While a number of factors can affect quality of sleep, from excess caffeine to excessive stress, many people don’t realize that their own bedrooms may be the culprit of their insomnia. Certain environments can disrupt sleep, and sleep deprivation can lead to poor concentration, health, and energy.
The following tips will help you design, furnish, and arrange your bedroom to ensure the best sleep possible.
Pick the right colors.
A splash of color not only looks pleasing but can also impact your mood and health. Research suggests that cool, natural tones like pale blue, soft green, and warm yellow promote better and longer sleep while grey, brown, and purple stimulate the senses and make it harder to drift off.
When selecting a color palette for your bedroom’s walls, ceiling, flooring, bedroom furniture, and décor, look for shades that will rest the eyes and relax the mind. Consider painting the room a pastel blue or green. Shop for accessories like pillows, blankets, and curtains in chocolate brown, white, or gold accent colors.
Keep the room chilly.
Cool colors aren’t the only way to aid sleep. Studies have shown that a cool, comfortable temperature promotes a good night’s rest. If you often wake up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, try lowering the temperature in your room.
An air conditioning unit is an effective way to cool your living space, but if purchasing an entire unit is too expensive, consider buying a table fan or stand fan for your bedroom.
Tune out the noise.
If you find yourself tossing and turning at night, your bedroom may simply be too noisy. You can’t always control the sound outside your door, but you can modify your bedroom to tune it out.
Carpets and rugs are great at absorbing sound, and thick window curtains can also block out noise coming from outside. Look for thick materials like wool and velvet. Antiques like heavy solid wood doors can muffle the noise. If all else fails, buy a pair of noise-cancelling headphones or a portable music player to put on soft music or nature sounds.
Block out the light.
Too much light has the same effect as too much noise in keeping you awake. Make your bedroom darker by blocking out natural light sources.
If your room has a window, buy some window blinds and thick curtains in a dark, opaque color. Even the best curtains might not keep out all of the light, so purchase a screen or a canopy bed for maximum darkness. For an even simpler solution, get an eye mask to wear while you sleep.
Hide your electronics.
After you’ve blocked out the lights from outside your room, take care of the ones inside. The glare from a cell phone, television, or computer screen can easily disrupt sleep, so remove electronics from your bedroom or keep them concealed.
If you must keep your laptop or cellphone in your room at night, find a method of storing them that will completely hide those blinking lights and glowing screens. Next time you browse furniture for sale, look for pieces with closed off compartments, like a desk with a roller top or a dressing table with a small drawer.
Another option is a charging station with a lid that will hold all your small electronics and charge them overnight. You can make your own by buying a basket or a wooden box and drilling holes in the back to slip in wires.
Invest in a good bed.
Trying to sleep on an uncomfortable bed can wake you up in the middle of the night and disrupt deep sleep. Splurge a little on a high quality frame, mattress, linens, and pillows in order to ensure a proper night’s rest.
Old mattresses can collect dirt and sweat, so replace yours every five to seven years. Choose the most comfortable bedding that suits your needs, whether silk, satin, cotton, or another fabric. If allergies keep you up at night, shop for hypoallergenic linens. The way you sleep should determine what kind of pillow to buy. Side sleepers should choose a firm pillow. Back sleepers should use a medium pillow, and stomach sleepers do best with a soft pillow. For a partner who snores, you can even find elevated pillows designed to reduce snoring.
Rearrange the furniture.
The placement of furniture in your bedroom can be just as important as the type of furniture you own. Arrange your room in such a way as to maximize restfulness.
When your space looks crowded, your mind can become crowded as well. Choose bedroom furniture that is the appropriate size for your room. A large bed can make the room feel claustrophobic while a small bed can make the room feel enormous and overbearing. Your bedroom furniture should create an atmosphere that is roomy yet cozy.
Positioning the bed just right will create a balanced vibe in the space. Make sleep your focus by making the bed the focus of the room. Place it in the center of the first wall you see when you enter the room. Make sure that it is accessible from both sides, and place end tables or night stands to either side of it for peaceful symmetry.
Move unnecessary furniture out of your bedroom.
Many people use their bedrooms for multiple purposes, but this practice can actually interfere with what the place was designed for: sleep. If you work or exercise in your room, your brain will associate it with energy and not with rest.
If you can, use your bedroom only for resting and spending time with your partner. Designate other spaces in your home as your office, exercise room, media room, or play area. Whether you tend to read, study, work, do laundry, talk on the phone, or watch TV in bed, buy furniture designed for those purposes, such as a desk for studying and a comfortable chair for reading.
Clear the clutter.
A cluttered room can over stimulate your senses, give you stress, and cause your brain to dwell on unfinished work. If trash, piles of bills, or crowded surfaces are overtaking your room, cut back on the clutter and sleep more peacefully.
Storage and organization supplies are a great way to clean out your room. Drawers, filing cabinets, and folders can consolidate loose papers. Put under-utilised spaces to work by getting closet organizers or under-the-bed crates.
Sometimes, you may simply have too much stuff that you don’t need. If you find items that you haven’t used in a year, consider putting them up for sale. By selling your extra stuff, you’ll clean up your room, rest your eyes and your mind, get a better night’s sleep, and earn some easy money.
The benefits of a good night’s sleep are numerous. Make sure you are achieving the best rest you can by picking out the right colors, keeping the room dark and chilly, reducing noise, selecting the best furniture and bedding, clearing the clutter, and fitting out your room for sleep.