You make your kitchen appetizing, your living room welcoming, and your bathroom at least hygienic (and sometimes cute!) but for some reason, people often neglect to make their bedroom what it should be…and that is restful. It often just becomes the place where we stash our clothes and our beds. But if the purpose of your bedroom is to give you a place to sleep, then you should design it accordingly. The environment in which you sleep really can affect your mindset, and your ability to relax. If you are someone who struggles with insomnia, then you need all the help that you can get, especially if you’re trying to stay away from sleeping pills. Here are ways to make your bedroom a more restful place.
Location
If you are moving into a multi-room home and you have the option to choose the location of your bedroom, consider this: sleep away from the action. In other words, if all of your neighbor’s front doors are on one side of the building, set up your room on the other side, so you aren’t disturbed by their hustle and bustle.
Make it dark
Whether you want wooden shutters or black out curtains, find a way to make it totally dark in your room. Light from a street light peering in can make you, on a subconscious level, believe that the day is still going on.
Get your desk out of there
There should not be anything affiliated with your work in your bedroom. Tax documents have no place near your bed; their mere presence will cause you stress.
Eliminate blinking lights
From routers, laptop chargers, cell phone chargers and the like. You don’t need the reminder of technology in your room; it will make you get up to check emails.
Natural linens
Synthetic sheets will cause you to sweat at night, which will of course cause you to wake up and toss them off. Choose bedding made from natural fabrics that won’t cause you to itch or sweat.
Easy on the furniture
You don’t need much furniture in your bedroom. A nightstand, a vanity for your jewelry, and maybe a cozy chair for guests should do the trick. If you clutter the room with too much furniture, you can have a difficult time relaxing.
Bring in nature
Images of nature, whether those are photographs, paintings, real plants or fake plants, are very soothing. Images of, say, your favorite band or a busy city, are not.
Add these smells
Jasmine, lavender, vanilla, cucumber and cake—yes, cake!—are all soothing scents. Get candles or essential oils that smell like these, and activate them at night. Meanwhile, if you have a trash bin in your bedroom, clear it out regularly, so it doesn’t cause any funky smells.
Store books in another room
If you like to read before going to sleep, then you can keep the one book you are currently reading on your nightstand. The rest of your books, however, should be in another room rather than staring you down with all of the adventure and stories inside of them.