Creating a nighttime routine is one of the keys to a good night’s rest. And in our family, part of that is making sure our sleeping temperature is optimal. Here’s how the ChiliSleep sleep system can help you get better sleep and even fall asleep faster.
Tossing and Turning
Unfortunately, many of us know just how frustrating it can be to try and sleep at night. Lots of traveling messes with my sleep schedule and makes it hard to drift off. Then of course there were the night sweats at the end of pregnancy. For anyone in the throes of menopause, you’re probably also dealing with hot flashes!
Why Sleep is So Important
Before I really go into how to get better sleep, first I want to talk about the why. Our sleep quality contributes to not just how well we rest at night, but how we function during the daytime. Nighttime is when our bodies rest and repair. Here are just a few of the benefits we get from a good night’s rest:
- Better physical health – The body repairs tissue during sleep for healthy heart function, kidneys, and optimal blood pressure.
- Healthy weight – Poor sleep leads to high cortisol levels and insulin resistance. For every hour of sleep we lose at night, the risk of being obese goes up.
- Hormone health – Sleep is when children’s bodies release a cascade of hormones for growth. But it also helps us repair cells, and tissues, and build healthy muscle at every age.
- Memory – People who are sleep deprived can’t focus or learn as well. Sleep also plays a role in consolidating our memories, which we need to learn new information.
Poor sleep is also linked to a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and depression.
Getting Sweet, Deep Sleep
There are several stages of sleep that we cycle through during the night. We start off with light sleep and then move into REM and deep sleep. Rinse and repeat.
That really deep sleep is where most of the magic happens. It’s also what so many people have trouble getting enough of.
As we age, the amount of deep sleep we get actually decreases. I track my oldest son’s sleep and he can easily get 3 or more hours of deep sleep a night. If I’m careful with my sleep habits I’ll get a couple of hours of deep sleep, but not as much as my kids.
How to Get Your Best Sleep
We spend (or at least we should!) about a third of our lives asleep in bed. That’s a whole lot of time that can either be optimized for our health, or work against us. I’ve found that things like white noise at night, blackout curtains, and avoiding blue light before bed are all very helpful for my sleep.
I’ve mentioned before that I track my sleep, and I’m kind of neurotic about it! One of the best things I’ve ever done to improve my sleep at night is to get a ChiliSleep cooling system. If you’re a hot sleeper then you already know how much body temperature affects your sleep.
Why Temperature Matters
If you’re like me and preferred to cuddle up under a bunch of blankets at night, then you may not notice the temp as much. But our bodies (and brains!) still do. The fascinating thing is that our bodies go through their own temperature cycle at night that sets off our sleep hormones.
When the bed temperature is too hot it affects our melatonin and hormone levels. This leads to less deep sleep and more overall health issues. Researcher and sleep expert Tara Youngblood shared some really interesting findings on sleep and menopause on the podcast. They’re finding that menopausal women who sleep cooler at night see improvement in both nighttime and daytime hot flashes.
The research is also showing benefits for those with PTSD and night terrors. Harvard reports several studies show a link between a lack of deep sleep at night and dementia risk. By forcing the body to sleep cooler at night, it’s improving sleep quality and yielding amazing results.
ChiliSleep Ooler Sleep System
ChiliSleep offers several different products and units, but the Ooler is what I have. It’s a cooling mattress pad that lays on top of your existing mattress. The mattress topper has tubes that pump a steady stream of cool, distilled water through the mattress cover.
Those tubes attach to the control unit, which is small enough to fit under the bed or beside it. And because the control unit is a safe distance away from the bed, there are no EMFs in my bed. It’s hydropowered and doesn’t use up a lot of energy either.
The mattress pad is reversible with cool mesh on one side and a comfy cushion on the other. It’s also machine washable which means I don’t have to haul it off for specialty cleaning!
My fitted sheet and mattress protector fit right over the ChiliSleep pad so I don’t even feel it at night. They even have a “warm awake” function to gently wake me up in the mornings. With this system, you can set it to warm the bed as you’re falling asleep (when it’s cold out).
Then it can be programmed to cool the bed when body temperature normally drops. And finally, it can warm the bed to tell your body’s hormones it’s time to wake up. If you’ve ever been camping and woke up at 6 am when the sun came out you know what I mean.
As a busy mom, I already have so much on my plate that it can be hard to add one more healthy habit. The ChiliSleep system is a super easy way to improve my health while I’m sleeping. Once it’s set up it takes practically no effort to do.
Me and We
One of the great things about ChiliSleep products is they’re made for both singles and couples. You can have your side of the bed at one temperature, and your partner can have theirs at a different temperature. That way you both get your perfect version of cool sleep.
And whether you have a California king or a queen size bed (or smaller) there’s a ChiliPad for every bed. Their “me” version fits on half of the bed, and the “we” pad fits over the whole mattress. Both sides of the full-size version can be adjusted to different temperatures. I love that my side of the bed is the perfect temp for me.
The Best Sleep Temperature
The ideal sleep temperature is in the mid-60s, but everyone is a little different. When I first started using my ChiliPad, I had to have it at 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Now that my body is used to sleeping cooler at night, my perfect temp is 61 degrees.
And if I’m dealing with the flu and I’m chilled, I can set it to a warmer temp to help my body deal with the symptoms. The temperature control ranges from 55-115 so you can reach your perfect temp.
Other ChiliSleep Products
Here are some more temperature regulating products from ChiliSleep and how they work.
Cube Sleep System
The Cube system is like having an air conditioner on your mattress. You can set it to maintain a single temperature (55-115 degrees) that lasts through the night. It also has the option for a half or full bed pad.
ChiliBlanket
Weighted blankets have gotten more attention in recent years for their ability to help calm and relax at night. The downside is they can really trap heat. The ChiliBlanket is a weighted blanket that pairs with either the Ooler or Cube control units to regulate temperature.
This way you can get all of the benefits of a weighted blanket, and still sleep cool. Or if you need to warm things up it goes up to 115 degrees too.
Dock Pro Sleep System
This newer version is colder and quieter than the original ChiliSleep systems. It comes with an Airplane Mode to reduce EMFs on the unit. You can also use an app on your phone to schedule auto temperature adjustments during the night based on real-time sleep data.
It has the gentle warming awake feature and the half or full-size mattress pad. Unlike my Ooler, there aren’t any coils.
My Review of ChiliSleep
Using ChiliSleep is one of the best things I’ve ever done for my sleep routine. I wish I’d had one when I was pregnant! And I think they should be on every new mom’s gift registry. They’re not just for moms though. Healthy sleep is equally important for kids, partners, and everyone else.
Want to Try ChiliSleep?
Learn more about Chilisleep products or get one for yourself here.
Use code WellnessMama for 25% off Dock Pro™, OOLER, CUBE, and chiliBLANKET™ Sleep Systems.
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