Sleeping Through the Heat: How Your Bedroom Can Help or Hurt

In a world where temperatures are rising, getting a good night's sleep is becoming harder. Many people struggle to sleep well when it's hot, especially in places where homes aren't built to handle extreme heat. The way a bedroom is designed can make a big difference in how well someone sleeps. As heatwaves become more common, the need for better bedroom designs is growing. People spend about one-third of their lives sleeping, mostly in their bedrooms. For good sleep, a bedroom needs to have the right temperature, airflow, light, and noise levels. In the UK and Europe, homes are built to keep heat in during winter, which is good for saving energy. But this also means homes can get too hot in the summer. The summer of 2022 showed this problem clearly when record-high temperatures left many people tossing and turning at night. The quality of the bedroom environment affects sleep. This includes air quality, ventilation, humidity, light, and sound. However, most research has focused only on air quality. Small changes in temperature can disrupt sleep, but this has not gotten much attention. When indoor temperatures get too high, overheating becomes a big problem, especially in densely packed housing with large windows. People might not open windows at night due to noise or safety concerns, which makes cooling down even harder. Light and sound also play a role. Thick curtains can block light but also trap heat. Open windows let in fresh air but also noise. Balancing these factors is a challenge for both designers and residents. Age, health, stress, and lifestyle also affect how well someone sleeps. Older adults, children, and people with medical conditions are more sensitive to high nighttime temperatures. Feeling safe is another important factor. Many people don't open windows or balcony doors at night because they feel vulnerable, which leads to less airflow and more heat buildup. To prevent overheating, new homes should be designed with cooling in mind. This includes placing bedrooms on the cooler side of the house, allowing cross ventilation, and using passive cooling methods. Relying only on air conditioning is not a good solution because it uses a lot of energy and harms the environment. For existing homes, residents can make small improvements like installing shutters, using thermal blinds, and improving ventilation. However, these solutions depend on affordability and personal choice. People can also adapt in simple ways, like changing bedding, moving to a cooler room, or using fans. These adaptations help but don't solve the root problem of poor bedroom design. As global temperatures rise, heatwaves will become more intense and longer. More households will use air conditioning, leading to a cycle of energy consumption that contributes to further warming. Poor sleep from overheated bedrooms can cause serious health risks, increase the load on health services, and decrease productivity. Future architects should focus on making bedrooms thermally resilient to reduce the number of people dying from heatwaves and support public health. The design of the bedroom is crucial for sleep quality, especially in a warming climate. Currently, there is a lack of environmental data in sleep research, which limits the ability of designers to create comfortable and resilient bedrooms. Future research should measure the indoor environment during sleep, especially during extreme heat. Homes should be built to keep bedrooms at a comfortable temperature without mechanical cooling. This requires careful consideration of the room's size, layout, orientation, ventilation, and shading. If societies prioritize sleep quality in building regulations and planning decisions, they can help residents stay healthy, comfortable, and resilient in a changing climate.