How can you Optimise your Bedroom for a Good Night’s Rest?

While most people are aware of the significance of a good night’s rest, there is no way to guarantee sleep. For some of us, drifting off is as easy as changing into PJs and hitting the pillow, while others fail to drift off despite twisting and turning in bed for hours. Setting up an appropriate room environment can be a potential solution for such people.

Your bedroom setting plays a crucial role in ensuring good-quality rest. Considering the visual design and practical setup of the bedroom can help create an environment conducive to falling and staying asleep. So, here is how you can cultivate an ideal bedroom for optimal sleep. Let’s have a look!

How to design a bedroom for falling asleep?

Visual design

The first step towards cultivating a good sleep environment is to set up the look and feel of your bedroom. For this purpose, you should aim for a visual design that reflects your style and promotes a sense of calm and serenity. Here is what you should do to achieve this:

• Use appealing colours

The colour scheme of a room takes into account the shades of your floors, furnishings, and walls. When selecting your bedroom hues, you should pick colours that make you feel happy and relaxed. Most people associate softer and warmer shades with relaxing feelings. But, if you have a different opinion, you should go with your choice!

If you live in a rented flat, you may have limitations with changing the colour scheme. So, you can accent your favourite shades in the room by picking your bedding, rugs, and pieces of art wisely.

• Minimise cluttering

Resting in a cluttered room can disrupt your sleep. It can generate stress & anxiety and reinforce the feelings associated with having too many loose ends. This is not ideal, as these sensations cause restlessness and make it impossible to relax. In many cases, it can mean no sleep for the night.

Take out a few minutes to organise your room every day before going to bed. Trash or give away the unnecessary items and arrange other stuff in the wardrobe and shelves.

• Spacious layout

When designing your bedroom, you should plan things so as to avoid a cramped feeling. It won’t matter how much square footage of the area is the bedroom if you fail to utilise the space wisely. Experts recommend starting by finding the right-sized bed.

If you have a small bedroom, utilise the under-bed storage and vertical space to make the most of it. Also, take steps like organising your drawers and keeping the bedroom floor uncluttered to eliminate tripping hazards. A spacious and airy layout will ensure a good night’s rest.

• Homely feeling

If you do not feel right at home upon entering the bedroom, something is not right. You should redesign things in a manner that makes you feel at ease and helps with unwinding. One solution to cultivate this homely feeling is to decorate your room with pictures of family and close friends. Adorn the walls and bedside with items that remind you of happy memories. These personal touches inculcate feelings of safety, peace, and harmony and help you fall asleep.

Practical design

Besides the physical design, the practical setup of the bedroom also affects how well you sleep. The goal is to create a rest environment that promotes physical and mental relaxation. Aiming for a room set up with as few distractions as possible is recommended. Here is what you can do to achieve this:

• Light

Light plays a significant role in influencing the circadian rhythm and helps regulate sleep. Thus, stay out in the sun during the daytime and minimise exposure to light at night. Create a dark environment by turning off the LEDs and using blackout curtains to block the outside light. Get a bedside lamp if you need a little illumination in your bedroom to find your way to the bathroom or kitchen. A low-colour temperature lamp may promote drowsiness.

Another way to control light exposure before bedtime is to keep away your electronic devices. Watching TV or using your phone before drifting off can negatively impact sleep. It is so because increased screen time exposes your eyes to blue light and disrupts circadian rhythm. Also, it activates your mind and makes it difficult to wind down before sleep.

• Sound

Exposure to external noise around bedtime can cause frequent awakenings. These disruptions can affect your sleep quality and deteriorate your overall health. If you live in a locality where outside noise is not within your control, getting a white noise machine may help. You can play soothing tones to help drown the background noise.

• Smell

Smelling in the right scents before going to bed can help promote sleep. These pleasant fragrances cultivate a calming environment and set you up for a good night’s rest. Experts recommend that sleep-deprived people try aromatherapy using essential oils like lavender. Inhaling these scents can calm the mind and help you quickly drift off to sleep.

• Temperature

Those questioning how to design a bedroom for sleep should know that setting the right temperature is essential for a good night’s rest. It must be between 60 and 71 degrees as excess heat causes restlessness and disrupts rest quality. If you do not have a thermostat at home to set the precise temperature, using a fan or opening the window to adjust the temperature is recommended.

• Air Quality

While most of us do not concern ourselves with the air quality inside the bedroom, experts suggest that inhaling fresher air is associated with good sleep. Resting in a well-ventilated room can prevent mould build-up and ease sleep problems like insomnia or excessive daytime sleepiness. Those with allergies should contact sleep experts and get recommendations on using hypoallergenic bedding or air purifiers.

To sum up:

Creating an appropriate rest environment can go a long way in ensuring a good night’s rest. Besides minimising sleep disruptions and promoting quality rest, these solutions can also help you drift off quickly.