The bedroom is the place we go to rest and recharge, a sanctuary to come back to at the end of the day to unwind, and most importantly catch our beauty sleep. But for many of us, the bedroom just isn’t quite what we’d like it to be, whether it’s because it doesn’t feel peaceful or create the right atmosphere, or whether it just feels too busy of a place to be relaxing. With these 4 tips, you can make your bedroom the relaxing, rejuvenating oasis you'd like it to be.
Replace your pillows and mattress
If tossing and turning on an old, uncomfortable mattress or pillow is keeping you up at night and disturbing the peace in your bedroom, it could be time for a replacement. Many people lose sleep at night because of holding onto to mattresses and pillows that are old, unclean, worn out or unsuitable for their needs. The right mattress and pillow for you depends of a variety of factors including your sleeping position, the firmness you prefer and the kind of material you would like it to be made of.
A mattress should be replaced after 8 to 10 years, while a pillow should be replaced after about 2 years. After these lengths of time, the mattress and pillow start to function less effectively and provide less support, not to mention they have absorbed a large amount of sweat, dust mites and skin cells. Depending on whether you sleep on your side, back or stomach, a different mattress firmness and style of pillow will be more appropriate for you. A good fitting at a quality bedding store can help find the perfect solution for you.
Remove items with blinking lights
Having lights flashing in the bedroom or filtering through windows at night is one of the great enemies of sleep. Our bodies need to be in darkness for the brain to register that it’s night-time and therefore time to switch off and go to sleep. Fans, heaters, air conditioners, chargers, clocks and a variety of other electronic devices can feature lights that contribute to light pollution in the room and make it difficult for our brains to switch off. You may think that these small lights don’t make much difference, and in the light of day it seems like they don’t. But at night-time when you’re aiming for a more complete darkness in your bedroom, they make a very significant difference.
Removing these items from the room and replacing them with items that don’t feature lights helps to create a more relaxing bedroom environment that is conducive to sleep. If you are unable to remove these devices, because they belong to items such as air conditioners that are fixed to the wall for example, try to suppress the light emitted by covering the light with duct tape or a thick piece of cardboard. You’ll be amazed at the difference this small change can make to your sleep quality.
Make sure it's dark enough
As mentioned previously, a dark bedroom is crucial to a good night’s sleep. This is because the brain decides when it’s night and time to start getting ready for sleep by assessing the outside light levels as detected via the eyes. Once outside light levels begin to drop, the brain releases melanin, a hormone that helps us get to sleep and stay asleep. This is why it’s best to avoid looking into lights, such as the TV, computer or phone before getting into bed, because this can interrupt the sleep cycle.
Ensuring a completely dark, quiet bedroom is an excellent way to ensure you fall asleep easily and stay asleep throughout the night. If you have trouble getting the room dark enough due to light coming through the windows, try blackout blinds and curtains to really get rid of excess light.
Remove as much clutter as you can
They say, “Messy bed, messy head”. If your bedroom is full of mess and clutter it will most likely detract from any peace you try to get in your bedroom and just contribute to further stress and dissatisfaction. A cluttered and disorganised bedroom is also dangerous if you need to get up in the night and navigate an obstacle course in the dark, and an untidy room can conceal unhealthy dust, dirt and even vermin.
Good storage and regular cleaning can keep your bedroom safe, clean and tidy. If order for your bedroom to be the relaxing sanctuary you want it to be, it’s best to keep on top of regular tidying and making sure things are always put back in the right place. That way you avoid losing or breaking precious items, or waking your whole household when you step on something painful in the dead of night!
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