If you think about it, you spend about a third of your day in the bedroom. Granted, you are probably, or at least hopefully, resting and sleeping in there, but that doesn’t mean it should be a neglected room.
Your bedroom is often shut off from the rest of the house where the eyes of guests don’t reach, so having clutter around might not be on top of your list of concerns. Maybe you even have your desk in your room with bright lights and work stuff everywhere.
If you have trouble sleeping or don’t seem to get quite as much as you’d like, the scenarios mentioned above as well as a few others might be the culprit. Good sleep quality is essential for healthy minds and bodies, so creating a space in which you can nurture the best sleep possible is really important.
Luckily, there are some really simple things you can do in your sleeping space and to some of the routines and habits surrounding it that will work wonders on the quality and amount of rest you get.
Tidy Your Bedroom
Though this line might bring back memories of nagging parents, they may have been onto something. Mess and clutter can be quite stressful and unsettling for some.
The mess that has accumulated in your room might be something you know you need to get but haven’t had the time. Well, it’s worth getting to it.
Curb Bettime Technology Use
Source: Doctor Mike/YouTube
Sleeping with your phone on your pillow or bedside table is pretty common. People use their phones as alarm clocks, have their latest novel uploaded onto them, and have them on hand just in case a friend in need messages in the night.
While all that might be true for you, it is worth understanding how having handheld devices and even a TV in your bedroom can be detrimental to your sleep. Such devices release a blue light that can disrupt the body’s ability to wind down and produce melatonin.
If you can, try to unplug at least an hour before you want to go to sleep (two or three hours if you can). If you absolutely can’t switch off, go into your device’s settings and look for a blue light filter setting and night mode. You can google your device’s model for instructions on how to do this.
Use Soft Lighting
If you use your bedroom during the day or evenings for other activities such as work or exercise, it is understandable that you need good lighting. However, bright lights actually impact your brain’s release of melatonin. Melatonin, the sleep hormone, is suppressed when exposed to bright light.
Instead, while you are getting ready for bed, use a soft bedside light or dim the main lights in your room. This will signal to your brain that it’s bedtime.
Don’t Get Too Hot
Though the thought of snuggling up in bed in cozy pyjamas and fluffy socks sounds heavenly, for most of us, this can have a detrimental effect on our sleep quality.
Most people’s ideal sleeping temperature is between 65-69°F. A room that is too hot can cause night sweating and disturbed sleep. Try to keep your bedroom within this range of temperatures and see if your sleep improves.
Reduce Noise Pollution
If you are a light sleeper, everything from your partner snoring to a car door slamming somewhere outside can wake you. Though you can opt for using earplugs to cancel out sounds, this isn’t to everyone’s liking.
Instead, you could opt to drown out noise pollution with a white noise machine. This is a machine that emits a noise that echoes sounds of nature, like a waterfall, rain, or wind blowing through trees. Alternatively, you could find a track online that gives the same effect.
There is also brown noise which has a much deeper frequency than white noise and is likened to the sound of a storm rolling in. It is said that brown noise is what babies hear in the womb so has a calming effect.
Meditate Before Bed
Source: Great Meditation/YouTube
Another great way to wind down before bed is to commit to some intentional relaxation. Not only can meditation help to relax the body, but it can also help you to declutter and calm the mind, too. If you have things that you are stressed or worried about, they can very much negatively impact your sleep.
There are a number of guided meditation tracks on YouTube that you can play before bed, or you could download a meditation app that is dedicated to sleep meditation.
Try Sleepytime Tea and Essential Oils
Source: Dr.Josh Axe/YouTube
Some people find that drinking herbal teas before bed can have a soothing and calming effect. Teas that include chamomile, passion flower, or valerian, for example, are said to have calming and sedative effects.
Aromatherapy, also, has long been used to help promote restful sleep. Try inhaling some drops of lavender oil or chamomile oil onto a handkerchief, or use them in an oil diffuser.
You could try making a herbal sleep pillow that you can fill with sleepy-time herbs or drop essential oils onto and have with you in your bed.
This article is for informational purposes only. Consult a medical professional for advice if you are experiencing sleep-related issues. Consult a medical professional before using herbs medicinally. Never use essential oils on the skin undiluted and refer to expert texts for dosage recommendations.
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