What’s the Best Temperature for Sleep?

Whether you’re struggling to fall asleep in the heat or you can’t stop shivering on a chilly winter night, bedroom temperature has a bigger impact on your sleep than most people realise. It can affect not just how easily we drift off but also the quality of our rest and how refreshed we feel in the morning. So, what’s the ideal sleeping temperature?

Sleep experts agree that the ideal temperature for sleep falls between 15.6–18.3°C (60–65°F). While these figures can vary slightly for babies and the elderly, for most adults, staying within this sweet spot will give you the best chance of waking up feeling refreshed.

Your body doesn’t just switch off when you go to bed. It’s busy regulating itself. Everyone has an internal clock, otherwise known as the circadian rhythm, which regulates when we feel sleepy, awake, and everything in between. Part of that process involves thermoregulation; your core body temperature drops by around 0.5-1°C, which signals to your brain that it’s time to sleep.

This cooling process is triggered by rising melatonin levels, which naturally start to increase a couple of hours before bed as light decreases. Your core temperature keeps falling throughout the night, reaching its lowest point in the early hours, then gradually climbs back up as morning approaches and melatonin reduces. That warming is part of what wakes you up.

Your bedroom temperature plays a direct role in supporting (or disrupting) this whole cycle. A room that’s too warm makes it harder for your body to lose heat. Too cold, and your body has to work harder to stay comfortable. Either way, your sleep suffers.

Most of us are familiar with this scenario. Lying awake, sheets kicked off, unable to settle. In our 2026 Sleep Survey, nearly one in four (24%) said being too hot is a regular reason for a bad night’s sleep, making it the third most commonly reported sleep disruptor after racing thoughts and stress.

High bedroom temperatures interfere with the body’s natural thermoregulation, making it harder for your core temperature to fall as it needs to. Research has shown that elevated core temperatures reduce the amount of deep sleep and REM sleep you get. This makes you more likely to wake up during the night and feel sluggish in the morning. Over time, consistently poor sleep affects the immune system, memory consolidation, and has been linked to chronic health conditions, including type 2 diabetes. It can also create a vicious cycle, leading to conditions like insomnia. Temperatures above 24°C are the most disruptive, but even a slightly warm room can chip away at your sleep quality.

If you regularly wake up soaked in sweat, our article on night sweats covers the potential causes and how to put a stop to them.

Sleeping in a cold room isn’t as disruptive to your sleep as being too hot, but it can still affect your slumber. Our Sleep Survey found that 13% of poor sleepers cite being too cold as a regular culprit – that’s roughly one in eight people.

When your bedroom temperature drops too low, your body has to divert energy into staying warm instead of progressing through natural sleep cycles, disrupting deep sleep and causing you to wake up in the night.

Very cold environments can disrupt the body’s normal sleep cycles, making it harder to maintain stable sleep. This can play havoc with your circadian rhythm, making waking up feel a lot harder. The struggle to get out of bed on freezing winter mornings isn’t just in your head. Temperatures below 12°C are generally considered too cold for comfortable sleep, so make sure your thermostat is set to a comfortable range of 15.6–18.3°C all year round.

For most adults, the optimal room temperature for sleep is 15.6–18.3°C (60–65°F). This range may extend by a degree or two for those who are naturally hot or cold sleepers.

What matters most is consistency. Changes in bedroom temperature from night to night make it harder for your body to maintain a consistent sleep rhythm.

The best bedroom temperature for adults

A room temperature between 15.6–18.3°C supports the natural drop in core temperature your body needs to move into deep sleep and REM cycles.

The best bedroom temperature for the elderly

As we age, our core body temperature naturally tends to be slightly lower than when we were younger, meaning older adults often need a slightly warmer environment to feel comfortable. Thinner skin, along with age-related medical conditions and medications, can also make it harder to regulate body temperature. Studies have shown that a room temperature between 20-25°C is ideal for creating the most restful and efficient sleep for older adults.

The best bedroom temperature for babies and young children

Infants can’t regulate their own body temperature as effectively as adults, so your baby’s bedroom temperature is extremely important to avoid both overheating and them becoming too cold. The recommended range for a baby’s room is 16–20°C. Anything above 20°C raises the risk of overheating.

Here are some suggestions for keeping your room at the perfect temperature for sleep:

The surface you sleep on can make a big difference in how well your body manages heat throughout the night. Different mattress materials handle temperature regulation in very different ways. Some of the best options for regulating your temperature are:

• Gel mattresses are specifically designed with temperature regulation in mind. Gel-infused foam draws heat away from the body and disperses it more evenly, reducing the build-up of warmth that can wake you up during the night.
• Latex mattresses have an open-cell structure that allows air to circulate more freely than denser foam alternatives. This natural breathability helps prevent heat from getting trapped close to your body.
• Memory foam mattresses have traditionally been associated with sleeping warm, but modern versions often incorporate gel layers, copper infusions, or open-cell foam to improve airflow and heat dissipation.

Read our guide to the benefits of a cooling mattress to find out more, or read our infographic on how to stay cool when sleeping for more tips.

To ensure that your bedroom is at the optimal temperature for sleep, it can be useful to use your thermostat or a classic room thermometer. For the most accurate result, place your thermometer in the centre of the room, away from windows, doors, and radiators, as these could affect the reading. Since heat rises, avoid placing the thermometer too high, as it may give you an inaccurate temperature.

While we can’t control the weather outside, adjusting your bedroom environment can make a significant difference to your sleep. Keeping your room cool, well-ventilated, and consistent in temperature helps support your body’s natural circadian rhythm, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep through the night. Even small adjustments to bedding, clothing, or airflow can help create the ideal sleep environment.