Sleep is your body’s way of recharging. Kids and teens grow during sleep; adults regain their vigor and focus. This is also why sleep deprivation can have such devastating effects on one’s body. It may even increase the risk of various chronic illnesses in some cases.
While a person could potentially sleep anywhere, most of the time, we sleep in our bedrooms.
Now, the priority of your bedroom is to improve the quality of your rest. Since sleep is the primary function of any bedroom, you need to consider the three sources of disruption and find ways to eradicate them. So, here are these three elements and a few solutions for getting things right.
Reduce the noise
The most important thing to improve sleep quality in your bedroom is to reduce the noise coming in. There are a few aspects you should focus on here.
First of all, you need to upgrade your bedroom door. Doors with a hollow core are not as effective at keeping the noise out. So, you need something more efficient. A good door will help you block the traveling sound. Soundproof bedroom doors are especially important for those who want to take naps over the day.
Acoustic panels are another great idea. This way, you will make the walls more secure, but you can also hang a ceiling cloud to reduce the echo in the room. This way, if you have a ticking wall clock, it will also produce less noise.
The next idea is to rearrange the room. Sometimes, moving a heavy dresser to a street-facing wall can make all the difference.
Hanging a floor-to-ceiling curtain is one of the best things you can do. This will block the outside noise and make the room substantially quieter. Heavy curtains are made of fabric, meaning they’re less resonant than the smooth surface of the glass (or even walls). Aside from this, heavy curtains allow you to completely dim the room, which adds to your sleep quality.
Your walls can also be made quieter with a special wallpaper. In general, wallpaper is a good idea, but some wallpaper types offer even protection from noise. This is an arduous process, but it’s one that you won’t have to repeat every year. In turn, you get better sleep quality for years to come.
Set the right temperature
Humans are diurnal creatures. This means that we’re anthropologically best suited to sleep at night and be awake during the day. Some people’s biorhythm adjusts to graveyard shifts, but this is never our natural state.
Nothing can replace a good night’s sleep, even meditation.
About two hours before we sleep, our temperature drops slightly under the influence of melatonin (sleep hormone). Our temperature keeps falling, reaching a low point in the early morning, just before we wake up.
The external temperature (the bedroom temperature) is just as important for your sleep.
If the room is too hot, you’ll get more dehydrated, making you feel fatigued. This state is unhealthy because it keeps you tired but prevents you from falling asleep. Even if you do manage to go to sleep, you will get less rest. You’re also more likely to wake up randomly during your sleep.
The best temperature for sleep is around 69 degrees Fahrenheit and 20.5 degrees Celsius. While this is hard to achieve in some areas, there are a few tricks you should use.
- You could close the blinds during the day to prevent the room from heating up under sunlight.
- You could also turn down the thermostat in the evening.
- Another thing you need to do is control the humidity in the room. While it doesn’t directly affect the temperature, the humidity changes the subjective impression of the room’s temperature. At the end of the day, this is all that counts.
- Taking a warm bath one hour before bedtime can regulate the difference between your body temperature and that of the room.
Keep in mind that subjective feeling is all that matters. We’ve all stated what the science states about some of these numbers. Try it out for yourself!
Control the light
Light is directly responsible for melanin production. As we’ve mentioned, we’re diurnal creatures, so as soon as the night starts falling, our body produces melanin to put us to sleep. The problem is that, in the modern world, there’s no absolute dark.
Several artificial light sources point in your direction regardless of where you are. In fact, chances are you’ll have a phone in your hand seconds before going to sleep. This is not a good practice since it keeps your melanin levels down, thus lowering the quality of your sleep.
Ideally, you would keep your bedroom electronics-free. Ideally, get an alarm clock so you can afford to put your phone in the basket in the hallway (so that it doesn’t tempt you). If you have to do something before bedtime, get a nightlight and try reading a book.
This doesn’t mean that all light is bad for you. Getting enough natural light during the day is great for your sleep quality.
Heavy curtains are your best solution, and this is not the first time we have recommended them. Also, it might be a good idea to rearrange the lighting structure of your bedroom. Instead of having a nightlight that you can switch on and off, get a fixture that you can gradually dim. This type of gradient can give you an even better sleep pattern.
Some people fear the dark (or, at least, completely dark). The best way to accommodate them would be to pick the right light color. Red and pink light can help you get better sleep.
Wrap up
You need a quiet, dark, and cool room to get enough sleep. Sure, different people have different tolerance levels, but being able to sleep and get the most out of your sleep is different. Once you start sleeping right, you’ll see it as a transformative experience. You’ll have more energy, a better mood, and an easier time focusing—all the things you need for success and happiness.
