What is the Best Temperature for Better Sleep Quality in Older Adults?

Sleep can be most productive and restful for older adults when bedtime optimum temperature ranges between 68 to 77 °F or 20-25 degree celsius, mitigating aging-related health complications, according to new research().

The authors observed an overall trend: a 5-10 % drop in sleep efficiency as the night-time ambient temperature increases from 77°F to 86°F (25-30 degree celsius), highlighting the impact of climate change, especially in lower socioeconomic status people.

‘Night-time ambient temperature plays a pivotal role in sleep quality for older adults which underscores the potential impact of climate change on sleep quality in the aging population. #aging #sleepquality #climatechange #seniorhealth’

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The findings were published in the article, “Night-time ambient temperature and sleep in community-dwelling older adults”, appearing in Science of The Total Environment. Importantly, this research also reveals substantial differences in optimal bedroom temperature observed between individuals.

Importance of Sleep Quality in Elderly Adults

Older adults often experience inadequate, restless, and disrupted sleep which in turn influences many outcomes related to their health and well-being such as cognitive and physical function, mood and affect, irritability and reaction to stress, productivity, diabetes management, and risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Indeed, poor sleep is disproportionately more common among older adults. Meanwhile, research on its causes has been mostly focused on physiological and behavioral factors despite evidence suggesting that the environment the person sleeps in can be as influential.

As a result, while numerous medical and behavioral interventions have been developed to improve outcomes related to sleep, the potential of environmental interventions has been largely overlooked.

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“These results highlight the potential to enhance sleep quality in older adults by optimizing home thermal environments and emphasizing the importance of personalized temperature adjustments based on individual needs and circumstances,” said lead researcher Amir Baniassadi, Ph.D., Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife, and Harvard Medical School.

Ambient Temperature for Improved Sleep Quality In Geriatrics

“Additionally, the study underscores the potential impact of climate change on sleep quality in older adults, particularly those with lower socioeconomic status, and supports increasing their adaptive capacity as nighttime temperatures increase in cities across the country,” Baniassadi said.

This longitudinal observational study examines the association between bedroom night-time temperature and sleep quality in a sample of community-dwelling older adults. Using wearable sleep monitors and environmental sensors, researchers monitored sleep duration, efficiency, and restlessness over an extended period within participant’s homes while controlling for potential confounders and covariates.

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The study collected nearly 11,000 person-nights of sleep and environmental data from 50 older adults. The associations were primarily nonlinear, and substantial between-subject variations were observed.

The authors plan to continue this line of work by focusing on the potential impact of climate change on sleep in low-income older adults and developing interventions to optimize their environment.

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Reference:

Nighttime ambient temperature and sleep in community-dwelling older adults - (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969723042468?via%3Dihub)

Source: Eurekalert