When temperatures start to drop, we dread the inevitable arrival of heating bills. This year, soaring prices and energy shortages only add to these concerns. To save money, we recommend heating less. But if you want to sleep warm all winter long, we recommend that you make sure you're well-equipped.

Energy savings: turn down the heat

Heating is the biggest energy consumer in the home. According to ADEME (Agence De l'Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l'Énergie), lowering your heating by just 1°C will reduce your consumption by 7%. !

Here are the temperatures recommended by the agency for ecological transition:

- Living areas : 20 to 21°C when we are present, 16 to 17°C the rest of the time
- Bathroom : 22°C when we're washing, 16 to 17°C the rest of the time
- Bedrooms: 17°C when we sleep or when the room is unoccupied, 20°C if we stay in our room during the day.

The ideal temperature for sleeping

To save energy, we recommend turning down the heating in bedrooms. Worried about being too cold and having trouble sleeping? Don't worry: studies show that a higher moderate temperature contributes to quality sleep.

1. Sleep cycles

To understand how room temperature can affect sleep, let's first decipher how sleep works.

Sleep is divided into 3 to 6 cycles, each lasting around 90 minutes. A sleep cycle comprises 2 main phases: slow-wave sleep and REM sleep. Slow wave sleep is itself made up of 3 stages: falling asleep, light sleep and deep slow wave sleep.



During the first phase of the cycle, muscle tone, eye movements and brain waves gradually diminish. Breathing becomes more regular until it slows down. Finally, body temperature drops. We then enter REM sleep. Muscle atonia, rapid eye movement (REM = Rapid Eye Movement) and high levels of brain activity, close to wakefulness, can be observed. This is when we have dreams we can remember.

2. The impact of room temperature on body temperature

So as not to disrupt our sleep cycles, the Institut National du Sommeil et de la Vigilance (INSV) recommends a temperature of between 16 and 18°C in bedrooms. Remember that a lack of sleep can have a detrimental effect on our health (weight gain, cardiovascular disease, lowered immune defenses, lack of concentration, fatigue, etc.).

According to a study published in 2012 by Japanese sleep researchers, we sleep badly when it's too hot. Heat is said to have a negative impact on deep sleep and REM sleep.

As we saw earlier, when we fall asleep, our body temperature drops and its thermoregulation diminishes at the same time.

Body temperature is strongly linked to the sleep regulation mechanism. Even for people who are not prone to insomnia, an overheated room can significantly affect their sleep.

In fact, if you overheat your room, your body will have difficulty lowering its temperature. As a result, you'll stay asleep longer, and find it harder to achieve deep sleep and REM sleep, the phases during which your body actually rests.

The study also demonstrated the importance of sleepwear and bedding for quality sleep. These contribute to the body's thermoregulation. The researchers compared the sleep of people partially clothed for sleep, to those clothed and sleeping with bed linen. The first group was more affected by the overheated room than the second, as the fabrics helped maintain correct body temperature.

A silk duvet for a warm winter

So, to save energy and get a good night's sleep, turn down the heating and choose a warm duvet capable of regulating your body temperature.

 

1. The exceptional properties of silk duvets

At Maison de la soieour duvets are filled with long silk fibers of the highest quality. In addition to being healthy, this natural material has thermoregulating properties.

In contrast to other duvets, silk duvets are lightweight. So you can sleep in warmth without feeling suffocated.

In addition, the study cited above indicates that humidity is detrimental to the quality of deep sleep and REM sleep. But silk limits perspiration and absorbs moisturecontributing to restful sleep.

For a warm winter and a good night's sleep, we have 2 types of silk duvets. It's up to you to choose the one that suits you best.

2. The 4-season silk duvet

This is actually 2 silk duvets joined together to form a single, warm duvet. It's a combination of a summer duvet and a mid-season duvet. As well as offering comfort and soft warmth, the 4-season duvet is the economical solution for sleeping with a duvet all year round.

3. Winter silk duvets

Warm and cozy, the silk duvet is warm and cozy. transforms your bed into a cocoon of softness. Thicker than a 4-season duvet at 500g/m2, it's perfect for chilly people and harsh winters. And if you want to save a little more energy by lowering the heating temperature by an extra degree, the winter duvet is suitable for rooms below 8°.

Sources :
INSERM (Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale)
Kazue Okamoto-Mizuno and Koh Mizuno, Effects of thermal environment on sleep and circadian rhythm, Journal of Physiological Anthropology, May 31, 2012 ;31(1):14. doi: 10.1186/1880-6805-31-14.