Summary: Researchers report that for older adults, the most restorative and efficient sleep occurs when bedroom temperatures are maintained between 68 and 77 °F (20–25 °C). Sleep efficiency fell by roughly 5–10% as nighttime temperatures rose from 77 to 86 °F (25 to 30 °C), highlighting both the importance of indoor thermal conditions and the need for individualized temperature control in aging populations.
This study underscores the role of home temperature as a modifiable environmental factor that can meaningfully affect sleep quality in older adults. The findings also raise concern about how rising nighttime temperatures associated with climate change may worsen sleep for socially and economically vulnerable older people.
Key facts:
- The analysis used real-world, in-home data: nearly 11,000 person-nights of sleep collected from 50 community-dwelling older adults using wearable sleep monitors and environmental sensors.
- Sleep efficiency declined by an estimated 5–10% when bedroom temperatures increased from about 77 °F (25 °C) to 86 °F (30 °C), with the best sleep occurring between 68–77 °F (20–25 °C).
- Results were non-linear and showed substantial variation between individuals, indicating that optimal bedroom temperature can differ from person to person and supporting the case for personalized thermal settings.
Source: Hebrew SeniorLife Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research
New findings show that keeping nighttime bedroom temperatures between 68 and 77 °F helps older adults achieve more efficient, less restless sleep.
Lead author Amir Baniassadi, PhD, of the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife and Harvard Medical School, notes that these results point to a practical way to improve sleep health for older adults: by adjusting home thermal environments to meet each person’s needs. The research team also warns that as nighttime temperatures rise in many urban areas, older adults—particularly those with low income and limited access to cooling—may face worsening sleep quality unless adaptive measures are implemented.
This longitudinal observational study examined the relationship between bedroom nighttime temperature and sleep quality among community-dwelling older adults. Participants wore validated sleep monitors while environmental sensors recorded bedroom temperature throughout the night. Researchers assessed sleep duration, sleep efficiency, and restlessness, and adjusted analyses for potential confounders and covariates to isolate the effect of ambient temperature.
Across nearly 11,000 person-nights from 50 participants, the associations between temperature and sleep metrics were largely non-linear. The strongest, most consistent pattern showed optimal sleep efficiency when nighttime ambient temperature was in the 20–25 °C range (68–77 °F). When nighttime temperature rose toward 30 °C (86 °F), average sleep efficiency decreased by about 5–10%—a change the authors describe as clinically meaningful for older adults, given the links between sleep disturbance and health outcomes.
Poor sleep among older adults is already common and contributes to declines in cognitive and physical function, mood regulation, stress resilience, metabolic control, and cardiovascular health. Much prior research has focused on physiological and behavioral drivers of sleep disruption, but this study strengthens the evidence that the sleep environment itself—specifically bedroom temperature—is an important and actionable determinant of sleep quality.
Because the study found notable between-person variability in optimal temperature, the authors emphasize tailoring thermal settings to individual preferences and medical needs rather than relying on a single universal target. Environmental interventions—such as accessible cooling options, improved insulation, targeted heating and cooling systems, and education about bedroom temperature—may represent underused strategies to improve sleep outcomes for older adults.
The research team plans further work focused on the intersection of climate change, socioeconomic vulnerability, and sleep health. Future studies will examine how rising nighttime temperatures affect low-income older adults and will evaluate interventions designed to improve thermal adaptability and sleep quality in at-risk populations.
This study was supported by the TMCITY foundation. Lead author Amir Baniassadi also acknowledges support from a T32 fellowship through the U.S. National Institute on Aging (T32AG023480).
About this sleep research news
Author: Michael Chmura
Source: Hebrew SeniorLife Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research
Contact: Michael Chmura – Hebrew SeniorLife Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original research: Closed access. “Nighttime ambient temperature and sleep in community-dwelling older adults” by Amir Baniassadi et al., published in Science of the Total Environment (DOI referenced in the original source).
Abstract
Nighttime ambient temperature and sleep in community-dwelling older adults
This longitudinal study evaluated how bedroom nighttime temperature relates to sleep quality in community-dwelling older adults. Using wearable sleep monitors alongside environmental sensors, we measured sleep duration, efficiency, and restlessness over an extended period in participants’ homes while accounting for potential confounders and covariates.
Results indicate that sleep was most efficient and least restless when nighttime bedroom temperature averaged between 20 and 25 °C (68–77 °F). We observed a clinically relevant 5–10% reduction in sleep efficiency as temperatures rose from 25 °C to 30 °C (77 to 86 °F). Associations were primarily non-linear, and substantial between-subject variation suggests that personalized temperature settings are likely to be most beneficial.
These findings highlight the potential to improve sleep quality in older adults through targeted optimization of home thermal environments and emphasize the importance of increasing adaptive capacity—particularly for low-income older adults—against rising nighttime temperatures associated with climate change.