- Change The Way You Think About Your Bedroom
One of the main keys for maximizing the efficiency of your bedroom for sleeping is what you tend to associate the room with. Your bedroom should ideally be used for just two reasons: romance and sleeping. Anything else that you do in the bedroom doesn’t serve any purpose other than to keep you distracted from sleeping. So how can you improve your bedroom so you only associate it with sleeping?
- Clear All Of The Clutter Out
It is not a playroom, office, or gym. To start associating your bedroom with sleep, first, you need to clear out all potential distractions. Put your treadmill in a different room, get rid of your work desk and computer, and most important of all (and likely the most difficult) get rid of the TV.
When your bedroom is a place that you do other activities in that results in your brain associating your bedroom with these other things. If your office is in your bedroom your mind will be kept busy with work or even anxious about it, since your brain associates your bedroom with busy work.
There are many ways that getting rid of the television can be helpful. First of all, when it’s in the bedroom it makes it too easy to watch before going to bed. Interesting TV programs can cause your mind to stay away for a long period of time since you get involved with the story.
Blue light is also emitted by TVs. That can trick the body into slowing down its production of melatonin. Light and wakefulness are associated with each other. Not as much melatonin is produced by your body when there is light. This important hormone promotes sleep, which makes it harder to fall asleep.
- Get Rid Of All Electronics
For the very same reasons that you should not have a computer or TV in your bedroom, it is also not a good idea to have an e-reader, portable game console, laptop, tablet, or cellphone in there either. A majority of those devices emit light as well and are used to consume engaging content that can steal your sleep.
The location and position of your alarm clock should also be adjusted. The digital display’s light is very distracting, and also many people constantly look at the time on the clock. Then when it starts to get late, they begin to worry that they are losing sleep. Anxiety can be caused by worrying over losings sleep, and that can lead to losing more sleep which just compounds the problem. When it comes to alarm clocks, the best solution is setting them at a specific wake-up time, and then putting them on the other side of your bedroom, turning away from you. That will prevent you from worrying about what time it is, and prevent you from over-sleeping since you can’t just hit the snooze button. Instead, you will be forced to get out of bed and turn off the alarm clock in the morning.
- Keep Your Bedroom Dark
We have discussed already how artificial light keeps you from sleeping by mimicking natural light. Eliminating all possible light is one of the best things you can do to help get to sleep. This means getting blackout blinds or heavy curtains to get rid of outside light, getting rid of any nightlights, and not leaving any lamps or lights on.
If you are not willing to take your cellphone out of your bedroom, one thing you can do while you are sleeping is to flip it over with the screen facing down. Many cellphones will light up whenever there is a push notification coming from an app or an incoming text that might distract you from sleeping or could wake you up. Flipping your cellphone over can help to eliminate light at night to help you sleep.
- Keep Your Bedroom Quiet
Another common issue that can rob you of sleep is noise. Whether the sound is coming from across the street, down the hall, or from inside your bedroom, noise can prevent you from falling asleep or wake you up.
It is not actually the sound that prevents you from sleeping, but instead is the inconsistency of silence or sound that can be very disruptive.
If there are noises that are beyond your control in your sleeping environment (such as traffic and noisy neighbors) you can try using a sound machine while you are sleeping. Sound machines generate mellow, soothing sounds that will help you relax so that you can fall asleep and drown other noises out that might wake you up.
Some people say that they need to have music playing in order to sleep. If you cannot fall asleep without having music on, try to set it on a timer that will turn it off right after you usually fall asleep. That will eliminate the chance that you will be woken up by an inconsistent and sudden sound according to twitter.
- Keep Your Bedroom Cool and Comfortable
Your body temperature starts to drop to prepare itself as you are falling asleep. When your bedroom is kept at a cool temperature of 60 to 67 degrees, it can help to cool your body down.
Sleeping naked can not only help you sleep soundly and comfortably, but it also can help to cool your body down when there are no pajamas or nightgowns that can raise your body temperature and prevent you from being able to sleep.
When choosing your pillow and mattresses take into account your sleeping. Read our helpful guide to the right mattress firmness for side sleepers.
- Use Aromatherapy
It has been shown by research that having certain scents inside a bedroom can help to promote sleep. Aromatherapy creates a calming and relaxing atmosphere that can help you fall asleep. Also, it is helpful to include it in your routine. When it is used regularly the scent will be picked up by your brain as a sign that it is almost bedtime. Vanilla and lavender are two of the best scents that you can use.
