When sleep doesn’t come easily, it can be frustrating to say the least. But having the right bedroom environment can really help! Here are 3 simple bedroom tricks to give you better sleep.

Your bedroom is your sanctuary (or it should be)

Ideally, your bedroom is a peaceful oasis at the end of a hectic day. Your sanctuary. Some of you may even count down the minutes until you get to crawl under your duvet and lay your weary head on your pillow (I’m thinking of you, parents). Bedtime means you are finally free from your boss’s demands. There’s no more scrubbing toddler graffiti from the walls, and any work you need to do can be done tomorrow.

But when you’re suffering from insomnia, that oasis can become a place of misery. You end up tossing and turning for hours. You might even start to dread the walk down the hall to your bedroom, knowing that your cozy-looking bed isn’t going to save you. It is just going to be a source of frustration again.

your bedroom environment impacts on your sleep

If sleepless nights are on your mind, try not to worry. Believe it or not, your bedroom environment can actually have a big impact on your ability to fall asleep.  With just a few simple tweaks, you can make it easier for yourself to drift off to slumberland and start to sleep peacefully again. Here are my 3 simple bedroom tricks for better sleep.

1. Begin a quest for utter darkness

Did you know that some types of light wreak havoc on our body’s ability to produce melatonin, the sleepy hormone? Specifically blue-frequency light. BUT 99% of us sleep better in a dark (really dark) room, without any light. I want you to hunt down all offending sources of light in your bedroom and snuff them out. Be ruthless. That little sliver where the moon creeps in through your blinds? It’s got to go. That lava lamp you got as a gift? Unplug it. And any sensor lights from televisions, laptops or other electronic devices should be covered up (or taken right out of the bedroom). Basically, you need to go into your bedroom, turn off the lights at night and look around. If you see ANYTHING other than blackness, find the cause and deal with it.

2. Ditch the clock

One thing many insomniacs have in common is clock-watching. And it’s a terrible idea. You know how it goes…you can’t fall asleep for what feels like hours, so you check your clock and see that yes indeed, it’s now 2:00 a.m.. Then you start the math. “If I fall asleep NOW, I will get five hours’ sleep, so I may get through the board meeting with a coffee or three…” But then you don’t fall asleep right away, so you check again…and again…and again, each time you’re getting more and more anxious. If you really have to set an alarm for yourself, set your phone, and then turn it to silent mode and shove it in a drawer. Do not open that drawer until the alarm goes off. Trust me, you will be saving yourself a lot of grief.

3. Make your bed

What does bedmaking have to do with sleeping well, you ask? Well, interestingly, there are studies that show that making your bed can make you feel less anxious about hopping into bed. Indeed, here’s one: a survey by Hunch.com: where 68,000 people were asked about their bed-making habits. In this survey, 71 percent of bed makers considered themselves happy, while 62 percent of non-bed-makers admitted to being unhappy. Coincidence? Bed makers were also more likely to like their jobs, exercise regularly and feel well rested. Comparatively, non-bed-makers didn’t like their jobs, and tended to wake up tired. So there you go, it seems like making your bed in the morning, which is only about a two-minute investment in time, is probably worth it.

Will you give them a go?

So, what do you say? Are you willing to give these things a try? I’m not saying they will magically make your insomnia go away, especially if it’s deep rooted. But the more you do to give your body the chance to slip off to sleep without anxiety or distraction, the more chance you have of kicking any sleepless nights, forever.

 Sleep can be complex. If you’d like some help, please book in a free initial call to learn more. Because the investment in sleep is well worth it!