Good Sleeping Weather and Death by Fan

"Good sleeping weather."

Back home in Minnesota, this phrase could often be heard when the weather started to turn a little cooler night.  Even in the North Country, the nights can be stifling with the high humidity and it often be too warm and sticky for sleep until late, late into the night.  Mid to late August means nights growing a little longer, daytime highs lowering, and an all around cooler night, making it much easier to fall asleep.

Where I live now definitely has had some good sleeping weather these last few nights.  It’s getting down into the 50s at night and with the windows open, the cool breeze throughout the house really makes for a nice environment.  I have awoken the past few mornings feeling very refreshed and well-rested.

The human body naturally prefers a cooler temperature in order to fall asleep.  The process of cooling down the core temperature lulls one into a comfortable state, making it easier to start catching Zs.  This is not folklore; it is medically proven that a body sleeps better cold than hot:

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/cant-sleep-adjust-the-temperature

Now cool may be a relative term, with some people getting cold when it is 70 (like my wife) and others not needing a sweater until it is nearly freezing (like me; no, seriously, I would leave the windows open until it was single digits if I could get away with it!).  Either way, turning on the fan, lowering the air conditioning, or having the windows open can go a long ways to making it perfect to drift off into slumber land.

This is where my wife and I get into disagreements.  The believes that having the fan or air conditioning on at night can lead to death, a cultural phenomenon labeled as “Fan Death.”  The first time my wife mentioned this, I laughed, but then I realized that she was not fooling around.  I tried to reason with her, but no, Fan Death is real, she claimed, and we have to sleep warm.

Check out the website dedicated to Fan Death: http://www.fandeath.net/
The View From Over Here: http://smileyjkl.blogspot.com/2008/07/fan-death-watch-out.html
And Snopes.com’s article debunking Fan Death: http://www.snopes.com/medical/freakish/fandeath.asp

I can’t find much research that has been done on the origins of Fan Death, as most of the articles out there seem to be more concerned with attacking the logic than finding the root of the idea.  From what I have been able to find, it looks like it was originally exposed in the 1970s with the ulterior motive of conserving energy.  That just makes me wonder how much energy was truly conserved versus how many Koreans had to suffer though unbearable heat at night, terrified of Fan Death.

But don’t argue that with a Korean; Fan Death is real.  Now, I don’t mean to poke fun at the Korean culture.  I know that there is far more to make fun of in American culture no doubt!  But Fan Death is the one little thing that I can’t get on board with, mostly because I can’t sleep when it’s hot.

Anyways, the weather is good for sleeping now.  Sweet dreams.

Top Ten Baby Things We Bought

#6 - HoMedics Soundspa Lullaby

I like this machine.  I mean, I really like it!  Yawn... just thinking about it makes me want to curl up and take a nap.  We got this when our daughter was about eight months old and still having a hard time sleeping through the night and we thought that it might help her fall asleep without us holding her the whole time.  This was just what we needed!

It's pretty neat- it comes with three different discs that you can insert so the machine projects different pictures on the ceiling.  There is a jungle scene, a nighttime sky, and ocean animals (our little angel likes the night sky the best- it has cute pictures of a moon reading a book, smiling stars, sheep, a cow jumping over the moon, and a moon with a night cap on).  It plays a few different sounds, so you can experiment and figure out which one your baby likes the best or switch it up from time to time.  Again, our little one had a favorite- Rock-A-Bye Baby, but it also plays the Brahms Lullabye, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, a heartbeat, rain, and the ocean.  It has a timer on it, but we usually just let it go until she falls asleep, then we switch it off.

It works so well it actually puts me to sleep, too!  I usually wake up after 10-15 minutes, see my daughter fast asleep, and then I can sneak out of the room.

http://www.amazon.com/HoMedics-SS-3000-Soundspa-Lullaby-White/dp/B000QTSW64

Top Ten Baby Things We Bought

#2 - Hanna Andersson SleepSack

After our little one started to sit up and crawl on her own, she began rolling during the night and her blanket would fall off.  We tried a larger blanket, but she still rolled out of that one, too!  Well, we saw the Hanna Andersson SleepSack and thought that it might be worth a try.  This is a wonderful little item; no matter how much your little one tosses and turns, he or she can't roll out of this.  It is easy to put on and our daughter loves it!  My only complaint is that the zipper starts at the top and goes down- it would be nice if they put it on the opposite way.

http://www.hannaandersson.com/style.asp?from=SC%7c9%7c1%7c156%7c309%7c8%7c%7c&simg=38371_05N