Getting a good night’s sleep is crucial for overall health, recovery, and productivity. Many factors can affect sleep quality—noise, light, and temperature among them—but one simple, often-overlooked strategy may make a big difference: ventilation.

A recent study in Building and Environment titled “A field intervention study of the effects of window and door opening on bedroom IAQ, sleep quality, and next-day cognitive performance” found that proper ventilation during sleep improved several key measures of rest, including sleep efficiency and subjective satisfaction.

Based on these findings, here’s how you can apply this “window hack” for better sleep:

1. Prepare the Room: Open the window at least an hour before bedtime. This allows fresh air to circulate, reduces stuffiness, and cools the room to a more sleep-friendly temperature.
2. Clear Out Pollutants: Ventilating before sleep lowers carbon dioxide levels and helps flush out indoor pollutants like allergens, dust, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
3. Close Before Bed: For safety and noise reduction, close the window once you turn in. You’ll still benefit from the pre-sleep ventilation while enjoying a quieter and more secure environment.
4. Keep It Dark: Use blackout curtains or blinds to block unwanted light and support melatonin production.
5. Maintain a Cool Room: Aim for a room temperature between 60–67°F (15–19°C), which mirrors the body’s natural nighttime temperature drop and helps you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.

Take-Home Message:
By opening your window before bed, you can improve air quality, regulate temperature, and set yourself up for deeper, more restorative rest. Pair this with a dark, quiet sleep environment and you’ll wake up feeling refreshed and ready to perform.

Experiment with this and other strategies to see what works best for you—personalization is key. A few simple changes can transform your sleep and, by extension, your health, fitness, and daily performance.