During the summer months, people tend to sleep with the windows open at night to cool down a bit after having to endure the heat all day. Experts say that sleeping with an open window is recommended at all times of the year. What is the reason for this?
Sleeping with an open window can have serious health benefits, but depending on the weather, it can also create an incredibly uncomfortable sleeping environment if you’re not careful.
External factors such as birds chirping, car alarms, low temperatures or wind can sometimes be bothering for those who sleep with the windows open.
Sleeping with an open window, however, increases airflow in the bedroom, which can not only change the temperature of your sleeping space, but also improves ventilation and reduces carbon dioxide in the air.
This means we’ll be able to rest much better and sleep soundly throughout the night. A 2017 study found that people who slept with an open window reported better sleep quality.
“We spend a considerable portion of our life in bed. There needs to be an awareness that in the confined environs of a bed, without proper ventilation, we are likely to expose ourselves to a myriad variety of pollutants,” Dr Asit Mishra, author of the study, told Healthline.
If you choose to sleep in a completely closed room, chances are that during the night the air becomes unbreathable and very hot. That’s why most people prefer to sleep with an open window.
Keeping the window open can improve airflow by letting in cold air. Of course, you have to be careful not to get too cold, otherwise you won’t be able to fall asleep quickly.
If it’s raining heavily or the wind is blowing, these factors can again create an uncomfortable atmosphere when you’re about to go to sleep. The advice from experts is to close the window in these conditions and turn on the fan or air conditioning instead.