Research is showing more and more how important sleep is, and that unfortunately many people in western society just aren’t getting enough sleep. Lack of sleep is a risk factor for obesity, heart disease, stroke, and has a huge influence on mental wellbeing.
Some of the ways that people try to improve their sleep patterns include exercising, improved eating habits, and even adjusting the way that they sleep. Sometimes the problem might be that they are experiencing back pain, in which case they might go see a chiropractor who can make adjustments to reduce pain and ultimately improve their sleeping experience.
While these solutions work well, you can also get your best sleep tonight by making adjustments to your bedroom without having to significantly change your lifestyle.
1. Change Your Bedroom’s Colour
Did you know that the colour of your bedroom walls could be affecting the quality of your sleep? According to a Travelodge survey which looked at 2,000 British homes, the people with blue-coloured walls reported waking up well-rested and happy.
Blue is supposed to promote calmness and prevent nightmares. The general idea is that when you lie down for bed you want the least amount of stimulation as possible. Stimulation gets your brain working and the gears turning, which is why you often lay awake in bed thinking.
2. Establish Your Bedroom’s Purpose
A bedroom should be purely for sleeping, which is why you should avoid doing other activities in your room – especially the ones that involve electronics. There are two reasons for this. The first is that you want your brain to associate your bedroom with sleep, not with other activities that could leave you awake. This means that when you enter your room you will immediately be thinking of sleeping and your brain will single your body to go into rest mode.
The second part to this is that electronics give off blue light that can stimulate your brain and keep you awake. If you can’t help but take your phone to bed, then make sure to install a blue light filter to avoid this issue.
3. Keep the Temperature Low
One of the ways your body prepares for sleeping is by lowering your body temperature. This is a sign for your body to slow down and prepare for rest. If you keep your room cool, you’ll be reinforcing this natural instinct to fall asleep with a lower temperature. On the other hand, if your body temperature is increased, it will give your body the wrong signal: that it’s time to be awake.
4. Sleep in Complete Darkness
This might not be a comforting thought for everyone, but sleeping in pure darkness is the best way to get a good night’s rest. You can throw your body off even by the smallest of lights like a night light or bedside clock-radio. If your phone has an always-on display, then make sure you are flipping it over so that the screen is face down and notifications won’t be able to bug you with flashes of light.
If you follow the above advice, you’ll be well on your way to sleeping better. Of course exercising or changing your diet can help as well, but these tips are a great place to start.
