True fresh-air fans leave their windows tilted at night, even in winter, if not wide open. But is that healthy? And does it not waste a lot of heating energy? Or maybe you just need fresh air for the next session of Bizzo Casino.
Sleeping with the window open: an overview of the advantages and disadvantages
Sleeping with an open window has a number of advantages – for example, the fresh air cools overheated rooms in summer, where it is otherwise difficult to sleep. In addition, a lot of fresh air enters the room throughout the night. This also reduces the CO2 content of the air. If this is very high, however, there is a risk of headaches when you wake up, warns the consumer advice center.
It also points out that a person releases up to half a liter of water per night. Especially when several people sleep in one room, a tilted window can help to lower the humidity in the room.
Tip: If you do not want to sleep with an open window, you can instead ventilate sufficiently before going to bed.
However, opening a window at night also has some disadvantages – especially in winter. If you heat the room where you ventilate all night, you lose a lot of energy. If you don’t heat it, the room can cool down so much at night that you freeze.
WHAT TO DO IN SUMMER
In the summer, there are fewer reasons not to sleep with the windows open, but allergy sufferers should still avoid doing so when there is a pollen count.
If you live in a city or on a busy street, you should also consider that noise can enter the room unhindered through a tilted window. There is evidence that traffic noise can have a particularly negative impact on our health at night. The WHO warns in its noise guidelines that high noise levels at night can affect our sleep. During the day, the organization associates noise with increased risks of cardiovascular disease, among other things.
Ventilation in the bedroom: double is better
If you ventilate correctly, you save energy and avoid mold. An expert tip is: always ventilate the bedroom twice. How it works:
Is sleeping with an open window healthy?
Fresh air is considered healthy, sleeping in the cold is even said to stimulate the immune system. Peter Geisler, the head of a sleep laboratory at the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Regensburg District Clinic, debunks this notion in an interview with Apotheken-Umschau: “Scientifically, there is no evidence for this at all.” However, the expert points out that it should be neither too cold nor too hot in the room, if possible, to promote a good night’s sleep.
The right temperature for sleeping
The energy advice of the consumer center recommends 18 degrees Celsius in the bedroom for a comfortable sleep. At night or when you are away, the temperature can be lowered further, they say.
Sleep physician Peter Geisler emphasizes to the Apotheken-Umschau that the ideal temperature is individually different and also depends on the sleeping clothes and bedding. “The ideal temperature is the room temperature at which you neither sweat nor freeze,” he advises.
Conclusion
So is it advisable to sleep with the window open, or not? The question can only be answered individually. Peter Geisler recommends paying attention to your own body. If you often wake up shattered in the morning and are tired during the day, you should investigate the causes, according to the sleep researcher. In this case, you can also try leaving the window tilted at night – or not – as well as experimenting with the room temperature and keeping an eye on the noise at night.
