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Have you ever found yourself staring at the ceiling in the middle of the night despite being exhausted after a full day of work and stress? Sometimes, all it takes to prevent the twisting and turning and fall right asleep is to tweak the design of your room and make a few lifestyle adjustments.
Before you transform into a night owl, with several layers of eyebags and a sudden craving to take up night-time knitting lessons, take a look at the following steps you can take in order to increase your bedroom’s sleepability and enjoy every second of your zzz’s before your head hits the pillow!
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Keep an Eye on Temperature
If you’re a warmth-loving lizard like myself, then you might be in the habit of keeping your bedroom windows shut for the best part of the day, and purposefully avoiding lowering your room temperature when it’s finally sleep o’clock.
However, rooms that are too hot are one of the main culprits of poor sleeping habits, leading you to either stay awake for too long, or make you feel drowsy and sluggish in the morning. Think somewhere along the lines of 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit, and your room will be perfectly crisp and fresh to tell your body it’s time for some shut-eye.
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Rethink Your Color Palette
This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill – if you choose to paint your bedroom in neon green with splashes of crimson red, then you shouldn’t be surprised to find yourself wondering about the meaning of life at three in the morning.
A soothing shade of sky blue, soft green or yellow, or any creamy, pastel hue of your choice can be incredibly sleep-inducing. Avoid grey, purple and brown at all cost, and make sure that your accent colors are not too vibrant to cause a disturbance in the sleepy force of your bedroom.
Learn more about the connection between color and mood in The Psychology of Color.
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Air Quality Matters
For people who suffer from allergies or asthma, but even for the rest of us all-year-round, there are so many airborne irritants that can wreak havoc on our quality of sleep. Think pollen, dust, smoke, soot, pet dander and other pollution buildup, all of which makes it close to impossible to breathe freely and enjoy uninterrupted sleep.
To that end, finding a HEPA air purifier for your bedroom can keep your indoor air clean, without making excessive noise or messing up the Feng Shui of your décor. In fact, it makes for quite an asset, since it will seamlessly fit in with any room design and you’ll even forget it’s there after a while, but your lungs will surely be able to tell the difference.
Find five more ways to improve your indoor air quality that will also keep toxic emissions at bay and improve overall health.
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Think Minimal Thoughts
Just like clutter destroys your focus and plays tricks on your mind during those creative hours of the day, a chaotic bedroom can also affect your mindset when it’s time to turn in. On the other hand, if your design revolves around purpose, then your bed will be the centerpiece of your bedroom décor as well.
Some items that are commonly placed in the bedroom and don’t belong there are TV sets, exercise equipment, and similar action-inspiring things should be moved to a different area of your home. Keep it a private, Zen nook and make sure that even the smallest details, such as your photos, reflect a serene mindset that will help you sleep.
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Revise Your Bedding
Even if you do comply with all the tips above, yet still choose to sleep on a disturbingly uncomfortable mattress with bedding of equally poor quality – your efforts will be futile, to say the least. Yes, I realize that spending time to think about mattresses and bedding is nowhere near exciting or glamorous, but it’s essential for quality sleep.
Find a suitable replacement for your bedding by looking for hypoallergenic materials, test a mattress before you choose the one with the right firmness for you and, by all means, use separate blankets with your partner, so that both of you can sleep comfortably without hogging the covers.
Catherine is a passionate home design consultant from Melbourne. She loves making homes beautiful and buildings sustainable, but she also like sharing her advice and knowledge with people. That is why she is also a regular contributor to the Smooth Decorator blog. Besides all this, she loves reading and enjoys a superhero movie from time to time. Find her on Facebook and Twitter.
