Turn Your Bedroom into a Sleep Haven

Your bedroom can make all the difference where your sleep quality is concerned. Much as offices and workspaces are furnished to create productive environments, bedrooms should be conducive to rest.

It's the cardinal rule of sleep hygiene: Your bedroom should be a calming, comfortable haven—designated for sleep. The more clutter and distractions you're up against at night, the harder it will be to transition into sleep.

Be thoughtful about your bedding:

A good mattress, foundation, and riser are essentials for good sleeping, but don't forget about the importance of bedding. Sheets come in many varieties. T-shirt sheets, as they're called, can be great for the summer and flannel sheets are delightful in the winter. Do you prefer a thin blanket or an overstuffed comforter? Be sure to take the weight of your bedding into consideration, in addition to the fabric and density.

Make your room dark:

Dim the lights while you get ready for bed, or turn off bright overhead lamps and switch to a soft, bedside lamp. Your body is programmed to sleep when it's dark, so you can encourage that rhythm by easing into nighttime.

Light inhibits the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that naturally promotes sleep. "Even if you doze off, light can be detected through your eyelids—and your brain won't produce melatonin if it's confused between night and day,". "You want as much darkness in your bedroom as you can handle without tripping over things."

Keep your room dark:

Hide digital clocks and glowing electronics from view. Put a night-light in your hallway or bathroom in case nature calls at 2 a.m.; that's better than turning on a ceiling light, which would disrupt melatonin levels. And if street lamps or moonlight shines in from outside, consider installing heavy window shades or wearing a dark sleep mask.

Keep your room cool:

Your body temperature naturally drops as you drift into sleep, so cooling down your bedroom can jump start the process and make it easier to doze off. Most experts advise setting your thermostat 5° to 10° lower than your average daytime temperature.

It's different for every person, but your bedroom should probably be under 70.Those who like to bundle up in blankets—may want to aim even lower.

Keep your room quiet:

If your bedroom is victim to unwelcome sounds of ambulances, catfights, or whipping winds, a thick rug and heavy blinds might help buffer the noise. If not, try a white noise machine or soothing CDs that can drown out disruptions, or even earplugs to muffle the sound completely. If you do fall asleep to music, use a player with a "sleep" function that can shut down automatically after 30 or 60 minutes. As your body transitions through different stages of sleep, unexpected noise may wake you during shallower cycles.

Keep your room calm:

After you've achieved these conditions, get rid of anything stimulating that distracts from the room's main purposes. That means no treadmill, no television or computer, and no reminders of anything stressful. Adding personal mementos, calming color schemes, and soothing sights and sounds will also make your bedroom a more inviting place to rest and relax.

Clutter:

Dirty washing, piles of clothes, unwashed dishes and numerous other perpetrators of crime against peaceful sleep and relaxation might be making your bedroom stale and messy.

Unfortunately, a cluttered bedroom can lead to an uncomfortable mind that finds it difficult to gain shuteye. Clean up the clutter, however, and your mind will instantly feel happier when you lie down to sleep.

Paint your room a calming Color:

Color psychologists suggest that certain colors have a calming effect on the mind, while others stimulate the brain and cause excitement, anger or anxiety. Green is a great color for the bedroom, as it’s associated with nature and tranquility. Blue can be a good color to use, as it’s said to help guard against nightmares. Lilac is also a suitable color, as it has links with spirituality and can help reduce stress.

Try aromatherapy:

Scent can profoundly impact mood. As you prepare for bed, light a scented candle or use a simmer pot. You can also try placing some potpourri or a reed diffuser on your nightstand. A brass light bulb ring filled with scented oil is also delightful and effective. Lavender and vanilla are particularly soothing fragrances. Please note: please make sure to unplug the simmer pot and extinguish the candle prior to lying down.

Incense cones, potpourri and aromatherapy air fresheners can be used to make your room smell lovely. Studies show that it’s worth the effort to use scents because they can influence your dreams while you’re asleep, as well as your mood while you’re awake.

Spiritual:

What stirs and uplifts one person is often different from what moves another person. Consider bringing something that lightens your heart into your bedroom. It might be a flowering plant, crystals, a fish tank full of exotic fish, or a beautiful glass lamp. There again, maybe you would feel happy with an icon of your choosing that’s pertinent to your faith, or an affirmation painted on one wall.