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Ideal Conditions for the Best Night's Sleep

AcuRite Team |

Enjoy a More Peaceful Slumber by Maintaining Proper Indoor Environmental Conditions

Have you ever camped in the middle of summer? Have you ever had your air conditioner fail, or your heat go out? If you answered "yes" to these questions, you know firsthand how hard it can be to sleep when conditions aren't right. Even in non-extreme situations, studies have shown that small changes in a bedroom environment can have a dramatic effect on the quality of your sleep.

For your baby’s health and safety, meanwhile, it is important that the nursery surrounds the little one in comfortable sleeping conditions. And as every parent knows, keeping an infant well rested translates to everyone feeling better rested. So, in addition to picking that perfect mattress, the key to blissful slumber is monitoring and controlling the environment where you and your family sleep.

Helpful Tips for a Restful Nursery Environment

  • Since infants are typically more vulnerable to illness than adults, it’s important to keep the nursery clean. This can include:
    • Using a vacuum equipped with a HEPA filter
    • Regularly replacing the filters of your home’s heating and cooling system
    • Using an air purifier
  • Keeping family pets out of the room can be an additional step toward keeping a nursery clean.
  • Allergy-free bedding can help mitigate dust mites and particles. If using regular bedding, it needs to be washed frequently using hot water.
  • Some health experts say exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) is something everyone should minimize, particularly infants. Therefore, many recommend painting the nursery in a "low VOC" paint. This, many argue, will not only be better for the baby when sleeping in the nursery but also better for mom and dad when painting the room.
  • Maintain consistent temperature and humidity levels in your bedroom and baby’s room throughout the year. Consult your doctor for recommended levels, but expect them to be slightly higher than conditions in the rest of your home, so you may want to consider a humidifier for your baby’s room.


Color Multi-Sensor Display with 4-Zone Capability

Maintain Proper Baby's Room Temperature and Humidity Conditions

Problem

Studies have shown that temperature and humidity levels outside a certain range can make it difficult for infants to sleep. Too low of humidity can affect discomfort by drying-out nasal passages and causing cracked, itchy skin. Too high humidity can compromise an environment with mold and allergens. Rapid changes in temperature, it's suggested, can be particularly stressful for newborns because they are less able to adapt by regulating their internal temperatures.

Solution

The EPA recommends keeping relative humidity between 30% and 60%. Some baby experts suggest keeping humidity slightly higher than for adults, around 55% RH. Some experts also suggest slightly higher temperatures too, between 68°F and 70°F (20°C to 21°C). Always check with your infant's doctor before settling on conditions in your baby’s room. Once you’ve received doctor recommendations, monitor conditions with a temperature and humidity meter, and adjust ambient air using tools like humidifiers, dehumidifiers, as well as your home's heating and cooling system. This will also empower you to mitigate harmful, rapid changes in conditions.

AcuRite Solutions & Tips

  • Monitor Nursery Conditions: Position an AcuRite Room Monitor in the baby's room, away from sources of heated or cooled air (like vents), to measure ambient conditions for ideal home environment montioring.
  • Use a Home Environment Display for home monitoring equipment to monitor conditions measured by multiple temperature sensors and humidity sensors in the baby’s room and other rooms of the house. Set alarms that alert you of undesirable conditions. These can include:
    • Undesirably low or high temperatures
    • Undesirably high or low humidity

More From AcuRite

Further Reading

There are many great resources on maintaining proper sleep conditions. Here are a few helpful articles and websites:

  • Insomnia Land is an online community where people can share ideas on getting better sleep
  • The National Sleep Foundation offers insights on many aspects of your sleep environment, including temperature
  • Advanced Air provides these suggested guidelines for bedroom heat and humidity settings
  • BabySlumber.com has these suggestions for a climate in your baby’s room
  • Sylvane offers an array of tips for creating a healthy nursery
  • The Alaska Sleep Clinic compiled this list of tips, in addition to maintaining temperature and humidity