If you’re not sleeping soundly, there might be something wrong with your bedroom. It’s not the Pinterest-worthy accent walls or the eclectic vanity table. It’s more of the elements that aren’t pretty. If you want to turn your pretty bedroom into a sleep sanctuary, these are the things that you should pay attention to:
Light
Specifically, the absence of it. Darkness is crucial to sleep as it sends an important signal to the body that it’s time to rest. The pineal gland produces melatonin (aptly called darkness hormone), the brain chemical that regulates sleep. As this happens, your body goes into rest mode. The muscles start to relax, the body temperature drops, and the drowsiness increases. So for the ideal sleeping environment, keep your room dark. Turn off that bedside lamp. Draw the curtains if you don’t want sudden lights from passing cars or your neighbor’s television to interrupt your slumber. Most importantly, put away your gadgets. The blue light coming from your phone delays the release of melatonin — it’s the darkness hormone, remember — which means you will find it more challenging to get some shut-eye after you enjoy perusing someone’s social media profile.
Temperature
When the body prepares you for slumber, your internal temperature goes down. This is one of the things that make you sleepy. When you’re in a cold room, that mechanism or process becomes easier for the body. The opposite is true as well. When you’re in a warm or hot room, you’ll find yourself unable to fall asleep faster or stay asleep through the night. You wake up all sweaty, and when you try to get up to wipe the sweat off or adjust your room thermostat, you’re already wide-eyed by the time you go back to bed. So just before hitting the sack, keep your space cool already. If you’re still relying on old open windows and ceiling fans, consider investing in air conditioning installation. Salt Lake City experts recommend setting the thermostat at 60-67 degrees Fahrenheit. Set this temperature at least an hour before hopping onto your bed.
Sounds
Sounds that are almost unnoticeable when you’re awake can be annoying when you catch them when you’re nap mode. They’re notorious for disrupting the light stages of sleep; they make it hard to go back to dreamland. And mind you, even if you manage to go back to sleep, the brain still processes the noises. This creates restlessness, ruining sleep quality and the transition from light to deep sleep. So make it a priority to reduce the noises in your room. These include your relatives’ chattering in the living room, your neighbor’s music, or the cars’ engines on the road. You can use rugs or carpets, draw the curtains, and wear earplugs. If these don’t work, try playing white noise in the background.
In your busyness to make the perfect bedroom, you might have fixated on how it looks more than how it functions. Your space is supposed to be a sleep sanctuary, so make it one.
