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What is the best temperature for sleep? Craig Melvin and wife test hot and cold rooms

TODAY's Craig Melvin and his wife, Lindsay, said they have differing ideas on the ideal temperatures for sleep. What do experts recommend?
/ Source: TODAY
By Kerry Breen

It's National Sleep Awareness Week, and TODAY is hoping to tackle the common sleep woes that are keeping people up at night. One issue that frequently leads to marital discord? The room temperature.

TODAY news anchor Craig Melvin and his wife, Lindsay Czarniak, said it's something they can't agree on. Despite nine years of marriage, the temperature they sleep at is an "unspoken tension."

"It's too damn hot," Craig joked. "In every bedroom in America, especially mine."

Lindsay said that the couple never actually discusses how warm the room should be.

Lindsay said that she typically raises the thermostat after the couple has gone to bed.
Lindsay said that she typically raises the thermostat after the couple has gone to bed.

"I get up and turn the fan off," she said. "And just turn it off. There's not a lot of talking about the temperature."

Craig explained that he preferred going to bed when the room temperature was in the "upper 60s," but joked that once his wife turned the fan off, it was like waking up "in a jungle."

What is the ideal temperature for sleep?

According to Dr. Karen Lee, from NYU Langone's Epilepsy and Sleep Center, it tends to be better for people to fall asleep at a cooler temperature.

"If I was pushed to have to choose one or the other, I'd err on the colder rather than warmer temperature," she said.

When Lindsay woke up, she admitted the room felt a little warm.
When Lindsay woke up, she admitted the room felt a little warm.

"When our core body temperature drops, melatonin secretion increases, which is needed for us to drift into sleep as well," Lee explained. "And there's this circadian timing that happens to all of us. And we want to make sure the temperature is not something prohibitive of that natural process for us."

While she didn't give a specific temperature, Craig joked that he was hearing they should keep their bedroom at 67 or 68 degrees, while Lindsay said she was hearing they should keep it at 69 or 70 degrees.

How can couples compromise?

Lee said that when it comes to compromising, like Craig and Lindsay discussed, couples need to find "a happy medium."

Craig and Lindsay both teased each other about their sleep habits.
Craig and Lindsay both teased each other about their sleep habits.

"I do regularly counsel patients on this," Lee said. "In regards to different co-sleepers trying to figure out a temperature that's best for both of them, I would counsel them about finding a happy medium."

However, it doesn't seem like Craig or Lindsay were too eager to change their habits.

"This has been revealing," Craig joked. "Because I've been wondering for the last few years why I haven't been getting good sleep. And I think it's fairly obvious! ... This has been therapeutic. I've gotta get a new family!"

"Yeah, good luck with that," Lindsay replied. "And in the meantime, we will keep it at 70 degrees!"

Kerry Breen

Kerry Breen is a reporter and associate editor for TODAY.com, where she reports on health news, pop culture and more. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from New York University.