Does Bedroom Temperature Affect Your Oxygen?

You sleep badly in a hot, stuffy room. Most people do. But does it change your overnight oxygen numbers?

Is there research on this?

Not much. We couldn't find a trial that tested bedroom temperature against overnight oxygen directly. So be clear with yourself: this experiment rests on your own data only.

The reasoning is indirect:

• A hot room makes you toss and turn. More turning can mean more time on your back, and position can matter.
• A room that feels too hot can make a blocked nose feel worse. That's another thing worth tracking.
• Restless sleep means more movement, and movement causes gaps and false dips in the recording.

How do you run the comparison?

1. Record at least five nights with the room how you usually have it.
2. For a week or two, make the room cooler. Open a window, run a fan, or use lighter bedding.
3. Each night, note the temperature at bedtime if you have a thermometer. If you don't, write "cool", "comfortable" or "warm".
4. Note whether the window was open and whether the heating was on.
5. Keep bedtime, alcohol and dinner time steady.

Many people find somewhere around 16 to 19 C comfortable for sleeping. Pick what feels cool to you, not cold.

What about fresh air?

Change one thing at a time. If you open the window, you change temperature, air and noise together. To separate them:

• Do one week with a fan and the window shut.
• Do one week with the window open.

If traffic noise or pollen comes in with the air, note that too.

Which numbers should you compare?

• ODI, the number of dips per hour.
• Your average SpO2 for the night.
• Your overnight pulse. A hot night often shows up here first.

Compare averages across each set of nights, not single nights. See how many nights to record.

What if nothing changes?

That's a result too. You may still sleep more comfortably in a cool room, and that's reason enough to keep it that way.

An oximeter is not a sleep study. If you snore loudly, someone has heard you stop breathing or gasp, or you're exhausted during the day, see a doctor.

How do you keep track of it all?

In PulseOxTracker you can tag each night "cool" or "warm" and see the average ODI and heart rate for tagged nights next to the rest.

Not a medical device. Does not diagnose, treat or prevent any condition. Discuss results and changes with a clinician.