Your guide to better sleep this fall

How to weatherproof your bedroom to help you get a better night's rest this fall

Canadians blame the weather on a variety of things, and high on the list is lack of sleep. Temperature swings, howlings winds, flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder - these can all keep us up at night.

Right now we are in a transitional season, and temperature swings should be expected.

Health experts say the ideal temperature for a good night's rest is between 17 and 22 degrees Celsius or 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Our body temperature naturally drops as we are settling into sleep,” says sleep consultant Heather Young. “We fall asleep more easily in cooler temperatures.”


SEE ALSO: Can your joints predict when a storm is coming?


A refreshing breeze can assist with cooling down your bedroom — always look at overnight lows and humidity levels. This can be a great time of year to shut off the air conditioning and open the windows at night.

“You also want to think about the sound and light coming into your room,” adds Young.

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WEATHERPROOF YOUR BEDROOM

Fall is known to be a very windy, and at times, stormy season. Young says one way to prepare for the changeable weather is by weatherproofing your bedroom.

Young suggests having blackout blinds, earplugs and a white noise machine on standby for nights when the weather fires up.

But, “if you do get woken up in the night and you can't fall asleep, get up and temporarily do something else, preferably not involving technology,” recommends Young. “If your mind is racing, write down whatever you are thinking about and then go back to bed.”

For more tips on how to improve your sleep this season, watch the video that leads this article.