How to Make Your Bedroom a Sanctuary: 3 Steps to Preparing Your Room for a Better Night’s Sleep
Your bedroom is not merely a spot to lay your head at night. With the right changes, you can turn your bedroom into an oasis of total mind and body rejuvenation.
Set yourself up for a better night’s rest by making conscious adjustments to your bedroom environment. There are a few key details to pay attention to that can make all the difference in how well you sleep and how refreshed you feel each morning.
In this post, we’ll cover the three steps you can take to design and prepare your bedroom for a better night’s rest.
1. Build a Custom Sleep System
The foundation for a better night’s sleep is your bed set-up. Your bed should be custom to your needs—your body shape, height and size, and whether you tend to sleep hot or cold. Consider also your preferred sleep position and whether you like a firm or a soft mattress.
Build a personalized sleep system with the following bed-building basics.
Sleep System Mattress
Your mattress is the centerpiece of your bedroom, giving you the support and comfort you need to get a deep, restorative sleep. When choosing a mattress for your sleep system, there are some critical qualities to look for:
- Support—how well the mattress is able to keep your spine in neutral alignment
- Firmness—the range of how stiff or plush the mattress material is
- Construction—the material the mattress is made from such as springs, memory foam, gel or latex
- Size—how big or small your mattress should be for your size and for your partner
The ideal mattress should be constructed to naturally contour your body, relieving pressure points along your spine and across your hips.
Sleep System Bed Base or Foundation
A proper bed base or foundation is just as essential as the mattress itself when it comes to preparing your room for deep sleep.
Bed bases and foundations serve important functions including:
- Stabilizing your mattress
- Extending mattress longevity
- Adding height to improve mobility
Adjustable bed bases add further ergonomic customization, allowing you to select the ideal recline position for your comfort. Selecting a custom recline position helps you relieve back pain, prevent snoring, reduce acid reflux, promote digestion and alleviate swelling.
Many models allow you to pre-program your personalized settings so you can achieve the right positioning each night without having to constantly readjust.
Sleep System Pillows and Bedding
Pillows are essential to high-quality sleep because they can either promote or prevent neck pain. With the proper pillow, you can ensure that your spine remains in a neutral alignment throughout the night, reducing the risk of pinched nerves and neck muscle tension.
With pillow options for back and side sleepers, as well as specialty pillows like CPAP pillows and pillows for neck pain, you can find the right option for your preferences.
Don’t overlook the importance of high-quality linens in helping you achieve a better night’s sleep. The best bed linens are soft, durable and provide cooling relief by increasing air circulation throughout the night.
2. Select Calming Bedroom Decor
While your bed is the pillar of your nightly rest, your bedroom itself plays a key role in helping you get the sleep you need. When preparing your room for a better night’s sleep, consider how your decor can improve your ability to relax.
The following ideas, like choosing the right colors and keeping a neat and tidy bedroom, can foster a sense of calm that leads to better sleep.
Choosing a Calming Bedroom Color Scheme
Different colors are known to impact our mood in varying ways. Because your bedroom is your escape from the hustle of daily life, it should have a soothing color palette, consisting of warm and personally appealing colors. For some people, this will mean light pastels, while for others it will mean deep and rich tones.
In addition to paint colors, consider the colors and textures of your flooring, area rugs, window treatments and furniture. Choose a color scheme that’s cohesive and avoid items that are cold, or harsh. It’s important to feel at ease in your bedroom so that your mind and body can achieve the deep relaxation that’s needed in order to sleep well.
How to Declutter Your Bedroom
For many people, clutter can cause stress, which impedes our ability to sleep deeply. When your bedroom is in disarray or is too crowded with items, it may make it difficult to mentally relax before bed. A sense of disorganization can linger in the back of your mind, causing you to associate your bedroom with chaos or disruption, which is a major barrier to getting a good night’s sleep.
When preparing your bedroom, take a few minutes to clean up any loose ends. Remove dishes, paperwork or other non-bedroom items and put away laundry or stack books neatly. Getting into the habit of tidying your room can help prevent you from feeling overwhelmed by clutter.
