Your bedroom should be a place of comfort and rest, tailored specifically for sleep. If it doesn't feel like a safe haven, you may be more likely to experience insomnia and other related sleep conditions.
In this guide, we will discuss various additions and changes you can make to optimize your bedroom for better sleep. Keep reading to learn more!
Your mattress is undoubtedly one of the most important factors in inducing sleep. It should be both comfortable and durable. Ideally, your mattress should be firm but not so firm that it causes discomfort at pressure points on your back.
The key is to find the right balance. Most mattresses come with a 100-day trial period, so take your time to determine what works best for you.
At night, your body's temperature drops by 1 or 2 degrees Celsius. Therefore, you need bedding that can regulate skin temperature and is soft to the touch, providing a sense of relaxation.
In hot or humid climates, where you might sweat a lot at night, it's important for your bedding to absorb moisture and prevent it from building up around your body, which can lead to heat retention and disrupt your sleep.
Fabrics like silk, made from protein fibers, are fantastic bedding options as they regulate skin temperature, keeping you warm when it's cold and cool when it's hot.
Pillows are a staple in the bedroom, and their importance cannot be overemphasized. Like all things, your pillows should be right for you to get the best out of them. Choose pillows that allow you to maintain a neutral spine at your neck.
For side sleepers, you just have to make sure your head isn't too low or too high relative to your spine. You could have a friend review this for you as you lie on your pillow to make the right choice.
For back sleepers, your pillow shouldn't place your head too high and it shouldn't put any pressure on the sides of the neck for optimal circulation.
For stomach sleepers, it isn't advisable to sleep with pillows as it could create neck problems, but if you must, make sure the pillows are quite thin with less space between your head and neck.
For more information on how your sleeping position affects your sleep quality, here's an article on the subject.
It's no secret that the air you breathe is incredibly important. Ensuring clean air is crucial for your overall health. However, there are particulate matters in the air, especially where we live, that can compromise its safety.
That's why it's essential to detoxify and purify the air in your bedroom. The Core 300 by Levoit is a good option for those on a budget.
If there's a higher than optimal CO2 level in your bedroom, it may be due to inadequate air circulation, a small enclosure, or the presence of too many people or pets. You may wake up feeling dizzy, groggy, or with a headache. Increased CO2 levels can hinder the sleeping process.
To further enhance air quality, consider adding a plant or two to your bedroom space. Plants can help lower CO2 levels and reduce other environmental pollutants. If simply opening your windows doesn't suffice, using a bedside fan and leaving your doors open can also be helpful.
Exposure to light before and during sleep can disrupt the sleep process and set you back. So it's important to get this right.
First off, ensure your bedroom is pitch dark, as dark as night itself. This goes beyond just wearing an eye mask because your skin has photoreceptors that can detect light.
Use a combination of blackout shades and black curtains to achieve this desired effect.
Creating a dark environment is crucial for establishing a circadian rhythm that responds to light as a wake-up call and darkness as a wind-down signal.
You could use red or orange light prior to bed and keep a low blue flashlight handy by your bedside in case you need to go anywhere at night.
Loud sounds at night can snap you back from sleep and slow your body down as it prepares for rest.
Noises from loud music, roommates, traffic, airplanes, and so on can disrupt your sleep and negatively affect your health in the long run.
Here's what you can do to prevent noise disturbances from affecting your sleep: wear earplugs and earmuffs at night, and try to distance yourself from the source of the noise.
Optimizing your bedroom space should be a gradual process. Take your time in figuring out what works for you because that's when you'll be able to get the benefits.
Be willing to invest in improving your sleep quality as that would be doing your body so much good.
