What’s keeping you awake at night? Sleep issues can take various faces, including medical disorders like depression, sleep apnea, and chronic insomnia because of 24-7, work-related demands. That’s why you may not be able to find exactly what’s triggering your sleep issues. However, making your bedroom a cozy sanctuary associated only with sleep will make you feel more relaxed and rejuvenated in life. In this article, we’ll look at some ways you can turn your bedroom into a sleep oasis that you want to escape to every night. But first, let’s talk about why you need a sanctuary to like this in the first place.
Why Your Bedroom Needs to Be a Sleep Sanctuary
The odds are stacked against us right now — sleep remains a mysterious phenomenon that researchers are only just beginning to understand. At the same time, we intuitively know that sleep is as crucial as breath. That’s why we see a rise in:
- Emerging sleep issues (excessive daytime sleepiness),
- Newly-coined sleep terms (like, what’s sleep “hygiene,” anyway?), and
- Sleep-related technology
Sleep hygiene — also known as developing good sleep habits — is crucial to your overall mental health, physical performance, cognition, and emotional well-being.
Good sleep hygiene is not one thing. It’s using best practices like:
- Removing electronic devices from the bedroom (it’s not your living room!)
- Getting exercise throughout the day (crucial for self care)
- Being consistent with your sleep routines
- Ensuring your bedroom is a place that is dark and quiet
You may find that some of these good sleep habits are easier to jumpstart than others. For example, starting and staying consistent with a sleep schedule will take at least 30 days. But if you’re tossing and turning, you may want to replace the mattress foundation for your bed. Addressing these small details can add up and make your bedroom a sanctuary reserved solely for relaxing self-care, recovery, and rest.
Five Ways to Make Your Bedroom an Oasis
So it’s the end of the day, you hit your pillow, and nothing. It’s three hours later, and you’re wide awake, staring at the wall. You may not entirely buy into feng shui tips for your decor, but consider choosing a paint color in blue or gray. These are calming, relaxing colors (and they also make the rest of the decor in your room pop). Whatever you do, don’t choose a red or pink wall color. Another timeless feng shui principle is about the “energy” in the house. And we can all agree that a room full of clutter feels chaotic. Consider using neat storage boxes to hide away your excess stuff — or banish it entirely to another room in the house. These are just a few common examples of how to transform your bedroom into a sleep-friendly, beautiful oasis of a room. Our five tips will help you look at your bedroom space as the best room in your home.
1) Keep Up Your House Plants
Plant parents swear that plants in your bedroom space are transformative. And scientists agree. You’ll find that certain plants close to your bed do way more for your health than just create a new view. As living things, plants can contribute to cleaner air circulation in your home. They also reduce stress and anxiety when we look at their natural colors. However, the natural properties of beautiful plants like Aloe Vera, English Ivy, Boston ferns, and gardenias soothe and relax you.
These plants are uniquely suited to an interior place in your home. They have ways to survive in low lighting levels and don’t require too much maintenance or upkeep to thrive. Not to mention, it’s just plain nice to see signs of life during darker winter months.
2) Tailor Your Lighting
Speaking of living in low lighting conditions, you may have noticed that the colder months bring on a noticeable change in our mood and our sleep. Studies show an undeniable link between seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and poor sleep. Yes, you can start to resolve — or, at the very least, soothe — these seasonal issues by revamping the light in your bedroom. Our brains rely on the color spectrum in lighting to tell us when to relax or be alert. This changes in the winter. So besides making your bedroom “relaxing,” you can also use lighting to make it therapeutic. Follow these tips to keep your mood elevated and your sleep cycle intact:- Keep levels of blue lighting (such as the glare from screens or LED bulbs) reserved for the daytime
- Use warm to red lighting only in the bedroom, especially at night
- Use blackout blinds when sleeping in your space
- Expose yourself to at least 10-15 minutes of blue light during the daytime hours, especially if it gets dark early
- If you can’t replace the LED bulbs in your bedroom, consider using UV glasses to help block out blue lighting at night
3) Remove the Electronics
If you don’t want to change your lighting because it’s part of the decor, that’s okay. It's not as intrusive for your sleep as screen time anyway. You can turn lights off, after all. But can you shut down the behavior that has you reaching for your phone all night? Blue light from screens disrupts the body’s natural circadian rhythm (fancy word for your body’s internal clock). But it also interrupts a host of related neurological processes that happen when the body winds down in bed. Over time, not getting enough quality sleep can lead to a build-up of neurotoxins that make it even harder for you to sleep.
Maybe “cozy” to you means a space in your home, preferably with a bed, where you can Netflix-and-chill. But, to your brain, these screen-based activities are a sign to remain active and awake. Instead, you want to create a space free of noise and stimulation — and this includes eliminating the electronics from view. If you do need an alarm, opt for a traditional unit, and remove everything else. And if you use your phone to track your sleep, lower the screen’s brightness and set it to automatically shift to the warmer end of the color spectrum after dark.
4) Pile Up the Creature Comforts
Some people love sleeping with knee separators and fluffy duvets, tucked in their pajamas. Others need the support of a memory foam mattress to take the pressure off their joints. Still, others want only one thin sheet and a memory foam pillow to get them right to la-la-land. Your creature comforts are singular to you, so make sure your bedroom includes these nighttime aids. Some people love the feel of silk pillowcases and organic cotton sheets — and if that’s you, treat yourself and get them.
5) Personalize Your Scents
To create an ambient bedroom environment, consider the total sleep experience. From scented candles to new diffusers and even brewing a fragrant pot of herbal tea before bedtime, there are many ways you can personalize those “sleep” scents. Again, it’s all about creating a sign for your brain that says it’s time for bed. Natural scents like lavender are also useful sleep aids for a busy mind.
