If you keep your bedroom above 75 degrees, researchers say your heart could suffer.
SAN ANTONIO — How warm or cool do you keep your bedroom at night? If there was a magic number to set the thermostat on to maximize heart health, would you want to know? One study says one temperature could be do or die when it comes to degrees.
Researchers in Queensland, Australia say that number is 75 degrees Fahrenheit. They say, cooler than that, your heart tends to be happier and healthier, but if you happen to turn the temp higher, your heart may make you hop, to the hospital. Getting nightly rest is key.
Dr. Suhaib Haq, a sleep specialist with University Health told us, “There is a natural phenomenon during the night, the nocturnal dipping of the blood pressure and the heart rate. So this is the time when our heart takes a slower pace and the blood pressure relaxes.”
So how can a warm room affect your ability to sleep and your cardiovascular health? It makes your heart work harder. Dr. Haq added, “If the room temperature is warmer, the heart does not have that nocturnal dipping, and it keeps pumping faster to circulate the blood to cool off the body.”
A study by Griffith University in Queensland, Australia followed 47 adults averaging 72 years of age. They were monitored for six months, wearing a high-tech fitness tracker from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., monitoring 14,000 nighttime hours of sleep in total. They found at 75 degrees the heart began to show signs of disruption.
Between 75 and 79 degrees the odds of a “clinically relevant” drop in heart recovery rose by 40 percent. Between 79 and 82 degrees, the odds doubled. Above 82 degrees and the odds of heart issues are tripled, compared to cooler rooms.
We asked our Facebook followers what temperature they set their bedroom at.
Laura Gonzales responded, “Cooler!! I keep mine at 65 at night and 70 during the day!! My house my rules!! You can put more clothes on, I can only take so much off!”
Dr. Haq told us, “There have been studies done that show that a temperature between 60 degrees to 67 degrees Fahrenheit is a good cold ambient temperature of the room to help promote good sleep.”