In order to induce relaxation and sleep, a room must look and feel restful, calm and uncluttered. Take a look around yours now and tell me “Does it ooze tranquillity?”
Do you use your bedroom for just sleeping in or is it also a dumping ground for clutter? An office? A TV room? A playroom?
Clutter and stuff do not create a calm mind – quite the opposite. Clashing and bright colours do not make for a calm environment. Loud noises and visual stimulation do not make for a clam and sleep inducing environment.
So let’s stop and take a good look around now. Let’s assess what needs to be done. Ask yourself the following questions:
Is the room light and airy? Is it free of clutter? Is the furniture in good working order? Is the décor calming? Have you got space to move around the room? Is the room free from TV or other stimulation?
The more of the above questions you can say yes to, the less work you have to do.
Top Ten Tips to create the perfect sleep friendly environment
Tip #1 – Remove as much electronic equipment from your bedroom as possible, especially televisions and computers which emit electromagnetic energy that is detrimental to rest and health.
Tip #2 – Don’t keep more than a few books in your bedroom; they are too stimulating.
Tip #3 – Don’t use lots of rich, deep colours, such as purple, gold or red, in the bedroom. These colours stimulate your energy, resulting in poor sleep.
Tip #4 – Your bedroom should be dark and quiet. Try to keep the noise level down if possible. Too much noise, like loud outside conversations, televisions blaring, music or traffic sounds can make it difficult to sleep well. If outside noise can’t be blocked, try masking it with a fan, white noise, or recordings of soothing sounds or invest in a pair of earplugs.
Tip #5 – Make sure that your window coverings are doing their job properly. As morning light streams through your windows, it provides a powerful cue to the sleep/wake mechanism in your brain. As a result, you begin to wake much sooner than you want to. Over a period of days or weeks, this small loss of sleep can add up to a sizable sleep debt.
Tip #6 – Get the best mattress for you. As an overall rule of thumb, any mattress that helps you to sleep well, so that you wake feeling rested and refreshed, and without pain and stiffness, is the best mattress for you.
Tip #7 – Make sure your pillows are also comfortable and give you the support you need. Some of us like two pillows, others one or none. Experiment until you get it right and enjoy the restful sleep it rewards you with.
Tip #8 – Smells in the bedroom – have you ever thought of using essential oils to create a relaxing atmosphere. Lavender is very popular and easily to obtain. A couple of drops on your pillow, in a burner or in the bath can make all the difference.
Tip #9 – Room temperature and ventilation. If you can, experiment with the room temperature. Most people sleep best in a slightly cooler room with adequate ventilation. Check your windows and doors to make sure that draughts are not interfering with sleep.
Tip #10 – Tackle that clutter. Are there clothes on the floor or thrown over the back of a chair. Are there piles of books and papers on every surface. Are there discarded empty bottles, jars, cans etc lying about. Are there used coffee cups under the bed. ask yourself, “Would I feel OK bringing my friends in here right now?” It’s easy for us to ignore our own clutter and we can spend days or even weeks walking right past it without a care. But when we know someone else will be in our environment, we look at things from their perspective and then the standards are different. Let’s change that habit and start treating ourselves like we treat others.
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