Most of us know that air quality affects our health. But you may not realize that the air you breathe can impact your sleep. What’s the connection between air quality and sleep? Poor IAQ can reduce how long you sleep at night and also the quality of your sleep.
Keep reading to learn about the relationship between indoor air quality and sleep, and what you can do to improve the air quality in your home so you sleep better.
How indoor air quality and sleep are related
The importance of sleep can’t be underestimated: how well we sleep influences our health, our work performance, and our quality of life. It’s so essential to our well-being that we spend a third of our lives doing it (or trying to).
But sleep can suffer when IAQ in the home doesn’t meet recommended standards. Let’s take a look at 4 key components of air quality and how they affect sleep.
Air temperature
I don’t need to tell you how hard it is to sleep well when your bedroom is uncomfortably hot.
Sleep experts recommend a bedroom temperature between 60 and 67 degrees for adults (and on the higher side of that range for babies). That’s because, as our bodies prepare for sleep, our core body temperature should drop. If the room is too hot, that impedes the process. Also, poor temperature control inhibits rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and is linked to increased restlessness.
Humidity
Even when the air temperature is within the ideal range, high humidity in the bedroom can make it harder to sleep well.
It’s no secret that it’s hard to fall asleep if we’re sweaty. But there’s more: according to the Sleep Foundation, high humidity reduces the duration of all stages of sleep. Mold and dust mites, which thrive in high humidity, can also increase asthma and allergy symptoms, making it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.
To improve air quality and sleep, humidity levels in your home should be between 40 and 60 percent.
CO2 levels
When we exhale, we’re breathing out carbon dioxide (CO2). So if we’re sleeping (or trying to) in a poorly-ventilated room for 8 hours or more, CO2 levels can easily rise to 3,000 ppm, which is three times the recommended level.
When we’re exposed to high levels of CO2 during sleep, our heart rates can rise, leading to shorter sleep duration and more restlessness. Studies have shown that high levels of CO2 affect not only our perception of how we slept, but also our cognitive performance the next day.
To control unhealthy CO2 levels, it’s important to have proper ventilation in the bedroom (and throughout your home).
VOCs and particulate matter
Other airborne pollutants, including VOCs, formaldehyde, and particulate matter, can also interfere with sleep. This indoor air pollution comes from many sources, including cleaning products, home furnishings and building products, cooking, vehicle emissions, and other outdoor pollution (such as wildfire smoke).
Scientists have uncovered a link between indoor air pollution and sleep apnea. It is believed that poor IAQ interferes with the body’s ability to regulate the heart and blood vessels during sleep. The study also showed a link between IAQ and systemic inflammation, which can cause pain that makes sleep difficult.
How to improve indoor air quality and sleep better
The right air conditioning system can help to improve the air quality in your home. And that can make all the difference for getting a good night’s sleep.
1. Get customizable temperature & humidity control
Different areas of your home, and the people occupying them, have a variety of cooling needs.
In the kitchen, bathrooms, and home gym, you’ll need more cooling and humidity control when they’re in use. Living areas may need to be kept a little warmer. Bedrooms need more cooling and humidity control at night.
You can achieve that with HVAC technology (such as VRV/VRF systems and programmable controls) that give you the ability to create cooling zones in your home. Every area can have the ideal temperature and humidity for the activities happening there.
Learn more: Residential Air Conditioning: What is a VRF System?
2. Improve air flow
If your HVAC system is older, poorly designed for its current use, or not properly maintained, you may have stagnant air flow that creates poor air quality conditions in your home.
If you haven’t had your AC serviced in a year or more, that’s a great place to start. Cleaning filters and system components can keep dust and other contaminants from making their way back into the air in your space.
Next, have your system evaluated by a trustworthy professional. You may find out that relatively inexpensive design changes (like moving duct runs or adding supply vents) can improve ventilation and indoor air quality.
Learn more: Crippling Air Conditioning Problems Caused By Poor Air Flow
3. Get an HVAC air purifier
Small, portable air purifiers can help clean the air, but they can be noisy, unsightly, and can only filter a limited area.
If you want better air quality in your bedroom and your entire home, consider a whole-home HVAC air purifier. It’s quiet, installed out of sight inside your HVAC ducts, and purifies the air throughout your home, so everyone can enjoy cleaner, fresher air and better sleep.
Learn more: REME HALO: Best Whole Home Air Purifier
Ready to improve your indoor air quality and get better sleep? If you’re in the NYC metro area, Arista’s experts can help. Contact us today.
