Leaving Bedroom Door Or Window Open May Be Linked To Better Sleep Quality, Study Suggests

By Dr Deepu

A research from Netherlands suggests “leaving a bedroom door or window open may help people sleep better.” Researchers found that “open windows and doors helped reduce carbon dioxide levels and improve ventilation and air flow, which was related to better sleep quality for the healthy young adults in the study.” The findings were published in the journal Indoor Air.
For one night of the study, 17 volunteers slept with an open window or internal door. On another night, the windows and door to the room were kept closed. In the meantime, Mishra and colleagues monitored carbon dioxide levels, temperature, background noise and humidity. The study participants were asked not to drink alcoholic beverages or caffeinated drinks, which could influence sleep. They each slept alone, and the bedroom layout with furniture arrangement was kept consistent.
For measuring sleep quality, participants wore an armband that measures skin temperature, heat flux, bed temperature and skin moisture levels. They also wore a sensor that tracked their movements at night, including indications of restlessness.
Closed environments tended to have less background noise – but they also had significantly higher carbon dioxide levels, which indicated lower ventilation levels.
Open conditions were slightly cooler than closed, although humidity levels were similar across settings, according to the report in the journal Indoor Air.
Notably, carbon dioxide levels were lower when windows or doors were open.
Overall, skin temperature and the bed temperature were higher in closed conditions than open conditions. The number of awakenings and sleep efficiency improved as carbon dioxide levels decreased.
A limitation of the study is that the motion sensor often slipped off the sleepers at night.


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