Did you get a good night’s sleep? As estimated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 20% to 30% of adults in America have experienced insomnia symptoms while 6% reportedly have an actual diagnosis of insomnia. Experts explain that sleep quality can also affect your quality of life. While several factors can cause lack of sleep, one often overlooked problem in bedroom design.
In other words, changing where you sleep might improve how well you sleep and even help to treat sleep disorders like insomnia. Creating a better sleeping space is about adding the right elements, including colors, furniture, mattress, décor, and beddings. I’d like to share some ideas to design or redesign your bedroom so you’ll get more restful sleep.
Remove All Clutter before Adding Anything
We spend about one-third of our lives sleeping, yet often fail to consider how a messy bedroom can affect our sleep quality. In fact, removing under-bed clutter is the first step you should take to maintain the ancient principles of Feng Shui.
Besides removing under-bed clutter, it’s also important to sweep/mop or vacuum the area to get rid of dust and mites. Start fresh!
However, de-cluttering should also involve other steps. Take time to sort through everything in your bedroom and weed out what you don’t need. This basic step not only reduces clutter but can also reduce stress and anxiety. After reading updated recycling statistics, you should consider the options to recycle, repurpose, or donate items so they can be used or reused.
Nighty-Night Nightstand Clutter
Nightstands are one of the most cluttered areas in the bedroom. Make sure to use one with drawers, cabinets, or shelves for storage space. Limit items on the nightstand surface except for ones like:
- Clock
- Lamp
- Photo
- Book/Magazine
- Diary/Journal
The “out of sight, out of mind” rule applies here. Remember that even when clutter is hidden under your bed or in your closet, it’s still considered clutter.
Try to store nothing but beddings like bed sheets, linens, and pillowcases under the bed. Remove everything else in your room that you’re not using, including books, gadgets, and exercise equipment.
Here are some other helpful design/redesign tips after you clean out the clutter:
Limit the Amount of Artificial Light
When the sun sets it’s cueing people’s bodies to start preparing for sleep. For example, the body’s levels of melatonin hormones spike naturally about 10x higher at nighttime as part of natural circadian rhythms. This helps to calm down the body so you can get a full 7 to 9 hours of shut-eye.
It’s important to limit the amount of light that enters your room and especially artificial light. The problem with long-lasting LED bulbs, for example, is they emit blue light, which can disrupt your sleep cycle. That can then cause you to toss and turn.
Here’s the good news. There are various ways you can make your room as dark as possible at bedtime:
- Use lamps with low-level light and brightness
- Add blackout curtains/blinds to reduce external light
- Turn off overhead lights 2+ hours before bedtime
- Install a dimmer switch to reduce bedroom light
- Place your phone out of arm’s reach or use Do Not Disturb mode
- Add a nightlight if you can’t sleep in a totally dark room
- Switch off electronic devices 1+ before bedtime
According to an innovative master’s degree in product and interior design, we should think not only about the functionality and comfort but also about the environmental economics of furniture.
Focus on Perfect Placement of Furniture
Bed
Placing the bed in certain locations can help to create a relaxing environment. For example, try to provide a view of the bedroom door and a window when possible. This can help the sleeper to feel safer, and avoid stress and anxiety at bedtime.
Meanwhile, avoid placing the headboard against a window. Direct sunlight or cold drafts could negatively affect your sleep quality.
Select Comfy Bedding
Besides the bed and mattress, the right bedding can also help you to sleep soundly. These are some key features to watch for:
- Moisture-absorbing fabrics (cotton, wool, linen, bamboo, etc.)
- Comforters to stay warm during frigid winters
- Hypo-allergenic beddings if you have allergies or asthma
- Thin sheets if you often experience night sweats due to sleeping hot
- Season-specific beddings for cold winters or hot summers
- Thread count that feels comfy and cozy against the skin and
- Non-moisture-trapping materials like polyester make sleepers warmer
Hide, Ditch, or Limit Electronics
Some sleep experts recommend basically limiting your bedroom to sleep. This means you need to remove all TVs, PCs/Macs, mobile devices, and so on. This is true “unplugging” because it makes it permanent in your bedroom.
An alternative is to “hide” all bedroom electronics. For example, you could install a customized drop-down or pop-up television lift to hide everything. Plan B is to hide TVs in a cabinet or armoire.
If you’re going to use electronics in your bedroom, then stop using TVs/PC displays 2+ hours before bedtime, and smartphones/tablets 1+ hours before catching zzz’s. This will give your body a chance to wind down after looking at LED lights before bedtime.
Add Elements to Reduce the Noise Level
There are various steps you should consider taking to reduce the room’s noise level:
- Include upholstered furniture in the room (beds, chairs, benches, ottomans, etc.)
- Apply fabric wall hangings for noise reduction
- Pick ceiling fans over air conditioners to create white noise.
- Add rugs made of plush materials (wool, shag, faux fur, etc.) to hardwood floors
Add a Comfortable and Supportive Mattress
Today people use their bedroom as a pseudo office, rec room, dining room, and laundry room. It’s become quite multi-functional. However, as the name suggests, the room’s main function should be to sleep in a bed, which highlights the importance of focusing on how to choose a mattress.
Here are some helpful tips for selecting a mattress to sleep soundly:
- Replace your mattress every ten years or earlier as needed
- Do your homework before purchasing a mattress
- Try out a test mattress when possible
- Pick a larger size if you have a sleeping partner
- Select a mattress material based on your sleeping position (back, side, stomach, combo)
- Learn about the manufacturer’s warranty, and return/exchange policies
- Remember super-firm mattresses aren’t always best for back/neck issues
- Select a latex or hybrid mattress if you’re a “hot sleeper”
- Conduct tests to determine if your old mattress needs replacing
Conclusion
The process of designing or remodeling a sleep-friendly bedroom is often a long-term project. However, you can still make it a month-long project by tackling different elements of your bedroom each week. What’s the ultimate goal? Try to create a comfy and relaxing environment in the room your household members spend the most time in.
Use trial and error to determine which options do and don’t work for you. This will ultimately improve your sleep hygiene that includes the best sleep-inducing time and place.
Lillian Connors is a Senior Content Developer at ACT-ENVIRO, with years of experience in developing content. Throughout her career, she always looked for ways to contribute to the environment in recycling efforts, while providing valuable information with her written articles. She’s deeply into green practices, cherishing the notion that sustainability not only makes us far less dependent on others regarding how we live and do business but also contributes to our planet being a better place to live on. When she is not trying to improve the things around her (and herself, for that matter), she likes to lose herself in a good book and sip on an occasional appletini.
