Sleep is an essential part of our everyday lives. The quality of our sleep can impact all areas of our lives, from our appearance to our productivity and even our relationships. If you struggle to get to sleep at night, you’re not alone – trouble sleeping is one of the most common complaints of adults in the UK.
Fortunately, there are many ways that you can upgrade your bedroom to help you get to sleep quickly and easily. Here are some of our top recommendations to help you get a good night’s sleep.
Upgrade Your Bed And Bedding
It may go without saying, but a good bed is essential to a sound night’s sleep. Your mattress will need to be replaced every five to ten years, with eight years being ideal to ensure that it is still giving you the best support. So, if it’s been a while since your last new mattress, now could be the time to invest.
Your duvet, sheets and pillows all contribute to getting a good night’s sleep. It may help to make a sleep diary for a week or two and jot down any issues you have getting to sleep or after waking. If you notice that your neck is aching after a night’s sleep, then you may need new supportive pillows. Likewise, if you are seeing that you’re frequently getting too warm or too cold, and that’s keeping you from a deep, renewing slumber, then you may need to invest in a different duvet.
Making a list of your common issues when sleeping can help you to identify potential solutions to the problems. There are many different duvets, sheets and pillows out there that will help solve common sleep issues, so it may help to do some research and find out which may work best.
Block Out Light
Blocking out obtrusive light is just as crucial as blocking out noise. Keeping your bedroom dark can be challenging if you live in a built-up area with car headlights, streetlights and other house lights that can intrude on your sleep space.
One excellent solution is blackout curtains or blinds. These allow you to remove all light from your bedroom so that they won’t wake you. Blackout roller blinds could be the ideal addition to your bedroom and can be used in tandem with curtains to help create a cosy, layered look to your bedroom. Roller blinds from Make My Blind are a perfect way to keep your bedroom distraction-free for the best night’s sleep.
Use Calming Colours
While it may be tempting to give your room a bold, chic look, it is actually more beneficial to your sleep to keep your space in neutral, calming shades. Bold shades can be perfect for areas meant to be enjoyed awake, so consider using them for the living room, kitchen or bathroom.
For your bedroom, you should consider the best shades to help you drop off quickly to sleep. Consider pastel shades and neutrals, and ensure that any artwork you have is calming rather than energising. For instance, opt to keep any bright and busy modern art away from the bedroom and instead invest in watercolours for your sleep space.
Consider Ambient Sleep Sounds
Sleep sounds can be incredibly useful for helping you drop off to sleep and to keep you sleeping soundly. You could consider investing in a smart speaker that you can set to play ambient sounds. Many smart speakers allow you to select sleep sounds for a set number of hours, so this can be ideal.
Using ambient sounds can help banish other disruptive sounds from your bedroom or create soothing noise if you dislike sleeping in absolute silence. You could consider nature sounds, crackling fireplaces or rainfall.
Many people find success in having an electric fan switched on, no matter the time of year. This kind of ambient noise is ideal for cancelling out disruptive noise without being obtrusive itself.
Make Use Of Relaxing Scents
The right scent can help you maintain a good night’s sleep. You should avoid burning scented candles while sleeping, but you could consider lighting one in your bedroom an hour before you plan to sleep and putting it out when you’re ready for bed. This will give the scent time to diffuse around your bedroom, making a perfect atmosphere for sleep.
An alternative to candles that you can safely leave on overnight is a diffuser. You could consider a reed diffuser for constant subtle scents or an electric diffuser that will emit fragrance at set intervals.
The scent you choose will make all the difference to your sleep. You should avoid energising scents like citrus or rosemary and opt for calming scents like lavender or chamomile.
Keep Your Phone Away
The lights of smartphones and other electronics can be just as disruptive to sleep as outdoor lights. Often they can cause even more issues with sleep due to the blue light emitted from the screen. It would help if you considered putting your phone away for the night at least an hour before bed so that this light doesn’t disrupt your natural sleep schedule.
Declutter Your Sleep Space
A cluttered home can make it hard to relax and unwind, and particularly a cluttered bedroom. You should ensure that your bedroom is clutter-free as much as possible to help promote a relaxing and welcoming space.
It may help give everything in your bedroom a set space and ensure that you put items away once you are finished using them. Setting aside a few minutes each morning and evening for decluttering can make a massive difference to your sleep quality and the ease of nodding off.
It would help if you also tried to make your bed up every morning. Many people forego this step as it seems pointless to make a bed that you will only ruffle up again by the evening, but making your bed will help keep your sleep space a calming and decluttered area.
This is a collaborative post.