This Thermostat Helps Me Sleep Better and Save on My Energy Bill

It was summer and I was having trouble falling asleep. I live in a well-insulated home, a townhouse in the middle of the building, with neighbors on both sides whose heating bills in the winter most likely help keep mine low. The problem, however, is in the summer. The temperature downstairs? Fine, as long as I keep the window blinds closed and block the sunlight. The temperature upstairs? To say it gets stuffy would be an understatement. While I'm sure there are many reasons for this stark temperature difference, I also lack vital information that could help me get to the core of the problem. Although it may be 75 degrees Fahrenheit downstairs, where the thermostat is, that device doesn't know what temperature it is upstairs.

While testing and reviewing the new 4th Gen Nest Learning Thermostat, I closed that information gap. In the process, I got better sleep. The solution is a simple one: Having a temperature monitor in different rooms that have varying levels of comfort.

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$280 at Amazon

After putting the temperature sensor, which comes with the thermostat, in my bedroom, I realized it was sometimes 7 or 8 degrees hotter than it was downstairs. After discovering this, I learned to adjust the thermostat's schedule so the thermostat changed the temperature at night based on when the temperature increased. Around 10 p.m., it would start making temperature changes using the upstairs sensor as a guide, it would set the temperature in the bedroom to 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

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When this happens, the downstairs may get colder than 72 degrees Fahrenheit at night, but the trade-off is that I actually get a decent night's sleep.

How a smart thermostat helped me sleep better 

I'm not exactly a light sleeper. I can usually get to sleep easily without sleep aids, sleep meditations or any of the other tricks. And once I'm asleep, I typically sleep through the night unless one of my cats decides to wake me up (which isn't uncommon).

The early summer in this townhouse, however, was different. I found myself struggling to get to sleep and waking up in the middle of the night more often. My Fitbit told me so: June and July are strewn with days when I got fewer than 7 hours of sleep, compared with my typical 8 hours. That would often result in me feeling ragged the next day, leading me to take a melatonin or something and go to bed extra early to get a decent rest.

The problem was the heat, and it meant being proactive about the temperature. I would normally rely on the cooler night air to regulate the temperature without running the air conditioner as much, but that wouldn't make it comfortable until early morning. I found I needed the AC running more in the hour or so before I'd try to sleep, and the smart thermostat and its sensor helped identify that time and do it automatically.

My August and September readings on my Fitbit are a lot better -- many more nights of 8 hours and less melatonin. I felt back to my normal self.

The fourth generation of Google's Nest Learning Thermostat offers new features, including a dynamic screen that changes based on how far away you are.

Here's how smart thermostats can save you money

The same thermostat can tell when I'm not home and help save on energy that way, keeping bills in check while not sacrificing comfort too much. 

Like many smart thermostats, the 4th Gen Nest Learning Thermostat uses geofencing. It uses my iPhone's location to tell when I'm home and when I'm more than a certain distance away. When that happens, it switches the temperatures to settings that are much easier on the energy bills (although still comfortable enough for the cats).

While the 4th Gen Nest Learning Thermostat is what I used to achieve both my ideal sleep temperature and a better night's rest, it isn't the only thermostat you can do this with. Plenty of smart thermostats are compatible with external sensors, and not all of them have price tags north of $250. 

Why a smart thermostat makes a great gift

Smart thermostats are both practical and useful gifts that will be used every single day. The Amazon Smart Thermostat, which is typically priced around $80, can use some Echo Dots and other Alexa-enabled devices as temperature sensors. (Although if you have it by your bed, make sure you're not ordering stuff off Amazon in your sleep.) Devices from Ecobee, Sensi, Honeywell and more also work with external sensors, although you might have to order them separately.

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