Sleep hygiene 101 – how to make your bedroom conducive to sleep
There are many different reasons why you may be struggling to get to and stay asleep during the night, but one of them may be your bedroom.
Getting enough sleep is a crucial part of maintaining your physical and mental health. Without enough regular rest, you can start to quickly suffer from other health issues. From weight gain, to headaches, and anxiety, not getting enough rest affects us in more ways than many people realize.
It is important that you make any necessary changes to your sleeping environment so that your bedroom is as conducive to sleep as possible. While many of us make the mistake of using our bedrooms to watch TV, scroll through social media, and even eat our evening meals, these are all activities that are not representative of good sleep hygiene.
To help you get a better night’s rest, here are some suggestions of how to make your bedroom more conducive to sleep.
Remove electrical devices
It is important to remember that your bedroom should be a room used solely for sleeping, and not an extension of your living room.
A shocking 64% of American households have a TV in their master bedroom. And even though we know it is nice to get cozy in bed and watch your favorite TV show, this could prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep.
So if you struggle to switch off, it may be a good idea to ditch all electronic devices from your bedroom. Take out the TV and even leave your phone, tablet, and laptop in another room when you go to bed at night.
Get the right mattress for you
Many of us may not realize it, but we are sleeping on the wrong type of mattress that does not suit our body type or shape. While you may be convinced that a memory foam mattress is the best choice, you should spend some time researching the best types of mattresses.
These reviews cover the pros and cons of memory foam, and may help you come to a decision. It is worth spending some time and money on the right mattress as it will stop you from tossing and turning at night, instead helping you to find a comfortable sleeping position, transforming the quality of your rest.
Minimize bright lights
It can be difficult to get a good night’s sleep if you have artificial bright lights disturbing you in your bedroom, which it’s recommended that you keep your room as dark as possible.
This means that you should remember to turn off your lamp before you fall asleep at night, and maybe even invest in some black out curtains to help keep natural light out.
The need to minimize bright lights in your bedroom also explains why you should remove any electrical devices, such as your phone and laptop, from your bedroom as the light they create can prevent you from getting to sleep or can disturb you during the night.
Clean out the clutter
If your room is a mess, with piles of washing and rubbish all over the floor, then you will likely find that you are not getting the amount or quality of sleep that you require.
Using your bedroom as a gym, office, or closet will increase the number of distractions that are in the room and will make good quality sleep hard to achieve. As a rule, everything in your bedroom should be associated with sleep.
By following these tips and suggestions, we hope you will be able to improve your sleep hygiene, improve the conductivity of your bedroom, and start to enjoy a good night’s rest.
Photo by Christopher Jolly
