Is Your Bedroom Stealing Your Sleep?
17 January 2024 • Article Summary
ASHRAE: Residential Buildings Committee (RBC) Residential Issue Brief: Ventilation, IEQ and Sleep Quality in Bedrooms
Think your bedroom is just a place to crash after a long day? Think again. New research reveals that the quality of your sleep environment, or indoor environmental quality (IEQ), plays a major role in your health and well-being.
Turns out, your haven might be harbouring hidden hazards. Elevated carbon dioxide, poor ventilation, uncomfortable temperatures, distracting noise, and even too much light can disrupt your sleep and leave you feeling groggy and unproductive. The impact is especially pronounced for children, the elderly, and those with health conditions.
But it's not all doom and gloom. Experts are calling for a holistic approach to creating sleep-friendly bedrooms. This means considering not just temperature and humidity, but also noise levels, air quality, and even energy consumption. Collaboration between architects, environmental psychologists, and sleep scientists is key to designing bedrooms that are both cozy and conducive to healthy slumber.
And it's not just about personal health. Sleep deprivation due to poor IEQ can cost businesses dearly through lost productivity and absenteeism. That's why we need stronger standards and guidelines for bedroom IEQ, especially for vulnerable populations.
So, take a moment to assess your own sleep haven. Is it dark, quiet, and well-ventilated? Could you benefit from a white noise machine or blackout curtains? ASHRAE’s Residential Issue Brief on Ventilation, IEQ, and Sleep Quality in Bedrooms provides further background and guidance