The cool side of the pillow

Welcome to the cool side of the pillow...

Where dreams are made, refreshment is served...but in a cooling down your body temperature sort of way.

the cool side...

You can always count on the cool side of the pillow to remind us of how good it feels to be alive. It is like a wave of fresh air hitting your face, but without having to leave the comfort of your house...or better yet, you don't even have to leave your bed.

How does this happen? And why does it feel soooo good?!

Science can help us understand why temperature has such a strong impact on the quality of our sleep. Our heads radiate more heat than any other part of our body, so when we lie down, our pillow absorbs this heat and warms up.

Because most pillows are made of materials that do not conduct heat very well, the side of the pillow against our head retains most of the heat.

The opposite side of the pillow...the one in the shadows, tends to stay about the same temperature as our ambient room, which is usually about 20-30 degrees cooler than our head, that is why it instantly feels cooler when we flip it over.

Most studies agree that a temperature between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit is optimal for sleeping, with temperatures above 75 degrees and below 54 degrees being disruptive to sleep.

That optimal temperature is 15-19 degrees celsius for my metric system friends.

But don't just take my word for it, there are dozens of studies done on how temperature impacts sleep. This Sleep specialist tells us more about his own research and sheds some insightful information on the topic.

One of life's simplest luxuries, it is short-lived, but boy is it worth savouring.