Getting good quality sleep is incredibly important if you want to function at your highest level and be able to get the most from your day, whether at work or at home.
Poor sleep leads to stress and depression, as well as aches and pains that can cause long-term health problems. More and more people are now understanding the importance of good sleep, and what they can do to improve the quality of their rest, and their quality of life with it.
The environment you sleep in is more important than many people think, and if you are looking for ways to improve your sleeping, then your sleeping environment is one of the first things you should take a look at. You will spend a third of your life asleep, so don’t underestimate the importance of a healthy sleeping environment, and how it can impact the other two-thirds of your life.
Make Your Room a Palace of Sleep
If you want to maximize the quality of your sleep and how much you get, then you may need to change how you think and see your bedroom.
Your bedroom should only be used for sleep, and if you have a corner office space in your room or a space you use to handle your laundry, then these can act as subconscious distractions preventing you from rest. Make your bedroom a single-use space for sleep and nothing else.
Clear Out the Clutter
A tidy space is a sign of a rested mind. If your room is in a constant mess, then this could be affecting how you sleep.
Make sure your room is tidy, with a place for everything and everything in its place. Clear away any paperwork that belongs elsewhere in your home, as well as any dirty dishes and cutlery. You want your sleeping environment to be peaceful and clean, to help you relax and drift into a deep and regenerative sleep. Having distractions in your room make it harder to get to sleep and stay asleep.
Get a Comfortable Bed Made
Your bed is one of the most important pieces of furniture you own and probably goes under-appreciated. In an ideal world, everyone gets eight hours of sleep, which is a third of the day. You spend a lot of your time in bed, so it deserves some investment.
Buying a memory foam mattress is often a great way to improve your quality of sleep without having to spend too much money. They can turn even the most basic bed frame into something more luxurious.
Pillows are an important piece of the puzzle too. If you buy cheap pillows, you can expect a poor night’s sleep, so spend a little extra in this area.
Try and Keep Your Bedroom Dark
Humans are made to sleep at night, it is a part of our natural ‘circadian rhythm’. You should try and make your bedroom as dark as possible at night. Cracks of light from outside coming through the drapes or blinds can be distracting, so consider fitting ‘blackout’ blinds or covers that will keep the light out at night.
Keep Electronics Out of Your Bedroom
The biggest reasons people are not getting enough sleep are their cellphones and televisions. Staying up to watch ‘just one more’ episode of your favorite show, or scrolling through social media costs people hundreds of hours sleep a year, and simply isn’t worth it. Try keeping your cellphone face down in your bedroom, if you have to have it there at all, and consider removing your television altogether.
There are lots of things that can steal sleep from you. Most of these problems can be solved by planning ahead and making your sleeping environment a better place to rest.
