Why Does Your Body Temperature Drop at Night?

Imagine your body is a little oven. During the day, it works hard and stays warm like a bakery. At night, you want to turn down the heat so you can rest.

Your brain sends a signal to make blood vessels in your hands and feet open up wider. This lets extra heat escape out of your skin into the air, kind of like opening a window on a hot day. As the heat leaves, your core body temperature drops just a little bit.

When your body gets cooler, it feels sleepy. If you try to sleep when you are too warm, like under heavy blankets or in a hot room, you might toss and turn. The drop in temperature is nature’s way of saying "time to rest."