Is Your Bedroom Keeping You Awake? Here are Seven Ways to Improve Your Sleep Space

 

By Admin

 

The Bedroom Environment

Do you ever stop and think about how the space you live in influences your behavior? For those with sleep difficulties, this is an often-neglected issue. Not only do our bedroom environments influence our capacity for quality nights of sleep, but they can actually dictate our evening habits. Below is a list of things to consider when organizing (or reorganizing) your bedroom in the interest of sleep-inducing arrangements.

 

  1. Bedroom Lighting

Start with the lights. Historically, artificial lighting changed the workday hours for the entire human race, and though we may have adapted both socially and culturally, our brains and body physiology still want us to sleep when it’s dark and wake when daylight comes. Even if you are a night owl by nature, light and dark will still have an effect on you, and as a result, should be controlled for the sleep routine you wish to maintain.

 

Artificial light disrupts the circadian rhythms of the body and mind. These rhythms are the sleep/wake cycles that control our brain wave patterns, hormone production schedules, and cell regulation behaviors. When the rhythms shift and change, there is a corresponding suppression of melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone that is released as our evenings approach. Problems with sleep schedules have been linked to everything from depression to obesity to cancer and cardiovascular disease. But the most common effect of circadian rhythm disruption is the development of sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep walking, and restless leg syndrome.

 

So the simple answer here is to avoid bright artificial lights in the bedroom at night. For those who sleep during some of the morning hours, curtains or shades are very important. And though it may sound archaic, you shouldn’t rule out canopy beds. Once a staple of bedroom fixtures in past centuries, the bed canopy has become outdated, but if you work late or need those early hours of sleep, a canopy blocks light and calms the mind. Just make sure there’s plenty of airflow. 

 

  1. Bedroom Noise

When it comes to sleep, there is good noise and bad noise. Good noise is what noise machines produce: constant or semi-constant sounds with subtle shifts in tone or rhythm, much like flowing water or a gentle breeze. Bad noise is disruptive, intermittent, jarring, or loud. Television noise, videos on a computer or smartphone, and even a dripping faucet can disrupt the mind’s progression from alpha wave to theta band activity during sleep onset. In other words, it keeps you awake. 

 

Our brains are still processing sensory stimuli when we’re falling asleep. This is why even slight sounds like the barking of a distant dog or a family member’s snoring can be disruptive. What noise machines do is mask these disruptive sounds with constant or balanced sounds, benefitting our memory as well as the quality of our sleep. In fact, there are different types of sound output that machines can play according to the sleeper’s preferences. White noise, the standard output form, sounds like the static of a television left on a wrong channel. Pink noise is the same thing but on lower frequencies, sounding more like a gentle rainfall. Brown noise is even lower in frequencies, but can sound louder due to its roughness, comparable to heavy rapids or strong winds. Studies on all of these noises have found favorable results for memory and sleep improvement. But even if noise machines are not your preference, the idea is to keep sudden or periodic outbursts from distracting you back into consciousness. Headphones or earplugs can help in the same way. As long as your mind is not distracted by external stimuli, it should be able to settle into the lulling rhythms needed for sleep onset. 

 

  1. Bedroom Activities

This is the mother of all bedroom environment problems in the 21st century. Taking your laptop, tablet, or smartphone to bed with you for games or social media sessions is a bad habit to get into, and an even harder habit to break. Electronics can disrupt sleep with light, noise, and interactive stimuli all at the same time. If you value your sleep, keep these activities to another room, and stop at least a half hour before going to bed. 

 

Even worse than taking devices to bed with you is the widescreen television with surround sound speakers set up for bedroom viewing. This is a very bad idea. If you must have a television in the bedroom, a modest size with reasonable volume levels can help reduce the intensity of the stimulation that can keep you from falling and staying asleep.

