Wearing wool improves sleep quality, study finds
A study from researchers at the University of Sydney has found that adults wearing wool sleepwear fall asleep faster.
As a starting point, the research team said there is often a link between “sleep disturbance” in adults who have no health concerns and the thermal environment.
In the study the team assessed the impact on sleep quality of sleepwear made from fibres with different thermal insulation properties. The study used garments made from cotton, polyester and merino wool.
Adults aged between 50 and 70 took part, at an ambient temperature of 30 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity of 50%.
What the team observed was that, on average, people wearing merino fell asleep in 12 minutes, while the average times for the others were 22 minutes for people wearing polyester and 27 minutes for those wearing cotton.
A member of the team, Associate Professor Chin Moi Chow, said: “Wool helps regulate your body temperature, keeping you in what is known as ‘the thermal comfort zone’ for longer. You therefore not only fall asleep quicker, but also have deeper, less fragmented sleep.”
