THE FRESH AIR FACTOR

Sleeping in a room with a good air flow of clean, fresh air can help us to sleep better and wake up smarter. 

A study in Denmark measured the effects of people sleeping in the same room over a two week period. For half the time the air vents were closed so ventilation was poor, for the rest of the time a fresh air flow was maintained by a secret fan which kicked in when CO2 levels became high. The participants sleep patterns were measured and revealed that they had a better night’s sleep when air quality levels were better. It also helped people to wake feeling fresher and led to better scores on logic tests.

Three ways to keep your bedroom well-aired

1. Open a window 

Nice and quiet outside? Then open a window and let the fresh air in and the stale air out. Even opening a small window a few cms is enough to keep the air constantly refreshed. If you are on the ground floor. 

2. Do a daily refresh

If your street is too noisy to sleep with a window ajar or if you are one of those people who feel the cold, then make a point of throwing open a window during the day while you are making the bed or getting ready in the morning.

3. Opening an internal door

Ventilation is about airflow so keeping your bedroom door ajar will also help. An electric fan in a doorway boosts the natural air flow around a building even further. But choose a quiet one that is energy efficient as possible to keep both sleep disturbance and eco-impact at a minimum