Personalized Touches
While it’s important to remove items that don’t belong in your bedroom, it’s equally as valuable to bring in items that put you in a positive mental state. Your bedroom should elicit feelings of warmth and ease, so choose to incorporate items like photos of happy memories with friends and family. Place mementos, heirlooms and other keepsakes in a visible location to help facilitate a calm mood while you get ready for bed.
Along with your choice of paint and furnishing colors, add personal touches, like wall hangings and art pieces that promote serenity. Remove any decor items or objects that trigger stress or anxiety so that your bedroom becomes a haven of total tranquility.
3. How to Create a Relaxing Bedroom Atmosphere
Once you’ve got your perfect bedroom set-up with your ideal bed system and custom bedroom decor, it’s now time to create an environment that’s conducive to sleep. Your bedroom’s ambiance should address all five senses, allowing your nervous system to switch into relaxation mode completely.
To prepare your room for a better night’s sleep, follow the below tips for creating the perfect ambiance for rest and relaxation.
Best Light for Sleep
Light is one of the leading factors that contribute to how well you sleep. The brain responds to varying levels of light as a cue for producing sleep hormones. The darker your bedroom is, the sooner your body will know it’s time for rest and the faster you’ll fall asleep.
Ensuring your bedroom is as dark as possible is one of the most essential ways to prepare your bedroom at night. Hanging blackout curtains is one way to stop outdoor light from infiltrating your bedroom. It’s also good to cover any light-emitting electronics or remove them from your room. Contouring sleep masks can also help block out light by shielding your eyes from disruptive light.
Best Noise Level for Sleeping
In an ideal world, we’d be able to sleep in total silence. However, sounds from throughout the home or outside often cause sleep disturbances. Being repeatedly woken up throughout the night by sounds can negatively affect sleep quality and overall well-being. If you live in an urban environment with street traffic or other inconsistent sounds, consider using a white noise machine or a fan to help drown out the sounds.
If external noise isn’t an issue for you, you may want to consider how sound can help promote deeper sleep. Use clocks, apps and other devices to play soothing sounds or music before bed to help make your bedroom feel like a retreat.
Best Temperature for Sleep
A bedroom that’s excessively hot can make for an uncomfortable sleep. While the ideal temperature varies from person to person, a recommended range for bedroom temperature is between 60 and 71 degrees Fahrenheit (15-20 degrees Celsius).
Core body temperature naturally drops 1-2 degrees before bed to help the body’s systems conserve energy and slow down in preparation for sleep. By relying on layers of breathable blankets and linens you can keep your skin temperature warm while allowing your internal systems to regulate themselves.
Can Aromatherapy Help Sleep?
Another way to prepare your bedroom for a good night’s sleep is to add therapeutic aromas. With aromatherapy, you can instantly turn your bedroom into a relaxing spa-like sanctuary. Scents like lavender, chamomile, ylang-ylang and sandalwood are recommended nighttime essential oils that promote relaxation and sleep.
Turn on your aromatherapy diffuser 20-30 minutes before bed to cultivate the ideal rest environment. While the scents may not wake you from your slumber, it’s good to turn off the diffuser right before you fall asleep so that the aromas don’t disturb you.
Indoor Air Quality for Sleep
When setting up your bedroom for the ultimate night of rest, don’t forget about indoor air quality. Proper ventilation and fresh air are both known contributors to better sleep. Alternatively, issues like dust, mold and other airborne pathogens can disrupt sleep and lead to fatigue throughout the day.
Make sure to regularly clean vents, window sills and any other surfaces where dust or mold may collect. If you have allergies or you tend to get a dry nose and throat while you sleep, consider using a humidifier or air purifier. You can also monitor your indoor quality using devices that help you optimize your bedroom environment.
How to Get a Better Night’s Sleep With Relax The Back
Preparing for a better night’s sleep starts at Relax The Back. Whether you shop online or in-store, you’ll find everything you need to build the perfect custom sleep system. From mattresses and adjustable bases to ergonomic pillows and bed linens, Relax The Back is your source for total sleep wellness. We’re a leading provider of two of the top reputable sleep brands, Tempur-Pedic and Technogel.
Browse our sleep collection or visit a store location near you.
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