It is estimated that insomnia will affect a third of us at some point, while 10% of the population deals with it as a chronic problem. There are many factors that can contribute to this. It can range from stress to medical problems, or it might be due to poor life habits. Then there are things like the way your bedroom is set up. The good news here is that you have full control over your environment and can make changes starting today. Here are 7 bedroom design rules for better sleep.
Put Sleep First
Bedrooms should be used primarily for sleep. Anything else can contribute to stress, anxiety, and poor sleep quality. For example, the home office in the corner may be a constant reminder of the work you need to do. And, if your partner is working at that desk, the light and noise could interfere with your sleep.
The first rule is to remove all distractions from the bedroom so that its only purpose is sleep. This also means you need to eliminate anything you’ve stored in the corners of the bedroom unless they’re sleep-related. Eliminate the visual clutter, be it piles of books on the nightstand or rows of electronics.
Clean Up
Clutter can contribute to stress simply by being there. Furthermore, it can create problems in its own right. For example, you will have a hard time going back to sleep if you trip on items left on the floor when you go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
A good first step is cleaning up your bedroom. Either put items away in storage or get rid of them. The next step is having a quick cleaning session every night before you get ready for bed. Make your bed each morning, so that you can feel a sense of comfort and relaxation when you climb into it at night.
This doesn’t mean the bedroom should be empty except for a bed, however. Instead, it means you need to have only bedroom related furniture. Have tables beside the bed, but minimize what you keep there. Have table lamps so that each partner can have light without turning on the overhead lights.
You can have wall art in the bedroom, but it should be calming and soothing, not energizing. Think calming blues and muted greens. True green is too strong for your bedroom. If there are any bright colors in the room, they should be small accents, whether it is pink flourishes on a painting or a red throw pillow in the chair. You might want to repaint the bedroom light or medium blue, though purple is actually counterproductive.
Get a Nice Bed
At the end of the day, the most important thing in the bedroom is the bed itself. And the most important part of the bed is the mattress.
Thankfully, buying a new mattress is not as cumbersome as it used to be and there are tons of great high-quality mattresses you can find for a reasonable price online. Beds in a box have made buying a mattress easier than ever and there are tons of companies that will allow you to get a mattress shipped directly in a box, and try it for a set period of time. We suggest you research the best bed in box options so that you can find a bed that allows you to sleep soundly at night. A properly supportive bed may eliminate the aches and pains that keep you up at night.
Hide the Electronics
Too many of us stay up too late checking text messages and responding to instant messages. However, few know that bright light from the screens can trick their brain into thinking that it is day time. Furthermore, the lights and sounds from the devices can interrupt your sleep schedule.
The trick here is to end your screen exposure at least one hour before bedtime. Turn off phones and other devices, so that someone’s attempt to contact you won’t wake you up. Another option is setting up a drop-down lid that can cover gadgets charging in the bedroom so that you don’t see their light. Or, you could hide the phone in a drawer at night.
You should consider getting rid of the TV in the bedroom as well. If you do keep it there, close it up inside of a cabinet so that you’re not tempted to watch something late at night.
Keep the Room Dark
Hiding the electronics removes both a distraction and a light source. However, you may need to remove many more light sources. You could replace the glowing digital alarm clock with an open-faced analog clock. You may need to install heavy blinds or window treatments to prevent light from passing cars or nearby signs from invading your bedroom.
Stop the Noise
At a minimum, try to keep the bedroom quiet. Put phones on mute or turn them off. You could buy plush rugs or fabric wall hangings to help dampen noise.
Soothing sounds can promote sleep, while jarring noise can keep you awake or wake you up. You can play soothing sounds like a babbling brook or wind chimes. Alternatively, you could set up a water feature or wind chimes outside of your bedroom window.
Get the Room the Right Temperature
You can’t sleep well at night if you’re too hot or too cold. A simple way to fix this is to install a smart thermostat that will allow you to regulate the room’s temperature. You could also install a ceiling fan to help keep the room cool at night. Space heaters can also be used to warm rooms up to a certain temperature.
Most of us need at least eight hours of good quality sleep to be at our best every morning. Take steps to make your bedroom more conducive to your goal, and you’ll enjoy waking up each day.