Everyone craves a restful sleep, especially after a busy day at work. But sometimes, it’s hard to achieve quality sleep, and various factors are involved.
It’s not always about sleep issues, such as insomnia or apnea, but your bedtime habits and bedroom décor as well. Your sleeping space can impact your rest more than you can imagine, that’s why it’s essential to make sure your bedroom promotes sleep. And you don’t have to worry about remodelling or redesigning. You can make a dramatic difference just by turning your attention to details, such as lightning, colours, or the quality of your bedding.
With this in mind, here are some valuable tips that we hope will help you turn your bedroom into a sleep oasis in no time:
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Declutter
A messy room can negatively impact the quality of your sleep, even if you don’t realize that. Just think about seeing all kinds of things (paperwork, bills, laundry) scattered over your bedroom. They distract you from falling asleep and keep you from feeling relaxed. You have to continuously worry about decluttering them the next day, and guess what? It will not happen. So, it would be best to pull yourself together and sort out your stuff earlier in the day to avoid the laziness that comes with the evening.
Consider creating more storage space by investing in a nightstand with drawers (if you already have one, great) or a basket to gather your things in a reachable place. When it comes to larger items such as clothing or shoes, a dresser would be ideal, given that you need more drawers.
And don’t forget to always make your bed, no matter how busy your day will be. This way, you’ll feel much more relieved when getting home from work.
Use the right bedding
You probably know that a high-quality mattress is crucial when it comes to restful sleep, but so is bedding. Remember that the fabric of your sheets or tog duvets can also disturb your sleep. Thus, it would be ideal to opt for natural materials, such as cotton and linen, that are breathable and wick moisture. Given that the optimal sleeping temperature in the bedroom should not exceed 67 degrees Fahrenheit make sure you choose bedding that stays cool against your skin.
You should avoid synthetic materials such as polyester because they make you sweat and irritate your skin, that’s why it’s highly recommended to opt for skin-friendly fabrics. And just as bedding matters, so does sleepwear. Ensure you choose breathable fabrics such as bamboo, linen, cotton, and even wool, depending on the season. For instance, bamboo pajamas and loungewear are more suitable for the cold season, while it’s probably better to choose a thinner fabric like silk for the warm season.
Choose colours conducive to sleep
Now that you’ve learned what fabrics to choose for your bedroom, find out that colours have their role, too. It’s a well-known fact that dark colours, such as red, purple, or deep russet, can make us more nervous, but imagine what they would feel like in the bedroom. They can affect your stress level, and the chances of keeping you up at night are higher.
Opt for cool colours and pastels instead because they have calming properties. Some examples include blue, grey, green, lavender, and silver. They’re an excellent choice, especially when having trouble falling asleep.
Banish electronics
No matter how tempted you are to watch your favourite show before going to sleep, try as much as possible to avoid television before bed. The same is with other electronics, such as phones, tablets, and laptops. They not only distract you, but the blue light emitted by this kind of electronics can seriously impact your rest by affecting the production of melatonin – a hormone responsible for sleep-wake cycles.
Consider turning off your phone or laptop 30 to 60 minutes before sleep or, even better, moving them in the living room. As for TV, you don’t have to move it to the living room since anyone can watch television during the day. In this case, you can hide it in a cabinet or armoire so that you don’t see it when preparing yourself for sleep.
Pay attention to lightning
Turning off the lights is not always the best solution for a good nighttime sleep. To avoid turning on bright lights before bed, some people prefer to always have a light source nearby, such as a table lamp. Nevertheless, you should consider installing warm light sources in your bedroom because your eyes are less sensitive to it, so you shouldn’t have trouble falling asleep if you keep your light on during the night.
Consider incorporating lighting in layers to avoid getting out of bed whenever you want to turn on or off the light. You can use, for example, three-way switches to control the light from different locations in the room.
Think about arrangement and size
Just as decluttering is essential, so is symmetry. You can make your bedroom seem more inviting just by changing the place of some elements. Keep in mind that the bed should always be the focal point, so it would be helpful to choose one that is not too small, not too large, but perfect for the size of the bedroom. Remember that you should make room for furniture, too. Cohesion should be a primary focus when designing a bedroom, so make the most of your space by keeping things symmetrical.
Make your bedroom a serene space
You know the saying – disconnect to reconnect, and there are many ways to do that. You can transform your bedroom into a sleep sanctuary by simply bringing in calming scents like lavender, chamomile, sandalwood, or cedar, as these plants are well-known for their calming and anxiety-relieving effects. Making your bedroom a serene space is also up to you since you can personalise it with things that matter for you or reflect your preferences. For example, you can place a few photos of peaceful scenes or your loved ones, plants and flowers to breathe new life into your bedroom, or some ceramic or earthen décor objects to give the impression of a natural oasis.
That being said, we hope our recommendations will help you design your bedroom to become a more inviting and sleep-friendly space.
