Cool beats heat when it comes to sleep.
There are a number of reasons why cooler environments are preferred when it comes to helping your baby sleep. Heck, adults also need cool conditions to get their best sleep.
The most important reason why we should keep a baby’s environment cool especially in the first 6 months of life is to prevent SIDS. It’s so important to remember to take precautions to avoid your newborn from overheating. Studies show that using a fan during sleep lowers SIDS risk by 72%
The ideal room temperature for a baby is between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius.
The room temperature is one thing but, how many layers you put on your baby is another thing to consider. You need to dress your baby for the temperature in the room. If your room temperature is close to 18-19 degrees celcius, you’ll probably want to go with a long sleep onsie, footed pj’s and a sleep sack. If your room temperature is above 19 degrees Celsius then a short sleeve onsie, footed pj’s and a 1 tog sleep sack is usually enough or even just pj’s and a 1 tog sleep sack.
The best way to tell if your baby is comfortable, is to assess whether you are comfortable and not feeling too hot, then baby should be comfortable.
*please never use blankets as they are a suffocation risk. A swaddle (if baby is not yet rolling over) or sleep sack are great ways to keep baby covered without running any risks (also blankets can be easily kicked off and sleep sack can be great for discouraging walking/standing or crawling in or out of the crib or bassinet).
In addition to safety, there are other important reasons why a cooler environment is best. One key reason for parents, is that it induces and keeps baby asleep.
Let’s look at the science (yay!)
Your brain requires your core body temperature to drop 2-3 degrees Fahrenheit in order to achieve sleep.
Our internal clock controls our body temperature. When our temperature is high (during the day) our bodies are more awake. When we have dips in temperature (even during the day) we in turn feel sleepy. This often correlate with an increase in melatonin (the sleep hormone). This is why there are OPTIMAL times for naps during the day. Ever heard of siestas?
As the sun goes down our body temperature starts to decrease and melatonin starts to be produced in our bodies to induce sleep (this is why low lighting at night is ideal).
Our body temperature is at it’s lowest point at around 3-4am. After this point it begins to rise, starting to wake our bodies up. This coupled with the decrease in melatonin after this point, provide the ideal conditions for early morning wakings.
Is there anything we can do to help baby achieve sleep through temperature? YES!
Not only are warm baths before bed relaxing and can help babies calm down (especially fussy newborns, the noise of the tap running and the warm water is a very effective way to decrees overstimulation and calm a newborn) but they also help to lower core body temperature.
It seems counterintuitive, how does a warm bath make you cold? Well, With a warm bath, you get vasodilation (rosy cheeks, red skin) and all of the blood rushes to the surface – when you get out, you have a massive dump of heat from the body, and the core body temperature plummets. This is the ideal time for bed!
These tips are also the same for adults btw!
Overall you want to keep ideal temperatures for your baby and adjust how you dress your baby according to the temperature in the room (sometimes rooms cannot be kept at ideal temperatures in which case less layers will help keep baby cool).
Now let’s clarify, cold temperatures are also not ideal..balance. Being too cold can make your muscles contract to stay warm. This doesn’t allow you to relax and fall asleep either. This is common in toddlers that kick off their blankets in the middle of the night (hence why I suggest sleep sack for as long as possible- yes there are sleep sacks for toddlers). Wakings can also be caused because your baby is too cold.
Always check the back of your baby’s neck, if they are sweaty - it’s likely too hot. If it’s cool or cold to the touch, then you can probably put one more layer. If it is cool to warm, then you are just right!
Book a free call and let’s chat about all of the conditions that will help your baby sleep. You’re not expected to know everything, let me give you some guidance. So you can all rest beautifully.
Keep it cool! Keep it safe my friends!
Lil xx
