room began cooling from 27°C.
The room in that condition had cooled to 24°C.
The room temperature gradually rose back to 27°C.
Participants exposed to temperature changes had higher levels of a melatonin marker and reported feeling more refreshed on waking.
- Participants
- 8
- Variable-temperature condition
- 27°C to 24°C by 22:00, then back to 27°C between 03:00 and 07:00
- Constant-temperature condition
- 27°C throughout
- Melatonin marker
- Higher in participants exposed to temperature changes
- Lowest internal body temperature
- Reached about 1 hour earlier on average in the variable-temperature condition