We all prefer our homes to be a specific temperature. It depends on both your body and what you’re used to.
A friend of ours had her mother visit from a cold part of the country over the holidays. Her mother didn’t appreciate sunny San Diego. She was hot the whole time here and requested that her daughter turn off her heating because she felt warm. Our friend thought that she was ill during her mother’s visit because her nose wouldn’t stop running and she had a continual sore throat. However, once her mother left and she turned the heating back on, her body perked back up to normal. We all function best in our own range of comfort!
New research has found that older people’s brains function best when their homes are heated to a specific temperature range. It was a yearlong study where researchers checked in twice a day via text message with seniors to ask the temperature in their home, to rate their comfort level from “very cold” to “very hot” and if they were having any issues focusing. Attention span suffered when the home was hot or cold.
The best range for thinking was 68 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. When temperatures were seven degrees above or below the range, people were twice as likely to have problems focusing. While both being hot and cold caused cognitive problems, being cold was worse. Their difficulties with cognition were more significant when they reported feeling cold than when they said they felt hot.
As we age, our bodies don’t thermoregulate as well. “Our findings underscore the importance of understanding how environmental factors, like indoor temperature, impact cognitive health in aging populations,” said lead author Dr. Amir Baniassadi, an assistant scientist at the Marcus Institute. “This research highlights the need for public health interventions and housing policies that prioritize climate resilience for older adults.”
Laws around utilities vary from state to state. California has medical baseline allowance programs that provide lower-cost electricity to people with medical needs if a doctor writes to the utility company. It’s possible that if an individual’s doctor wrote to their power or gas company, they could get less expensive heat throughout the winter to help their cognition.
In addition to the cold impairing cognition, heat can dull thinking and impact mood, making people more prone to irritability and anxiety. Even small temperature changes can impact the body physically, and make the brain slower and less accurate.
Keeping the temperature in your home steady and in the healthy range is essential. Speak to someone if there is a problem with your heating or cooling. Don’t delay. It’s not just about comfort; it is about health. And, if your bills are high, look into whether options are available to you because of your age, health concerns, location or other factors. You would be surprised how many helpful programs there are.
