Getting a good night’s sleep is an essential aspect of transforming the quality of your day. But how can we ensure a restful slumber? The key is creating a comforting, relaxing, peaceful environment for your body to release tension, unwind, and decompress the stresses of a long day.
The environment of your bedroom impacts your ability to relax and feel at ease, as it functions as a safe space to hang out, have conversations with friends and family, read, go on your phone, and catch up on your favourite television shows.
Considering the personal connections we have to the space of our bedrooms, we must pay attention to the ways we can maximize our rooms to enhance our sleeping experience. Here are our top tips on transforming your bedroom into a tranquil environment to achieve your best sleep!
Tip 1: Reframe your understanding of what your room means to you by reorganizing your space.
Your room should be an environment where you enter to rest. Therefore, if you are integrating a home office space into your bedroom, you are introducing work stress into the environment by not allowing your body to create distinctions between environments of relaxation and stress. An easy fix for creating this distinction is to eliminate all distractions. Whether it is your work desk, your television, or gym equipment, be sure to allocate a separate space to use these items. Doing so will allow the negative connotations your brain may create with the stressful elements in your everyday life to subside.
Tip 2: Remove electronics that may distract and disturb your sleep
As tempting as it may be to have a television in your room and lay down on your bed at the end of the day to watch your favourite shows and movies, these electronics are doing more harm than help when it comes to allowing your brain to rest. Our bodies naturally produce melatonin in response to our dark, subdued sleeping environments. Thus, the blue light emitted from our televisions and phones create a hindrance in the production of melatonin in our bodies, as the lights emitted from the devices make us feel awake and consequently slow the production of melatonin. In addition to the hindrance these devices create in our ability to sleep, they also pose a temptation, as their convenience and the comfort of using them in bed engages us for hours on end, disrupting our sleep schedules.
Tip 3: Eliminating all light and sound to create the perfect environment for sleep
Given the implications of the blue light emissions from devices to ensure a restful sleep, it is essential to create a dark space. However, the darkness needed for a restful sleep is not limited to phones, tablets, television, and gaming consoles. This also includes lamps, alarm clocks, night lights, and even natural sunlight coming through your window. To manage this, fully closed blinds or black-out curtains work wonders! Extra tip: if you must keep your phone near you while you sleep, try setting your phone to its “Do Not Disturb” function and placing the screen facing down when it is time for bed, so you are not woken up by any alerts. Additionally, eliminating sounds will allow you to sleep faster, as your brain is not distracted by sounds. However, sometimes sounds in your environment are not in your control; in these instances, the use of certain sounds may help combat unwanted disruptive sounds. Many people use white noise machines to cancel out unwanted sounds. Allowing your brain to focus on calming sounds instead of people talking, loud music, or noisy neighbours can help you take control of your environment and your sleep!
Tip 4: The use of Aromatherapy and keeping a cool environment
Studies have shown that in preparation for sleep, our body temperature drops. Therefore, keeping your room in a range between 60-67 degrees helps moderate your body temperature as you sleep. There is nothing worse than suddenly waking up because your body is overheated under a thick blanket, your pyjamas, or from a blaring heater. Sleeping in light, airy fabrics that allow your body to stay cool will help you sleep better and through the night without disruptions. Moreover, Aromatherapy may also help you relax and calm your body in preparation for sleep. Extra tip: scents such as vanilla and lavender are popularly used in Aromatherapy, as they evoke peacefulness–try implementing these scents before bed!
Tip 5: Make sure your mattress is comfortable and consider repainting your walls
To avoid feeling tired, uneasy and alleviate aches and pains in your body, ensure that your mattress fits your needs. Having a mattress that supports you based on your body allows you to get comfortable and sleep with ease. If your mattress is too firm or too soft, this can affect your posture and leave you feeling uncomfortable when you wake. Considering the importance sleep plays in our life, investing in a quality mattress is always a great idea!
Additionally, the ambience of your room impacts the quality of your sleep. Through surveys given to over 2,000 homeowners, results conclude that the colours blue, yellow, and green helped maximize hours of sleep, as a room with blue walls was found to average 7 hours 52 minutes, yellow averaged 7 hours 40 minutes, and green averaged 7 hours 36 minutes.
To achieve your best sleep, try implementing our five tips and enjoy your perfect sleep environment!
Reference
( Alasaka sleep clinic, 2019 )
