Even though we all need to sleep at least seven hours each night, millions of Americans have difficulty falling asleep in their own homes. What gives?
Turns out, it can be tough to sleep for a variety of reasons, including insomnia, too much screen time, and interior home designs that don’t facilitate positive sleeping patterns. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how you can design your home for better sleep each night.
Get Rid of Bedroom Clutter
One great way to immediately make your home more comfortable for sleep – and your bedroom more navigable! – it to get rid of unnecessary clutter. It’s tough to feel comfortable enough to get a good night’s rest if there’s lots of clutter everywhere you look, particularly on your bed or on the floors of your bedroom.
Get rid of junk that you don’t need, throw away trash, and put your dirty clothes in the hamper. Your bedroom will look and feel much more comfortable, we promise!
Leave Work Stuff Out of the Bedroom – Especially Electronics!
You’ll also want to keep any work materials, including computers, papers, and other work accessories out of your bedroom at all costs.
This is especially pertinent for electronics, which can negatively affect your circadian rhythm: the biological rhythm that helps release hormones to wake you up and put you to sleep based on daylight conditions.
If you leave work stuff in your bedroom, your brain will start to think of your bedroom as a working place instead of a comfortable place to sleep. Furthermore, electronic devices like computers and tablets emit blue light, which can trick your brain into thinking that it’s morning.
The reverse is also true; clean up your bedroom and keep work stuff away from your bed, and your brain will gradually become more comfortable sleeping come nighttime.
Leverage Circadian Lighting
Speaking of the circadian rhythm, you should look into circadian lighting, which can be installed throughout your home. Circadian lighting uses special LEDs or tunable lights that alter their wavelength, color, and intensity to better reflect daytime light outside. You can check out examples of these lights among BIOS LED lighting options.
Our brains are hardwired to start producing sleeping hormones as the sun sets and emits more red light. If you install circadian lighting throughout your home, and especially in your bedroom, you can trick your brain into thinking that the sun is setting and reach sleep a lot more easily.
Lower the Temperature at Night
Our bodies rest more comfortably when the temperature is a few degrees below daytime levels. To this effect, set your thermostat to lower the temperature by a few degrees at night.
This will help your body dump heat and regenerate from daily wear and tear. It’ll also help you snuggle up in your covers, helping you to feel comfy and secure in your blankets!
Get a Comfortable Bed!
Lastly, invest in a comfortable mattress and comforter set if you haven’t already. It’s really difficult to get a good night’s rest on a bad mattress, especially if the mattress has a lot of stains, broken springs, or pits.
Look into a comfortable mattress made of memory foam or a similar material for an even better sleeping experience. Your mattress, when taken care of properly, should also last you for years to come, providing you with many nights of comfortable rest.
In the end, you’ll want to leverage each of these strategies in order to make the most of your sleep time. Get a new bed, install circadian lighting, and do your best to put the screens away about an hour before bedtime. You’ll be surprised how much easier it is to fall asleep!
