How To Optimize Your Bedroom For Sleep

The bedroom should only be used for sleep. That said, it would be advisable to avoid bringing work to the bedroom, or even worse, making it your go-to place whenever stressed. Anything that could distract you from sleep should be kept away from the bedroom.

It is only by associating the room with rest, that you’ll improve the chances of falling asleep when you want to. Take it up a notch by making sure you have the comfiest mattress, check out these Sleepys reviews and treat yourself to a new mattress.

Clutter in the bedroom is known to trigger an increase in stress levels in many people. Anything that makes the room seem stuffed and disorganized should be kept away from the bedroom. This includes the office table, gym equipment, and even the TV set. The computer too should be kept in another room.

Getting rid of electronic devices from the bedroom will promote sleep as well. These are some of the primary sources of distraction in the bedroom and emit blue light too. Blue light is often associated with inhibiting melatonin production, the chemical responsible for triggering sleep.

The game console, laptop, cellphones, e-readers, computers, and TVs are some of the electronics that find their way into the bedroom. Keeping these devices in your room will only keep you distracted while using them increases wakefulness thus making it harder to fall asleep. Using the devices at night exposes you to lots of blue light.

Digital alarm clocks can also be a source of distraction in the bedroom. One way to prevent these from affecting how well you sleep would be to keep the clock facing away from you. It would also be wise to keep it at a distance from the bed as well.

One of the advantages of keeping the alarm clock away from the bed is that it will be harder to hit the snooze button to grab a ‘few’ more minutes of sleep in the morning.

The ideal bedroom should be dark, quiet, and cool enough to promote sleep. Getting rid of the electronic devices isn’t enough if the room still gets plenty of light from other rooms or outside. Ensure the bedroom is dark enough by investing in blackout blinds or heavy curtains, and also turn off the lights whenever trying to sleep.

Sleeping with the lights on will only make it harder to fall back asleep should you wake in the middle of the night. Your cellphone can be another source of light as well. Most phones will have a flashing light or turn on the screen whenever there’s a notification or an email.

Although you might know this already, the screen can be incredibly bright in a dark room, a factor that could lead to sleeplessness. Flip the phone screen side down, and put it in silent mode whenever in bed to avoid such distractions.

Noise is another culprit for sleeplessness. If you have ever tried sleeping in a noisy room, you then know how disruptive it can be. Whether the noises come from the room itself, the next room, the neighbor’s house, or from the street, you’ll need to look for a solution for the same. Soundproofing the room might help block external noises.

A sound machine will also come in handy if the noises come from the street or a noisy neighbor across the street. Sound machines work by producing soothing sounds that help the mind drift into relaxing mode and eventually sleeping. A water feature might also come in handy in blocking/muffling noises outside.

If you, however, are the type of person that loves sleeping with music on, then this could be the reason you are always struggling to fall back asleep. While the sounds of the music may be soothing, waking up to the radio still playing will trigger wakefulness, something you wouldn’t want in the middle of the night.

The best way to eliminate such inconveniences would be by setting a timer to have the music player turn off automatically after a few minutes. This way, you will doze off with soothing music to your ears, and wake up to a hushed room.