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There are a few bedroom health habits you can try if you are among the millions of people who can’t achieve good sleep no matter what you try. You might need to make some changes and invest some money, but it is all worth it in the end. Focusing on quality sleep will enhance your life in ways you didn’t think possible, from removing electronics to finding the best temperature.
Keep the Place Clean and Tidy
Like any room, the bedroom feels much more inviting when it is clean and tidy. This means decluttering the space and ensuring it is regularly dusted, wiped, and vacuumed. Most people do this every couple of days, but you can set a routine, such as every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Of course, there are bedroom-specific issues, and you may need bed bug exterminators in the event that these critters decide to invade your home, or follow you home from vacation.
Remove All Electronics and Screens
Electronics in the bedroom can be a major inhibitor of good quality sleep. Smartphones are a perfect example as they emit blue light, disrupt sleep with Wi-Fi signals, and wake you up when someone texts, calls, or sends a notification. However, they aren’t the only culprit, and you should remove all electronics. Electrical devices emit light, hum, and interfere with sleep. So, unless you genuinely need an electronic device in the room, it’s best to remove them entirely.
Sound and Light Bedroom Health Habits
You aren’t alone if you have sleep issues, as around 70 million Americans put up with disrupted sleep cycles, nightmares, and outright insomnia. Of course, there are tons of reasons why a good night’s sleep is important, including muscle repair, mind restoration, and even looking healthy. For a healthy sleep, most people need darkness and quiet, and focusing on these with blackout blinds and soundproofing can genuinely make a massive difference to your sleep.
Find Your Optimal Temperature
Your body temperature can rise significantly when you sleep, meaning the room itself needs to be cooler than you would usually like. If not, you can become too hot, and this will wake you up or cause you to have lower-quality sleep. Experts recommend that bedroom temperature be set to around 65°F or 19°C, with cooling and breathable bedding made from natural materials. If possible, it also helps to use fans or open the window to keep circulating cooling and fresh air.
Only Use the Bed for Sleeping
When you use a specific room for something, your brain is programmed to expect that action whenever you are in there. This means that if you always watch TV in bed, your brain is more excited by that prospect than by sleeping. So even when you design the ideal room for sleep, your efforts are for nothing if you don’t use the room exclusively for it. Remove the TV and begin going to bed at the same time each night to program your brain for getting ready for bedtime.
Summary
Keeping the space clean and tidy is the best first step to developing bedroom health habits that can help you sleep better. Of course, any good sleep environment needs to be dark and quiet, and it helps to reset your bedtime routine, so you only use the space for sleeping, and not TV!