{"id":2786,"date":"2026-04-10T12:03:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T10:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skyheia.com\/?p=2786"},"modified":"2026-04-15T16:52:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T14:52:18","slug":"optimal-sleeping-temperature-sleeping-outside","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/skyheia.com\/en\/blog\/optimal-sleeping-temperature-sleeping-outside\/","title":{"rendered":"Optimal sleeping temperature: why you sleep better outdoors"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Temperature and sleep: what science really says<\/h2>\n

Before we can fall asleep, our core body temperature has to drop - by around 1 to 1.5 degrees Celsius. This is no small matter, it's biology. Our body has had this mechanism in it since the Stone Age: as the temperature drops, the brain signals that it is time to sleep. The sleep hormone melatonin begins to flow, the pulse slows down and the body goes into regeneration mode.<\/p>\n

Prof. Dr. Matthew Walker, neuroscientist at the University of California, Berkeley, and one of the world's leading sleep researchers, describes it like this: A drop in core temperature of around 1-2\u00b0C is a mandatory prerequisite for good sleep. Bedrooms that are too warm interrupt this process - with measurable consequences for deep sleep and REM phases.<\/p>\n

Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist at Stanford University, adds: \"If you specifically cool down your body, you can accelerate the onset of sleep by up to 25 % and extend the deep sleep phase by up to 40 minutes. This is the power of thermoregulation.<\/p>\n

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The optimum sleeping temperature: between 16 and 18\u00b0C<\/h2>\n

The National Sleep Foundation (USA) recommends a bedroom temperature of between 15.5 and 19.4\u00b0C. The Federal Environment Agency speaks of 17\u00b0C as the ideal value. Huberman and Walker cite around 18\u00b0C as the optimum value for most adults.<\/p>\n

\"Infographic:<\/p>\n

The problem: most German bedrooms are 20\u00b0C and warmer in winter - especially in modern low-energy houses. The result is shallower sleep phases, more frequent waking and less regeneration.<\/p>\n

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The optimum sleeping temperature according to research: at least 16-18\u00b0C.<\/strong>
\nMost German bedrooms are too warm - and thus rob us of valuable deep sleep phases.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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\u00bbMany bedrooms are far too warm\u00ab - Dr. Annette Krop-Benesch<\/h3>\n

Chronobiologist Dr. Annette Krop-Benesch, an expert on the human internal clock, puts it in a nutshell:<\/p>\n

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\u201eMany bedrooms are far too warm, especially in low-energy houses, which are not at all good for our sleep. A clear temperature difference between day and night is very important for our internal clock.\u201d<\/p>\n

- Dr. Annette Krop-Benesch, Chronobiologist<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Krop-Benesch explains: \"Our internal clock has hardly changed since the Stone Age. Back then, our ancestors slept outside - with natural temperature fluctuations between day and night. It is precisely these fluctuations that bring our sleep hormone melatonin into the right rhythm.<\/p>\n

You can find the full interview with Dr. Krop-Benesch here on our blog \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n

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Sleeping outside: the natural drop in temperature is the key<\/h2>\n

What happens when you sleep outside? The temperature drops automatically after sunset - exactly when your body needs it. You experience the natural day-night rhythm that your body has been following for thousands of years.<\/p>\n

Prof. Kenneth Wright from the University of Colorado Boulder has shown in several studies what a single weekend of camping can do:<\/p>\n