There’s not much about college living situations that I think many adults would seek to replicate in their adult lives. These days, there’s not much that is enchanting about sharing a bathroom with a ton of strangers and sleeping in an itty-bitty dorm room with a roommate that you didn’t choose. However, a specific college living situation has been taking the internet by storm: cold air dorms.
Cold air dorms — and cold air bedrooms — have been popular in sorority and fraternity houses for a while, providing a way for members to sleep comfortably. For some universities, sororities and fraternities can be comprised of hundreds of members, which can make it hard to accommodate every single member living in the houses. Plus, the homes that have been converted into sorority houses weren’t necessarily designed to accommodate the amount of people who typically live in sorority houses these days, so it makes sense that alternate sleeping arrangements are needed for modern sorority houses. (1)
Read on to find out how these cold air dorms actually work, and how they ensure that students are able to sleep comfortably even while sharing a room with a majority of their sorority sisters or fraternity brothers. Plus, we’ve got some tips and tricks for building your own cold-air dorm in your home.
How Do Cold Air Dorms Make Sure Students Get Good Sleep?
According to House Beautiful, cold air dorms are a room in a sorority or fraternity house that is filled with bunk beds, and is specifically and exclusively designed for members to sleep in. Additionally, these rooms are incredibly utilitarian when it comes to optimizing sleep: think no overhead lights, blackout curtains 24/7, and super cold A/C. (1)
Essentially, these spaces are 100 percent optimized for members to be able to get quality sleep any time of day, anytime of year.
TikToker Jade (@itsmejadeb), who is a former Kappa Kappa Gamma member at Purdue University, shared a video detailing her experience with cold-air dorms while she was in college. Jade shared that students were each assigned the bed and “you make it the coziest little spot, you make it so dark and cozy that you want to skip all of your 7:30’s [morning classes].” Jade went on to share that her bed in her cold-air dorm would cause her to skip her early morning classes. (2)
What Are The Benefits Of Sleeping In Cold, Dark Rooms?
Sleeping in a cold room can help you sleep better at night, since a drop in your temperature signals to your body that it’s time to go to sleep. Essentially, keeping your sleeping space cold works with your body’s natural rhythms to help you fall asleep faster.
Keeping your sleeping space dark has similar benefits to keeping your sleeping space cold. A room being dark is a cue to your brain that it’s time to wind down and hit the hay.
How Can I Make My Own Bedroom More Like A Cold Air Dorm?
To start creating your own cold air dorm, you’ll want to crank your A/C way down, to a temperature that is comfortable to you, but no warmer than 68 degrees and no colder than 60 degrees. Then, you’ll want to invest in a solid pair of blackout curtains to ensure that your room stays dark regardless of what’s going on outside. If you want to go an extra mile to make sure you stay in total darkness all night long, then you can buy a high quality sleep mask to block out any extra light that makes it in your room.
Additionally, you’ll want to make your bed extra cozy and comfy. You can do this by piling on your favorite blankets, pillows, and wearing your favorite pajamas.
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Sources
- Mcgregor, Kate. Why do sorority houses have “cold rooms”? Inside the bizarre TikTok phenomenon. House Beautiful. October 9, 2024. https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a62555253/sleeping-porch-sorority-cold-room/
- https://www.tiktok.com/@itsmejadeb/video/7268419127772040494
