6 Ways to Ensure a Good Night’s Sleep
Considering you spend a third of your life in bed, your bedroom should be a serene sanctuary, where you feel comfortable and relaxed, to help promote a restful and rejuvenating sleep — an important component to a healthy lifestyle.
While stress, certain foods, alcohol, and other lifestyle factors are often the cause of many sleep problems, if you find yourself tossing and turning at night or struggling to fall asleep in the first place, you may be surprised to hear that your bedroom could also be to blame.
If you can’t remember the last time you had a good night’s sleep, here are some simple ways you can turn your bedroom into a tranquil haven that will make you want to drift off the moment you hop into bed.
Choose your colors wisely.
You may not realize but the colors in your room can affect your sleep. A brightly colored wall can trigger your senses subconsciously. Choose soothing colors for your bedroom, like soft blues and pinks, yellows, greens, or off-white, will help you drift off faster. This includes your duvet cover — choose simple, calming patterns.
Get yourself a good mattress.
A comfortable bed and the right supporting pillow are the most important items to help you drift off with ease. The Sleep Health Foundation recommends keeping your head in “neutral alignment” the way you would when standing up with good posture. The quality and comfort of your bed is the secret to good slumber, so it pays to invest in a good-quality mattress. Follow our guide to [picking the perfect mattress to suit your sleep style.
Eliminate clutter.
Aim to keep your bedroom clean and tidy at all times. Remove any clothes from the floor before bedtime, keep your wardrobe tidy and the doors closed at night, and try to keep your furniture and possessions in this room to a minimum.
Make it a TV and technology-free zone.
Many sleep specialists suggest that this widespread exposure to blue light, long after sunset, is a major contributor to the modern epidemic of insomnia.
TV’s do not belong in the bedroom, plain and simple. Watching TV before bed will overstimulate your brain and make it harder for you to switch off and unwind. The same goes for laptops or adding an office desk in your room. The sole purpose in your bedroom should be to sleep, so keep all these distractions and temptations far away.
Try sleep-inducing scents.
Soft soothing scents like lavender and jasmine will get you in the mood for sleep. Place a room diffuser on your dresser and if you’re really struggling to snooze add a few drops of lavender essential oil to a tissue and place it under your pillow.
Get the lighting right.
Did you know light can inhibit the secretion of melatonin, which is a hormone that acts like your body’s natural sleep drug? Install heavy curtains or blinds that completely block out all light to help you drift off. If it’s impossible to block out outside light from infiltrating your bedroom, try sleeping with an eye mask. Lights from a digital clock can also disrupt sleep so turn these away from your face. A dark room will also be cooler, which is more ideal for sleep than a hot, stuffy environment.
