When temperatures start to drop, we dread the inevitable arrival of heating bills. This year, soaring prices and energy shortages are only adding to these concerns. To save money, it’s a good idea to heat your home less. But to stay warm all winter long, we recommend making sure you’re properly equipped.
Energy Savings: Turn Down the Heat
Heating accounts for the largest share of household energy consumption. According to ADEME (the French Environment and Energy Management Agency), lowering your thermostat by just 1°C reduces your energy consumption by 7%!
Here are the temperatures recommended by the Agency for Ecological Transition:
- Living areas: 20 to 21°C when we’re there, 16 to 17°C the rest of the time
- Bathroom: 22°C when we’re using it, 16 to 17°C the rest of the time
- Bedrooms: 17°C when we’re sleeping or the room is unoccupied, 20°C if we’re in our bedroom during the day
The ideal temperature for sleeping
To save energy, we recommend turning down the heat in the bedrooms. Worried you’ll get too cold and have trouble sleeping? Don’t worry: studies show that a moderate temperature actually contributes to better sleep.
1. Sleep cycles
To understand how a room’s temperature can affect sleep, let’s first break down how sleep works.
Sleep is divided into 3 to 6 cycles, each lasting about 90 minutes. A sleep cycle consists of two main phases: non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. NREM sleep itself consists of three stages: drowsiness, light sleep, and deep NREM sleep. 
During the first phase of the cycle, muscle tone, eye movements, and brain waves gradually decrease. Breathing becomes more regular until it slows down. Finally, body temperature drops. We then enter REM sleep. At this point, there is muscle atonia, rapid eye movements (this phase is called REM, or Rapid Eye Movement), and significant brain activity, similar to that during wakefulness. It is at this time that we have dreams we can remember.
2. The Impact of Room Temperature on Body Temperature
To avoid disrupting our sleep cycles, the National Institute of Sleep and Vigilance (INSV) recommends a bedroom temperature between 16 and 18°C. It’s important to remember that a lack of sleep can have a harmful effect on our health (weight gain, cardiovascular disease, weakened immune system, lack of concentration, fatigue, etc.).
According to a study published in 2012 by Japanese sleep researchers, we sleep poorly when it is too hot. Heat is believed to have a negative impact on deep sleep and REM sleep.
As we saw earlier, when we fall asleep, our body temperature drops, and our thermoregulation decreases at the same time.
However, body temperature is closely linked to the sleep regulation mechanism. Even for people who don’t usually suffer from insomnia, an overheated room can significantly affect their sleep.
In fact, if you make your bedroom too warm, your body will have a hard time lowering its temperature. As a result, you’ll spend more time in the falling-asleep phase and have a harder time reaching deep sleep and REM sleep—the phases during which your body truly rests.
Furthermore, this study also demonstrated the importance of sleepwear and bedding for quality sleep. These items contribute to the body’s thermoregulation. Researchers compared the sleep of people who slept partially clothed to that of people who slept fully clothed and using bedding. The first group was more affected by the overheated room than the second, as the fabrics helped maintain a proper body temperature.
A Silk Duvet for a Warm Winter
So, to save energy and get a good night’s sleep, turn down the heat and choose a warm duvet that can regulate your body temperature.
1. The Exceptional Properties of Silk Duvets
At Maison de la soie, our duvets are filled with long, high-quality silk fibers. This natural material is not only healthy but also has thermoregulatory properties.
Unlike other duvets, a silk duvet is lightweight. This means you stay warm without feeling stuffy.
Furthermore, the study cited earlier indicates that moisture can negatively affect the quality of deep sleep and REM sleep. Silk, however, limits perspiration and absorbs moisture, thereby contributing to a restful night’s sleep.
To stay warm this winter and sleep well, we offer two types of silk duvets. It’s up to you to choose the one that suits you best.
2. The 4-Season Silk Duvet
This is actually two silk duvets that are zipped together to form a single, warm duvet. It’s essentially a combination of a summer duvet and a mid-season duvet. In addition to offering comfort and gentle warmth, the 4-season duvet is the economical solution for sleeping under a duvet all year round.
3. The Silk Winter Duvet
Warm and cozy, the silk duvet transforms your bed into a cocoon of softness. Thicker than a 4-season duvet with a fill weight of 500g/m², it’s perfect for people who feel the cold easily and for harsh winters. And if you’d like to save a little more energy by lowering the heating temperature by one more degree, the winter duvet is suitable for rooms below 8°.
Sources:
INSERM (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research)
Kazue Okamoto-Mizuno and Koh Mizuno, “Effects of thermal environment on sleep and circadian rhythm,” Journal of Physiological Anthropology, May 31, 2012; 31(1):14. doi: 10.1186/1880-6805-31-14.
The luxury of natural warmth
With their mulberry silk filling, our duvets combine natural warmth with elegance. An invitation to winter coziness.
Choose your ideal duvet
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