Your bedroom setup is vital for a sound sleep. How to design the ideal bedroom. Creating a bedroom environment that is conducive to falling asleep and staying asleep is a key part of sleep hygiene, which can allow quality rest every night.
Cultivating a relaxing sleep environment involves visual design and practical setting, including its lighting, sound and scent. Considering these elements of your sleep arrangement can help you cultivate your ideal bedroom for optimal sleep.
Visual design of your bedroom
Interior decorating is a broad concept, but a key component is creating the look and feel of your home. For your bedroom, you can develop an interior design that not only reflects your personal style, but also encourages a sense of calm that promotes sleep.
Warm, attractive colors
Walls, floors, furniture and bedding all play a role in your bedroom's color scheme. It is important to emphasize the colors that make you feel comfortable at bedtime. For most people, these are softer, warmer colors, but you can choose the colors you like best.
For renters or people on a tight budget, completely repeating the color scheme in your bedroom may not be possible. However, you can creatively accent certain colors with well-placed bedding, rug or wall art.
Usable and attractive layout
No matter how much square footage you have to work with, you want to avoid a cramped bedroom. Start by choosing a mattress size that fits without being too snug. Using vertical space or under-bed storage can make the most of even a small bedroom, freeing up floor space that can be used for handy furniture, such as a bedside table, or to give the room a more airy feel.
As you design your bedroom, try to make every action you take there without frustration. For example, organizing your drawers makes it easier to get ready in the morning, and a clear path from bed to bathroom can eliminate tripping hazards if you have to walk to the bathroom in the dark. Designing a stress-free bedroom helps to give it an aura of comfort and relaxation.
Reduce clutter
Visual clutter can cause anxiety, which is a known barrier to quality sleep. Cluttered items in your bedroom can reinforce the feeling that you have too many "loose ends," creating anxious feelings that can make it harder to relax your mind when you want to fall asleep.
While you don't necessarily have to go full Marie Kondo to organize your bedroom, it's worth it to review what items you don't really need and spend just a few minutes each day decluttering so you don't pile up and feel overwhelmed. deal with.
A Feeling of Home
Your bedroom should be welcoming, a place where you can relax and feel at home. The best way to cultivate this feeling is very personal. Possibilities include displaying pictures of close friends and family, favorite items that are reminders of cherished memories, or important artwork or posters on the walls. These personal touches don't have to be fancy or expensive. Instead, they just have to be important to you.
Practical design to promote sleep
In addition to visual design, the practical arrangement of your bedroom can directly affect how well you sleep. In general, the goal of these approaches is to make your sleep environment a bastion of physical and mental relaxation that has as few distractions or potential sleep disturbances as possible.
Light
Light is the most powerful cue to your circadian rhythm, part of your body clock that helps regulate sleep. When it's time to sleep, you want to try to make your bedroom as dark as possible to promote a healthy circadian rhythm.
Blackout curtains can help if your room gets a lot of outside light. Lighting, including a bedside lamp if you use one, should not be too bright. Lighting with low color temperature and brightness can facilitate drowsiness1 and sleep.
Another important part of controlling your light exposure is to minimize or eliminate the use of electronic devices, including tablets and cell phones, in your bedroom. Watching TV in the bedroom before going to bed will negatively affect the quality of your sleep.
Screen time exposes your eyes to blue light that can disrupt your circadian rhythm and can also activate your mind, making it difficult to sleep. If you must keep a device in your bedroom, try to keep it out of reach and avoid using it for an hour or more before bed.
Sound
External noise can cause frequent awakenings2 and these disturbances have been linked to reduced levels of both sleep quality and overall health3. If outside noise is beyond your control, a white noise machine can help drown out the sounds. You can also set the speakers to play soothing music, which many people use as a way to make their bedroom more suitable for sleep4. Many mobile apps can serve this purpose. How to design the ideal bedroom
Having the right scents in your bedroom can be a plus for your sleep. Although scents don't usually wake people up from sleep5, they can help cultivate a calm environment for quality rest. Studies have found that aromatherapy with essential oils such as lavender can promote relaxation6 and facilitate a good night's sleep.
Temperature
Your bedroom temperature should be comfortable, usually somewhere between 60 and 71 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6 to 22.0 degrees Celsius). Excessive heat can disrupt sleep7, so most experts suggest erring on the side of a cooler bedroom.
If you don't have a thermostat to precisely control your bedroom temperature, you can use a fan or, depending on the season, open a window to adjust the temperature.
Air quality
It might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about setting up your bedroom, but air quality is important to your health. Research has found that ventilation and cleaner air are linked to better sleep8 and problems such as mold build-up have been linked to insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness9.
Ensuring proper ventilation and avoiding excess moisture can combat mold growth, and regular cleaning can dramatically reduce dust mites10. If you have problems with allergies, you can ask your doctor for recommendations about reducing allergens and/or using hypoallergenic bedding or an air purifier.
Mattress and bed linen
Your bed is, of course, a central element of the bedroom environment. Your mattress should be well-made and comfortable, meaning it meets your personal firmness preferences. It should also be supportive and provide appropriate pressure point relief to suit your body weight and sleeping position.
A new mattress can be a significant investment, but research has found it can improve sleep and reduce stress and back pain11. Not surprisingly, the National Sleep Foundation found in its 2010 Bedroom Poll that 93% of people said a comfortable mattress was important to quality sleep.
In addition to your mattress, your pillows, sheets and blankets play an important role in making your bed comfortable and inviting.
Pillows can prevent neck pain by keeping your head and spine properly aligned, and your bedding can create a soft and comfortable feel while helping to manage your body temperature.
Washing your bed regularly keeps your bed fresh and reduces the potential accumulation of dust and allergens. How to design the ideal bedroom
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