NBC4: What's the Right Temperature for Quality Sleep?

How warm – or cool – do you like to set your thermostat in your home? Recently, Energy Star, which is part of the Department of Energy and the EPA, released a recommendation saying people should keep their house set at 78 degrees during the day and a balmy 82 degrees at night! The recommendation went viral online with many consumers disputing that seemingly high temperature.

NBC4 reporter Kristine Varkony was curious to see if temperatures that high could have an effect on your health and the quality of your sleep. She spoke with Ben Bring, DO, a family and sports medicine physician with OhioHealth Dublin Methodist Hospital. Dr. Bring said while the higher numbers might lower your monthly bill, it isn’t the best idea for a good night’s sleep.

“I think at the end of the day, it’s nice to say we’re going to cut energy costs back, but I think we also have to look at the health implications of it, too,” Dr. Bring told NBC4. “Every study that I’ve read seemed to say high 60s, low 70s seems to be the optimal temperature, so I’d say just encourage homeowners to look at some other ways of cost-saving above 80 degrees.”

Dr. Bring said a bad night’s sleep – especially over time- can have a big impact.

“If you don’t sleep and you don’t get well rested, you can have a lot of daytime somnolence, or feeling sleepy during the day,” he said. “If you’re chronically sleep deprived, it can be as equal as being intoxicated, so we’re always stressing how important sleep hygiene is.”

Moral of the story? If these temperatures aren’t helping you get the vital, quality rest at night, consider other ways you can conserve energy to help the environment!

For more tips on getting a good night’s sleep, including when you should stop drinking caffeine each day, check out the OhioHealth Blog.