The perfect bedroom environment

Turn your room into the most effective sleep chamber with these expert-recommended tips. What elements are important?

Elements to keep in mind for a perfect bedroom

Lighting

Light suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin, so essentially it keeps you awake. “Absolute darkness is critical for high-quality snoozing,” says motivation and well-being writer, Siimon Reynolds in Why People Fail.

“Your pineal gland is a vitally important brain regulator and very sensitive to light. Keep your room dark and your pineal gland tells your brain it’s night-time and it gets to work, helping your body regulate your hormones and clean up your mental filing systems.”

Tip: Invest in blinds or curtains that block out streetlight completely.

Air quality

The quality of oxygen you breathe during sleep has a big impact on how energetic you feel the next day. “The air you breathe when you sleep should be treated very seriously,” says Reynolds. “You spend around a third of your life in the bedroom—if you have low quality air in there you’ll have a lower-quality life.”

Tip: Consider buying a negative ion generator. This will emit ions that attach themselves to dust particles and help drag them from the air to your floor. Also dust and vacuum weekly, making sure to include your bed-head and mattress in the mix.

Technology-free zone

The electrical fields generated by electric clocks, heaters, televisions and sound systems can adversely affect your body’s electrical fields, says Reynolds, thereby making it less easy to relax and to fall asleep.

What’s more, having a television in your room can create psychological associations between your room and entertainment. What you want is for your room to conjure associations with sleep—yet another reason to keep the box away from your boudoir.

Tip: Swap electric blankets for natural ones and put your alarm clock in the next room. As Reynolds says: “Not only will that help you sleep, having to get out of bed to turn it off will stop you sleeping in.”

Temperature

Make sure your room is not only quiet but also cool. “It’s better to sleep in a cooler room than to be overheated and have a fitful sleep,” says accredited nutritionist Catherine Saxelby who runs the site foodwatch.com.

Tip: Rather than opting for a big thick doona, layer your bed with blankets or coverings of different weights. It’s easier to strip off blanket layers in the night (or add them) than it is to try and cool yourself by sticking bare limbs out from the sheets.

Auditory landscape

Ensure your bedroom is quiet, without any TV or music devices on. According to the National Sleep Foundation, minimising noise in the bedroom at night can increase the amount of deep sleep you get while also reducing the chance you’ll wake up during the night. However, noise near the bedroom can also be a disturbance to you falling asleep. Whether it is neighbours, roommates, or you live near a busy street, if it’s something you cannot avoid, you could consider purchasing a white noise machine. Otherwise, you could set up speakers to play calming music or white noise. You could even connect the speakers to your phone as there are apps that offer such white noise or relaxing music. Earplugs are also worth a try.

Comfortable bedding

It might be worth considering whether your current mattress is conducive to your sleep. Consider your sleeping position, whether you share a bed, how supportive it feels, and your preference for firmness. It’s ideal to choose a pillow that supports your neck and back, as otherwise, it may affect your ability to fall asleep if it is uncomfortable for you. Choosing pillows and blankets in a material that feels cosy to you could make it more inviting for you to go to bed. The mattress cover or sheet you choose and how pleasant it feels may also have an impact on how quickly you fall asleep and stay asleep. The Sleep Foundation points out that washing the sheets regularly, at least once every two weeks, can prevent dust mites and build-up of body oils, but can also promote better sleep.

Neat and organised room

Having clutter in your room can add to any overwhelm you may have had from the day. Seeing a mess before you go to bed could trigger stress and worrying thoughts, especially if it is a pile of papers related to work that you see. A messy room could also detract from your motivation to spend time in the bedroom.

Soothing colours and aesthetics

You can try to create a colour and visual scheme for your bedroom that appeals to your own personal style but also helps adopt a sense of serenity. Pick colours that you are drawn to and that invoke calm for you. If you rent or are on a limited budget, it may not be possible to completely change the current set up. In this case, you could adapt by inserting bedding, rugs, or wall art in these certain colours.

Scents

Certain scents can keep you up and prevent you from sleeping, while others can induce relaxation. For example, according to Sleep Advisor, citrus scents and heavy perfumes can negatively affect sleep. Studies have found that aromatherapy can improve sleep quality. This may include the diffusing of essential oils such as lavender. Other fragrances, such as peppermint and chamomile, may also be effective.