The temperature you set your thermostat to greatly affects the amount of energy your home uses. According to sleep experts, the room temperature also impacts how well you sleep at night. Just think how well you may sleep with lower energy bills during the heating months while simultaneously setting your thermostat at the optimal sleep temperature. Simple, right? Read on to learn more!
Optimal Sleeping Temperatures
There are many environmental factors that affect the quality of your sleep. If there’s too much noise or light, or the late-night snack you indulged isn’t sitting well with your stomach, you’re probably not going to sleep well. The temperature setting is another important element to consider.
The human body has a specific core temperature that fluctuates with the natural 24-hour circadian rhythm. As the day progresses and you’re more active, your body temperature rises. As your body grows tired in the evening and night, your body temperature falls. If your room is too hot, your body’s temperature changes and natural rhythm, including sleep, are disrupted.
Try adjusting your thermostat to 65 degrees during sleep hours, as most sleep experts agree is optimal, and see if you notice improvement.
Energy Saving Temperatures
In addition to a better night’s sleep, turning back your thermostat during the heating months helps you to save energy. The federal Energy Star program recommends keeping the thermostat temperature at 68 degrees when you are home. However, during sleep hours and times you’re away, consider turning back a few degrees – no more than 5 for substantial energy savings.
That’s a substantial temperature change many folks may not be comfortable with. Though, if you are accustomed to keeping your thermostat at 70 to 75 degrees, turning it back to 65 degrees at night will still deliver very nice energy savings, and you may just sleep better, too! For the best results, upgrade to a programmable thermostat for automatic temperature setting changes.
To learn more about how to save energy by using your thermostat correctly this winter season, contact Jackson & Sons today. Serving Eastern North Carolina since 1974!
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Eastern North Carolina (including Wayne, Johnston, Greene, Lenoir, Pitt and Duplin Counties) about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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