My review of the ChiliSleep . Sleep System

Creating a nighttime routine is one of the keys to a good night’s sleep. And in our household, part of that is making sure our sleeping temperature is optimal. Here’s how the ChiliSleep sleep system can help you sleep better and even fall asleep faster.

Losing sleep

Unfortunately, many of us know how frustrating it is to try to sleep in at night. Lots of travel messed up my sleep schedule and made it hard for me to get through. Then, of course, the night sweats late in pregnancy. For anyone going through menopause, you’re probably dealing with hot flashes too!

Why is sleep so important?

Before I actually go in how To get a better night’s sleep, I’d like to talk about why first. The quality of our sleep not only contributes to how well we rest at night, but also how we function during the day. Night is when our body rests and repairs. Here are some of the benefits we get from a good night’s sleep:

• Better physical health The body repairs tissues during sleep for healthy heart and kidney function and optimal blood pressure.
• Relative weight Poor sleep leads to high cortisol levels and insulin resistance. If we lose sleep every hour at night, the risk of obesity increases.
• Hormonal health – Sleep is when the body of children secretes an influx of growth hormone. But it also helps us repair cells and tissues, and build strong muscles at any age.
• Memory People who lack sleep cannot concentrate or study well. Sleep also plays a role in consolidating our memories, which we need to learn new information.

Poor sleep has also been linked to a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and depression.

Deep sleep

There are several stages of sleep that we go through during the night. We start with light sleep and then move into REM and deep sleep. Rinse and repeat.

That really deep sleep is where most of the magic happens. It’s also something that a lot of people have trouble getting enough of.

As we age, the amount of deep sleep we get actually decreases. I track my older son’s sleep and he can easily sleep 3 hours or more every night. If I’m careful with my sleep habits, I get a couple of hours of deep sleep, but not as much as my kids.

How to get your best sleep

We spend (or at least should!) about a third of our lives sleeping in bed. It’s all the time that can either be optimized for our health or work against us. I find that things like white noise at night, blackout curtains, and blue light avoidance before bed are all very helpful for my sleep.

I mentioned before that I track my sleep, and I’m pretty neurotic about it! One of the best things I’ve ever done to improve my sleep at night was the ChiliSleep cooling system. If you are a hot sleeper then you already know how your body temperature affects your sleep.

Why is temperature important?

If you’re like me and love cuddling up under a pile of blankets at night, you might not notice the temper tantrum as much. But our bodies (and brains!) still do. Interestingly, our bodies go through their own temperature cycle at night to make our sleep hormones.

When the bed temperature is too hot, it affects our melatonin and hormone levels. This leads to poor sleep and more overall health problems. Researcher and sleep expert Tara Youngblood shared some really interesting findings about sleep and menopause on the podcast. They found that menopausal women who slept cooler at night saw improvements throughout the night and burning day.

Research also shows benefits for people with PTSD and night terrors. Harvard reports several studies showing a link between a lack of deep night sleep and dementia risk. By forcing the body to sleep cooler at night, it improves sleep quality and delivers amazing results.

ChiliSleep Ooler sleep system

ChiliSleep offers a number of different products and units, but Ooler is what I have. It’s a cooling mattress that sits on top of your existing mattress. The mattress pad has tubes that pump a steady, cool stream of distilled water through the mattress cover.

These tubes attach to the controller, small enough to fit under the bed or next to it. And since the controller is a safe distance from the bed, there is no EMF on my bed. It is absorbent and does not use much energy.

Reversible backrest with cool mesh on one side and soft cushion on the other. It’s also machine washable, which means I don’t need to ship it for special cleaning!

The protector is fitted and my mattress protector is right on top of the ChiliSleep pad so I don’t even feel it at night. They even have a “warm wake” function to gently wake me up in the morning. With this system, you can set it to warm your bed while you’re sleeping (when it’s cold).

It can then be programmed to cool the bed when body temperature drops to normal. And finally, it can warm the bed to let your body’s hormones know it’s time to wake up. If you’ve ever camped and woken up at 6 a.m. when the sun came up, you know what I mean.

As a busy mom, I already have so much on my plate that it’s hard to add another healthy habit. The ChiliSleep system is a super easy way to improve my health while I’m sleeping. Once it’s set up, it’s practically effortless to implement.

Me and we

One of the great things about ChiliSleep products is that they are made for both singles and couples. You can put the bedside at one temperature, and your partner can put their bedside at a different temperature. That way, you both get the perfect version of a cool night’s sleep.

And whether you have a California king bed or a queen bed (or smaller) there’s a ChiliPad for every bed. Their “me” versions fit half of the bed, and “us” mattresses fit the entire mattress. Both sides of the full-size version can be adjusted to different temperatures. I love that my bedside is the perfect temperature for me.

Best sleeping temperature

The ideal sleeping temperature is in the mid-60s, but everyone is a little different. When I first started using my ChiliPad, I had to set it to 75 degrees F. Now that my body is used to sleeping cooler at night, my perfect temperature is 61 degrees.

And if I’m dealing with the flu and feel cold, I can set it to a warmer temperature to help my body deal with the symptoms. Temperature control ranges from 55-115 so you can achieve your perfect temperature.

Other chili sleeping products

Here are some other thermostat products from ChiliSleep and how they work.

Cube sleeping system

The Cube system is like having an air conditioner on your mattress. You can set it to maintain a single temperature (55-115 degrees) that lasts all night. It also has the option for half or full bed mattress.

ChiliBlanket

In recent years, weighted blankets have gained more attention because of their ability to help with sedation and relaxation at night. The downside is that they can actually trap heat. The ChiliBlanket is a weighted blanket that incorporates an Ooler or Cube controller to regulate the temperature.

This way, you can get all the benefits of a weighted blanket and still sleep well. Or if you need to warm things up, it goes up to 115 degrees too.

Dock Pro sleep system

This newer version is cooler and quieter than the original ChiliSleep systems. It comes with Airplane Mode to reduce the EMF on the device. You can also use an app on your phone to schedule automatic temperature adjustments at night based on real-time sleep data.

It features gentle warming wake-ups and half or full-size cushioning. Unlike my Ooler, there aren’t any coils.

My review of ChiliSleep

Using ChiliSleep is one of the best things I’ve ever done for my sleep routine. I wish I had one when I was pregnant! And I think they should be on the new mom’s gift register. However, they’re not just for moms. Healthy sleep is equally important for children, partners, and everyone else.

Want to try ChiliSleep?

Learn more about Chilisleep products or buy them yourself here.

Use code WellnessMama for 25% off Dock Pro™, OOLER, CUBE and chiliBLANKET™ Sleep Systems.