The temperature of the bedroom at night could affect heart health — particularly in older adults.
Heat places extra demands on the cardiovascular system, according to lead study author Dr. Fergus O’Connor from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia.
When the human body is exposed to heat, its reaction is to work harder to try and circulate blood to the skin surface for cooling, he noted.
The team followed 47 adults living in southeast Queensland averaging 72 years of age.
While many sleep observations are conducted in special clinics, this was a “free-living” study, meaning the participants carried on with their normal activities and sleep schedules.
The temperature at which the heart began to show signs of disruption was a little more than 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Between 75 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit, the odds of a “clinically relevant” drop in heart recovery rose by 40%, the researchers found.