Does stale bedroom air affect your sleep?

In this story

• Why it matters
• What one study found
• Why temperature did not explain it
• What to keep in mind
• Try this tonight
• Sources

Close the door and window of a bedroom, then breathe in there for eight hours. You have just run a small experiment on your own air. It is rarely the first thing people think of after a bad night, but researchers have started to look at it.

Why it matters

The carbon dioxide level in a room is a simple way to tell how well it is being ventilated. The question for sleep is whether a stuffy room changes anything you would actually notice.

What one study found

Researchers in Denmark ran field experiments in single-occupancy student dorm rooms, and published the results in the journal Indoor Air. In a pilot with 14 people, they changed ventilation simply by opening a window.^[1]

Why temperature did not explain it

Heat is an obvious alternative explanation, since opening a window can cool a room. In this study, bedroom temperatures varied a lot but did not differ between the two ventilation conditions.^[1]

What to keep in mind

This was a small study of students, so it may not apply to everyone. Fresher air can also come with trade-offs. An open window may let in noise, cold or outdoor pollution, and each of those can disturb sleep in its own way.

Try this tonight

• Open a window a little, if the outdoor air and noise allow it.
• Leave the bedroom door open if a closed window is the better choice.
• Pay attention to how the room smells when you first walk back in. A stuffy smell is a useful clue.
• If the room is shared, it will need more fresh air, not less.

This article is general education, not medical advice. If you are worried about your sleep, talk to a doctor.

Sources

1. 1.Strøm-Tejsen P, Zukowska D, Wargocki P, Wyon DP (2016). The effects of bedroom air quality on sleep and next-day performance. Indoor Air, 26(5):679-686. Accessed Nov 5, 2026.