Why Firefighters Urge You to Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Closed

Do you sleep with your bedroom door open or closed? Does it depend on what's happening in other parts of your home?

Well, firefighters want to make this easy for you. It's much safer to sleep with your bedroom door closed.

According to the Tuck website, around 70 percent of us sleep with our bedroom door open. However, you should sleep with your bedroom doors closed, and the reason is a life-or-death situation.

Closed doors increase your chance of surviving a fire if one happens to break out in your home. It may feel counterintuitive for escape reasons; however, according to the Underwriter Laboratories Firefighter Safety Research, a closed bedroom door while you're sleeping is crucial while you wait to be rescued if there's no other way out.

Your door creates a barrier against deadly levels of carbon monoxide, smoke, and flames, potentially saving your life, especially if you are trapped. This information comes from a 10-year study in which researchers analyzed the effects of open versus closed windows and doors.

It's all about how quickly a fire spreads through your home when doors and windows are open or closed. And since fire needs oxygen, a closed bedroom door cuts off the supply and keeps the fire and smoke contained.

This also gives firefighters more time to rescue you safely.

There are even campaigns urging you to please follow this safety tip. There's a nonprofit website called Close Your Door that features videos on how quickly fire spreads as part of its "Close Before You Doze" campaign, if you're interested.