Why Are Hospitals Cold on Purpose?

Brr, you’re undressed in a cold hospital and put on an oversized hospital gown. You ask the nurse if the temperature can be turned up. Sadly, the answer is no, but they’ll give you some hospital socks and a warm blanket to make you feel better. If the room is too cold, chances are the entire hospital floor is also feeling the same. This is a common thing we see across most hospitals and emergency rooms. Even if the weather is hot outside, the hospitals are chilly. Lots of people complain and request hospital workers change the temperature, but it won't happen. Why are are hospitals cold? Well, there’s a few reasons for it actually… 

1. Bacteria's Worst Enemy

Hospitals are cold to prevent growth of bacteria from infecting patients. Similar to leftovers in a fridge, cool temperature slows bacterial growth. Ideally viruses won’t survive long in the cold compared to warm and moist environments. 

2. Cool Workers, Effective Work:

Hospitals are cold to keep staff from overheating and keeps them awake. Hospital workers are running around, lifting patients, moving beds, and more. If you didn’t know, nurses have a lot on their plates! It’s exhausting, but cool temps help prevent heat exhaustion and extreme sweating in scrubs and scrub caps. 

3. Bye-Bye Humidity

Hospitals are cold to avoid humidity. In a warm environment, condensation will start to appear on hospital equipment and walls. Overall, cooler temperature helps both the hospital and equipment operate better. This is especially important in lab environments.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following temperature ranges for healthcare facilities based on zone:

• Cool temperature standards (68 °F to 73 °F (20 °C to 23 °C)) are typically associated with operating rooms, endoscopy suites, and clean workrooms.
• Warmer temperatures (75° F (24° C)) are recommended in areas that require greater degrees of patient comfort. For example, warmer temperatures are usually preferred in hospital patient rooms and delivery rooms.
• A standard temperature range of 70 °F to 75 °F (21 °C to 24 °C) can be used in most other healthcare zones.

4. Better Cold Than Hot

Would you rather have a cold or warm hospital? It’s easier to warm patients up than cool them down. In the cold, patients can put on more layers, request blankets, and request socks. If you're a fall risk, you'll likely be given yellow hospital socks to be easily identified. There’s usually more of a solution to the cold vs the heat. Yes, you can request more than one warm blanket, but staff will appreciate it if you ask for more all at once instead of every 30 minutes!

While hospitals may be intentionally cold, your feet don't have to suffer. Imagine having a pair of socks that not only keep you warm but also bring a smile to your face. Introducing Dr. Socko's grip socks – a perfect blend of comfort, safety, and humor, plus your new best friends for staying cozy in the cold.

Check out the different hospital sock colors we offer in our collection. Slip into comfort and humor – because even in the cold hospital, your feet deserve a warm embrace!

Warm blankets are an absolute game changer. Who knew something so simple could make you feel so good. The real question is where is the best place to buy one of those warming machines for the house?! They're really expensive actually. However these wonderful blankets are just to improve patient satisfaction in the hospital when it's cold. There are other reasons that have to deal with overall patient health, safety and state of mind. 

In general, people's bodies experience big temperature differences based on what they're doing in the hospital. Getting an IV or a blood transfusion for example makes your body cold and you'll want a warm blanket.

Being warm before entering surgery might also be important because anesthesia can also affect your body temperature levels and worst case scenario, cause hypothermia or post surgery complications if precautions aren't taken.

Being in the hospital is also stressful and emotionally taxing. A warm blanket is also meant to comfort and calm people during scary and unpredictable times. We've also seen a lot of patients react very fondly to nurses who provide the warm blankets and are grateful for their thoughtfulness and concern. Other simple things like providing extra pillows, socks or pulling their curtain for privacy helps increase patient satisfaction. 

Next time you’re in the hospital, remember, there’s a reason the temperature is the way it is! It isn’t broken :) And most likely the staff will not be able to change it, but you can request some socks and warm blankets!