Sleep is important. It’s easy to take sleep for granted if you are well-rested and enjoy a full night’s sleep. But bad sleep adds up, and a few nights of poor sleep can leave you cognitively impaired, irritable, prone to headaches, and with other problems.
A surprising number of people are losing sleep due to their own bedrooms. Poor bedroom design and bad sleep hygiene lead to poor sleep quality and lost hours. So, whether you’re designing a bedroom for yourself or your family members, here are a few ways to level up your sleep quality.
Single-Purpose Bedroom
With the rise of remote working, more and more people have a desk set up in their bedrooms. This is because the bedroom is often a more isolated room, free from distractions from the rest of the house. However, while the bedroom can make an okay office, it comes with a sacrifice.
A dual-purpose room is less effective at both of the things you use it for. When you’re working, you can’t really ignore the elephant/bed in your room. But it’s worse for when you try to get to sleep, because half of your nice relaxing bedroom is taken up with your office, a bunch of electronic devices, and often the reminder of all the work you have left to do.
This adds clutter to your room and doesn’t let you properly switch off and concentrate on going to sleep.
If you don’t have any other options, then consider using room dividers to separate your office space from the rest of your bedroom. Otherwise, look for ways to set up an office in a separate room in the house. For example, if you have a lot of space in your backyard, a garden room office could be a great option.
Restful Wall Colors
Bright colors and bold patterns might look great when you’re awake, but if the whole point of a room is to be somewhere you can sleep, your decorative choices might not be doing you any favors.
While your personal preference is still important, there are a few shades and colors that might work best for a bedroom. Warm tones, for example, are very popular, although gentle blues can be very restful. Green is often considered the least demanding color to look at.
The most important thing to remember is that bright or very dark colors are often the most distracting. Muted colors work very well in bedrooms because they don’t stand out too much.
What about wallpaper? There’s nothing wrong with wallpaper in a bedroom, although too many patterns can look too busy when the lights are off, which can be distracting. Keep the wallpapers relatively plain or, if you like a patterned wall, put it behind your bed where it won’t bother you while you’re trying to get to sleep.
You can also add wall art to your bedroom walls, but keep it restful. Even if you like bolder or exciting wall art, it can be offputting when you’re trying to drift off. Landscapes and art studies are often better than portraits, for example, because faces can get distorted in the dark.
Light and Temperature
The ideal bedroom is a bit like a closed fridge. It should be cool and dark. While everyone is different, as a general rule, bedrooms should sit at about 65°F (or 18°C) for the best night’s sleep. If this sounds chilly, bear in mind that it’s going to be a lot warmer under your quilt. If you wake up feeling sweaty, uncomfortable, and really thirsty, your bedroom is way too hot.
The other side of the coin is when your bedroom is too cold. This is less common because homes are usually kept a certain temperature by your heating system, but it can still make it really difficult to get to sleep. However, if it’s too cold in your room, an extra blanket or two is an easy fix.
As for cooling the room, you can invest in air conditioning, a fan, or just open a window if it’s relatively quiet outside and you won’t risk letting in a load of bugs. Breathable fabrics can also keep you cool as you sleep.
But what about the light levels? With some exceptions, most people sleep best in a dark room. Blackout blinds can be your best friend, and try to cover the lights from any devices in the room. If you can’t sleep in the dark, then you can get a nightlight that emits a low light that isn’t too bright or distracting. This is much better than leaving a light on somewhere.
Your Pillow and Mattress
If you aren’t getting enough sleep or you keep waking up with a crick in your neck or your back, the problem might lie in your pillow or mattress.
Again, different people have different preferences, but one of the biggest mistakes that people make is that softer is always better. You might be in heaven when you first lie down and sink into your bed, but a few hours later, you could wake up in pain because your body has absolutely no support.
On the other hand, sleeping on a board isn’t exactly comfortable either.
The best way to determine what type of mattress is best for you is probably to try them out. However, it’s important to make sure that the mattress does support you while you sleep. Memory foam mattresses are popular because they let you sink into them, but they also support your spine over a night’s sleep. Mattress Overstock has plenty of options to explore so you can find the right mattress for your needs.
A good pillow can also do wonders for your sleep. If you regularly wake up with neck pain, the problem is often your pillow. You don’t necessarily need lots of pillows to be more comfortable, and they can actually push your head too high. Instead, find a pillow that supports your head and neck.
