Sleep is a mysterious process.

For hours a day, we are whisked away to a magical world, fueled by our subconscious. As a result, we have a tendency to think of sleep as being out of our control.

When something goes wrong, we blame our aging bodies or the stress in our lives. We forget about the fact that, while our mind is playing with unicorns or talking to our elementary school teachers, our body is firmly planted in our bed. As such, it is still impacted by the world around it.

In previous articles, I have talked about the importance of making your bedroom into a sleep sanctuary. This means making sure that you have a comfortable mattress, the air in your room is clean and you are surrounded by relaxing sounds and scents.

Today, I want to talk about the importance of finding the perfect temperature for your bedroom.

How Hot is it in Your Bedroom?

If there is one message that you take away from this article, it should be this – temperature in the bedroom matters. According to WebMD, when you sleep, your body’s natural thermostat drops. In other words, your body still tries to maintain a certain temperature, but, at a lower point than during the day.

If your room is too hot, your body will struggle to keep your body temperature at what it considers the “right” level. As most of the women in our community know, this is an especially frustrating problem during menopause. But, even if you are in your 60s, it is still possible to suffer from night sweats, which make the challenge of finding the right temperature for your bed room even more important.

By the way, the opposite is also true. If your room is too cold, your body may have trouble staying warm enough, keeping you tossing and turning all night long.

What is the Best Temperature for Your Bedroom?

I have no idea! In fact, I’m confident that you don’t either. Since everyone’s body is different, the only way that you are going to find the perfect temperature for your bedroom is to experiment.

If you live by yourself, this is a fairly simple process. Adjust the temperature in your bed room up or down by a few degrees every night. Write down the temperature and how well you slept in your sleep diary. After a few weeks, you should have a pretty good idea of the perfect temperature for your body. While you’re at it, keep track of the kind of blanket that you use and the impact on your sleep.

If you have a partner, let the temperature dance begin. If you need a cooler temperature than your partner, don’t be afraid to use two smaller blankets, rather than one big one. This way, you can give your partner a warmer blanket, while keeping the thermostat a few degrees lower. Many women in the community have told me that pointing a small fan just at their side of the bed helps tremendously.

Getting a good night’s sleep is so important to life after 60. The most important thing is not to leave the quality of your sleep to chance. Take control. Start a sleep diary. Keep track of how the temperature of your room impacts your sleep. With any luck, you will be back to blissfully dreaming about magical chocolate castles, in no time at all.

Have you found that there is a certain temperature that you sleep best at? Do you need a warmer or cooler room than your partner? What have you done to strike the right balance between the two temperatures?