I remember during ridiculously hot summers, my parents wouldn’t turn the air conditioner up so that they could “save” on the utility bill. Well, I can tell you that I sweated off a lot of pounds those summers, tossing and turning in my bed upstairs (oh, and heat rises by the way), trying to sleep through the heat. I didn’t sleep well then because the temperature of our bodies have a very strong influence on our ability to sleep.

Something called thermoregulation heavily influences your body’s sleep cycles. When it’s time for your body to rest, there is an automatic drop in your core body temperature to help initiate sleep. If the temperature in your environment stays too high, then it can be a bit of a physiological challenge for your body to get into the ideal state for restful sleep. Studies have found that the ideal room temperature for sleep is really quite cool at around 60 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything too far above or below this range will likely cause some difficulty sleeping.

To take this discovery even further, studies have shown that insomniacs (individuals with chronic sleep issues) tend to have a significantly warmer core body temperature than normal right before bed. This will inherently lead to a heightened state of arousal and struggle to fall asleep while their body tries to reset its internal thermostat.

So where is this internal thermostat anyway? Can it be actually changed?

To find your body’s internal thermostat, you have to go back to our understanding of the master gland, the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus actually integrates the function of your nervous system (what senses the internal and external temperature) and your endocrine system (what secretes specific hormones to either induce sleep or keep you awake). Your hypothalamus is like the coach of your cellular basketball team.

If the coach is treated well, given a nice salary of nutrition, and not over-stressed, chances are it can keep everyone in line, achieving the greatest results possible. Think the “Zen Master,” Phil Jackson. He managed stress like a pro, and brought the best out of his “body” of players.

On the other hand, if the coach is under-paid, over-worked, lacks support, and miscommunicates the roles of the team, then the whole thing can fall apart fast. This is why the health and support of your hypothalamus is so important.

Your hypothalamus is part of a very significant system in your body known as the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis, or HPA-Axis for short. The HPA-axis is critical in normal hormone function, sexual function, managing body weight and more. The most important takeaway here is that the HPA-axis is your body’s number one system for managing stress.

The previously mentioned study on insomniacs also found that the test subjects experienced greater levels of anticipatory anxiety than normal test subjects. The worry and stress over sleeping was higher, and likely contributing to the increase in core body temperature. It’s not just the environment that needs to be cool, you need to be cool too (as in your mental and emotional state). Your HPA-axis is dealing with the overall stress load in your life. From work, to relationships, to nutrition, to your exercise, your HPA-axis is managing it all.

You absolutely must have a strategy to manage stress in our high-stressed world today, or you can sleep in an igloo and still not be cool enough. We’ll talk about some life-changing stress-management tools coming up in Chapter 16. For now, let’s get the environment around you optimized for the best sleep possible, so that you have a smart, well-rounded approach to the free-throw line. Swish!

Keep It Cool Power Tip #1

Make sure that the temperature in your bedroom stays close to the recommended 68 degrees Fahrenheit at night. For some people, this is just right, but others may have images of Jack Frost and Frosty the Snowman. Trust me (and the science), you will sleep better if you’re a little cooler, just don’t over do it. You can still have your covers and PJ’s, but don’t over do that either (chances are your lover or would-be lover doesn’t want to sleep next to a flannel-clad, multiple-layered lumberjack at night). Get a nice, cool environment in your room and snuggle up to sleep more soundly.

Keep It Cool Power Tip #2

If you have trouble falling asleep, try taking a warm bath an hour and a half to two hours before hitting the sack. The increase in core temperature from the bath will fall accordingly and level out a little cooler right around the time you turn in for the night. Many parents know that this is the secret sauce for having young kids fall asleep and stay asleep at night.

Keep It Cool Power Tip #3

Rock socks. Even though the room temperature would ideally be cooler to induce great sleep, some people can trigger sleeplessness because their extremities are too cold. This is because blood flow is the primary method of distributing heat throughout the body. If your hands and feet are too cold, it could be a sign of poor circulation. The solution: wear a pair of warm socks to bed if you need to. Some people are naturally more warm-bodied and prefer to be barefoot, so test it out, and see what works best for you.