Two people, a sealed bedroom, seven hours of sleep: CO₂ reliably climbs from 450 to over 2,000 ppm by morning. The associated drop in sleep quality has been measured in controlled studies — reduced deep sleep, more micro-arousals, groggier mornings.
It costs nothing to fix. A trickle vent or a cracked window drops the steady-state level back under 900 ppm.
How to measure. Put a sensor on your nightstand. Watch the overnight trace for three nights.
How to fix.
- Trickle vents on the window are the most energy-efficient answer.
- A cracked window works, at a heat cost.
- Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) is the long-term answer for new builds.
The test is simple. If you wake fuzzy more often than you wake sharp, your bedroom air is probably the cheapest lever you can pull.