Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I've noticed that I sleep poorly when I'm the least bit chilled. And "chilled" can vary--some nights my body runs warm and others I run a bit cool and just cozy up in my robe. If I can feel the draft from the air conditioner vent coming through my blanket, I'll toss and turn and drift in and out of sleep. Yet when it's too warm, I sleep late and wake up with a muzzy head and a pounding headache.

I often keep a light blanket on top of my comforter, so I can take it on or off during the night if I need to. While it's a pain sometimes (often I'll find it bunched up at the foot of the bed), at least I can use it to regulate the temp under my comforter.

Has anyone else noticed this effect on their sleep? Would Paleo man have been less sensitive to temp fluctuations while they slept?

EDIT: I found this article that does mention that when a room is too hot or cold it makes the body work harder to get to its optimum temperature at night

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/cant-sleep-adjust-the-temperature

edited Jun 2 at 0:30

asked Jun 1 at 11:25

Nemesis
11.4k●1●9●40

Are you sure that being chilled is disturbing your sleep or is it possible that something else is disturbing your sleep those nights and you notice other discomforts only after you wake? – tdgor Jun 1 at 12:50

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Nope, pretty much every night that I get a poor night's sleep I notice that I'm trying to curl up into a fetal position to stay warm. – Nemesis Jun 1 at 15:02

Karen · Answer 1 · 2012-06-01 12:03:07Z UTC

Interesting. I have far more trouble getting to sleep or sleeping well when I'm too warm. So long as I'm not very cold, cool is much more conducive to refreshing sleep. So, I suspect temperature is important, but maybe it varies by individual?

I would think that paleo people would have slept in puppy piles when too cold. Sleeping separate (other than partners in sexual relationships) is really quite recent. Only within the last few hundred years have most people in Europe and the US had individual beds.

TruthinessInc · Answer 2 · 2012-06-01 21:52:26Z UTC

From what I've read, the best sleep will come from the darkest room possible with the temperature cool enough in the room so that you can breathe easy (cool, but not cold). Your blankets should be all natural fabrics that breathe as well.

I've seen a fan recommended for keeping the face cooler than the rest of the body in addition the fan will provide some noise. Apparently the face being cool and the body being warm puts you in a sort of "hibernation" so that you will fall into the deeper stages of sleep longer as well as more often through the night giving you much more rested feeling.

Truth.

Violet9 · Answer 3 · 2012-06-01 21:34:14Z UTC

Are you eating low carb? It makes many people more sensitive to the cold.

I have trouble sleeping only when it's too hot, myself. I despise the summer and I love sleeping in cold rooms! The best is going camping in the mountains, and sleeping very well balled up in a thermal sleeping bag against the chilly night air. (Though I'm sure most of that great sleep was due to hiking all day.) My ancestors were Scandinavian, what can I say?

canard · Answer 4 · 2012-06-01 23:26:34Z UTC

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generally, a temp of 18®C is advised to fall asleep; let's recall that we drift off when our body temp gets lower and wake up when our body temp gets higher, sth like that http://ideviate.org/how-to-sleep/ and that the sleeping time matters less than its quality [ie silence, darkness, mattress comfort]

answered Jun 1 at 23:26

canard
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18C/64F is way to cold for me! We keep our house at 74F at night, with a fan blowing on low. I live in the subtropics! – Nemesis Jun 1 at 23:33

Mallory · Answer 5 · 2012-06-02 02:28:13Z UTC

i dont use the A/C its up near 100 where i live. you adjust. the first few summer hot nights suck, you sweat alot, but after that youre fine. what is odd to me is peoples reliance on A/C. i think you should be able to adjust and deal with the heat.

Is body temp crucial to a good night’s sleep?

5 Answers