 

If you are a sleep apnea patient using positive airway pressure therapy or CPAP, it is important that you limit your evening activities to those you find relaxing, as this can be conducive to proper breathing. ResMed, one of the largest CPAP equipment companies in the world, suggests breathing exercises before and during therapy, and advises all patients to refrain from use of electronics at least an hour before your scheduled bedtime. On their web page titled “8 Tips for Falling Asleep on CPAP,” ResMed experts warn that “A busy, racing or worried mind will find it hard to go to sleep straight away. Throw in your therapy machine and mask, and you might start thinking it’s just impossible to go to sleep.” We don’t always realize how much we are affected by our devices, but studies have linked certain tasks like texting before bed to higher production of the stress hormone cortisol. This is a concern for anyone who values their sleep time, but it is especially significant for those who are adding sleep therapy devices to their nightly activities. 

 

  1. Bedroom Space

Sleep, like any other activity, needs its space, and according to the principles of Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art of perfecting spaces for living, bedrooms should look like bedrooms. That is, they should be relaxing places, made up of natural materials and earth tones. In addition, there should be space to move, to breathe, and to allow the air to flow freely. Bedroom specialists (yes, such a thing exists) suggest not only that you keep your bedroom space open and uncluttered, but you should also maintain high standards of hygiene and sanitation. Allergies can be a number-one cause of congested breath and sleep disruption, and dust mites are often to blame as well. Sheets and pillowcases should be cleaned regularly, and both the floor and mattress should be vacuumed to prevent the collection of dust and dust mites. If necessary, allergy relief bedding can be used to keep dust away from your sleep space, and good air circulation is crucial.

 

  1. Bedroom Temperature

Coinciding with our circadian rhythms is a drop in body temperature during the evening hours as our bedtime approaches. Rosie Osmun at Amerisleep.com points out that along with disruptions of circadian rhythms are fluctuations in the body temperature changes that lead us physically toward the moment of sleep. The perfect sleeping temperature, according Osmun, is between 65 and 72 degrees, with most individuals benefiting from temperatures lower on the spectrum. This may be one of the easier improvements to take advantage of. If you live in a region with hot summers, an investment in quality air conditioning for your home may be worth the investment. 

 

  1. Bedroom Comfort

While this one is a given, there is more to comfort than a few good pillows. Generally speaking, we know that sleep depends on our comfort level, but we may not know just how much of a difference our bed posture, head cushions, and sleep accessories can make to our overall sleep quality and proper support. Some sleep specialists recommend weighted blankets for some sleep problems, particularly for sleep walking or bad dreams. Memory foam or other gel mattresses can provide a number of benefits. And air fresheners, floral scents, and purifiers can contribute to healthy breathing as well as the release of endorphins, our pleasure hormones, throughout the night. 

 

  1. Bedroom Schedule

One of the most important aspects of the bedroom environment is how you use it. If you’re having difficulties falling or staying asleep, or the quality of your sleep is less than satisfactory, you will need to take your schedule seriously. When your ideal bedtime arrives, stop what you’re doing and get yourself in bed. And leave your work at work. For those who work in the home, it is extremely important to set a schedule and abide by it. This also means limiting your caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol intake several hours before bed. If sleep is an issue, almost everything you do at night is affecting your ability to rest. And if you can’t stick to your schedule, your sleep will undoubtedly suffer as a result. 

 

Sweet Dreams

In summary, we are products of our environments, and our habits reflect the nature of the spaces in which we live. The more we create our spaces in the interest of good health and good sleep, the easier it will be to get the proper rest we require in our daily lives. Each of these suggestions is a small step in the direction of a sleep-friendly atmosphere, but together they represent a comprehensive plan for a better life, whether you have a serious sleep disorder or simply appreciate the many benefits of deep, restful, and uninterrupted slumber.



Sources

Amerisleep.com - https://www.amerisleep.com/blog/ask-science-is-cold-good-for-sleep/

Apartmenttherapy.com - https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/better-sleep-allergy-relief-how-to-banish-dust-mites-from-your-bed-199452

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health  - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8700927/

LiveScience - https://www.livescience.com/19462-fall-asleep.html

ResMed - https://www.resmed.com/au/en/consumer/diagnosis-and-treatment/sleep-apnea/sleep-apnea-treatment/falling-asleep-on-cpap.html

Scientific Reports - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5638812/

Sleep.org - https://www.sleep.org/articles/how-lights-affect-sleep/

Sleepfoundation.org - https://www.sleepfoundation.org/melatonin

Time - http://time.com/4694555/pink-noise-deep-sleep-improve-memory/