4 Bedroom Factors That May Be Negatively Impacting Your Sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep is imperative to our overall wellbeing, with the benefits of quality shut-eye extending to all aspects of our lives. From better cognitive function and moods to improved physical energy, our sleeping habits affect our day-to-day performance at school or work, as well as our relationships.

There are many personal reasons as to why you could be struggling to get achieve peaceful slumber (think diet, exercise routine, hormone and stress levels) but your bedroom may also be to blame, with its layout, design and furnishings playing a huge role in the quality of your shut-eye.

You’re Using The Wrong Mattress

Most of us don’t think too much about our mattress, despite the fact we use it every night. However a bad mattress, without us realising, can contribute to a bad night’s sleep, next-day moodiness and an aching body.

It’s important to have a comfortable mattress that offers your body support and keeps the spine aligned throughout the night. In general, there are 8 common types of mattresses in America:

• Memory Foam Mattress: Memory foam mattresses are perfect for combination sleepers because they mold to your body and accommodate to the exact way you sleep. They are a great choice for couples with different sleeping preferences and styles. Whether you sleep on your side, back, or stomach, memory foam mattresses respond and isolate your individual motions without disrupting your partner. They are incredibly soft and supportive with the added benefit of alleviating your pressure point pain. Memory foam mattresses also support each part of your body evenly. They contour their shape to your curves to best support your lower back while keeping your spine aligned to better help you sleep peacefully throughout the night.  .
• Innerspring Mattresses: Innerspring mattresses are perfect for people looking for more support in their mattress. If you sleep on your back or stomach or experience frequent back pain, an innerspring mattress is a good option for you. Because of their affordability and adaptability, inner spring mattresses are still a popular option despite the advancements of other mattress types in the market. Modern innerspring mattresses offer many enhancements from their original models including an advanced innerspring system with a huge network of coils for strong support with a variety of mattress topper options offering more comfort including latex and memory foam. 
• Hybrid Mattresses: Hybrid mattresses are perfect for combination sleepers and couples with different sleeping styles. They are comprised of two or more support systems to provide you with the best of multiple mattress types in one. They can feature soft memory foam, gel memory foam, and an innerspring system. Hybrid mattresses offer the advanced contouring technology and motion isolation benefits of a memory foam mattress while still giving you the traditional, strong support for an innerspring mattress.
• Pillowtop Mattresses: Pillowtop mattresses offer enhanced comfort for all sleeping styles. A pillowtop mattress is constructed with an innerspring or memory foam base with an extra layer of quilted padding for added softness and comfort. Pillowtop mattresses are great for side sleepers and individuals who enjoy plush mattresses. While offering an incredibly soft surface to sleep on, Pillowtop mattresses are also very supportive and help to alleviate pressure point pain for nights of restorative sleep. You can enjoy conforming back support while sinking into the soft, comfortable layers.
• Mattress in a Box: Mattress in a Box is great for online shoppers with active lifestyles. This mattress style combines innovative technology with enhanced comfort. Mattress in a Box is a compressed mattress that’s vacuum-sealed to be a fraction of the size of a usual mattress. They are sealed into a box and sent directly to you as an easy alternative to traditional mattress shopping. They are available in different comfort styles and materials. Check out our selection based on popular sizes and thickness including 14-inch, 11-inch, and 6.5-inch. 

You’re Using The Wrong Pillow

Providing support for the head, neck and shoulders, a good pillow is essential to achieving a good night’s sleep. While most consumers know the importance, research has revealed that most are confused about the type they should be investing in.

The first step in choosing your pillow is to determine what style of sleeper you are: do you sleep on your side, back or in all positions? Then decide whether you prefer a high- or low-level design, and with what feel (firm, soft or medium).

Your Room is Too Warm or Too Cold

If you find yourself constantly tossing and turning, your restlessness could be the result of the bedroom temperature being too hot or too cold. It could also be the source of heightened stress levels: those that sleep in hot environments have been found to have greater levels of the stress hormone cortisol the following morning.

Your body temperature usually drops to prepare for sleep but when external temperatures aren’t optimal, your body has to work hard to self-regulate – the opposite of what it should be doing when you’re asleep, which is resting.

For the best night’s sleep, the suggested bedroom temperature should be between 60 and 67 degrees. While air-conditioning and fans to cool the air and heaters to warm it are obvious, the key is to keep the temperature steady.

If your bedroom warms up during the day, consider investing in ceiling insulation or external window shades (to block out the sun).

Technology Habits

Our growing dependence on smartphones has made it more difficult to switch off, with the statistics revealing 70 percent of smartphone users sleep with their device in their bed or next to them on their nightstand.

Spending time on your smartphone or laptop immediately before going to bed (or worse, when your in bed) overstimulates the brain and makes it more difficult to unwind and fall asleep. The blue light omitted from screens tricks the brain into thinking it’s real daylight.

Try to take an hour’s break from all devices before getting into bed. If you wake up in the night and find yourself tempted to scroll through your social media, try placing your phone on the other side of the room rather than directly next to you. If you find yourself having to do work on a computer or smartphone before bed, try switching the device’s settings to ‘night mode’.

This article orginally appeared on our sister site, Homes to Love