Effects of Your Environment on Sleep
Do you struggle to sleep or wake up throughout the night and find yourself exhausted even after a full eight hours of zzz’s? Then, your environment might be doing more than you realise. In terms of sleep, it’s not just how much you get or if you had a crazy busy day – it matters what your brain and body go through in the bedroom. Light, temperature and air quality; even clutter can prevent you from resting as deeply. For details on Bedroom Renovations, visit //www.thekitchenrefurbishmentcompany.co.uk/bedroom-renovations/
Light - one of the speediest ways to mess with your body clock. Light drives how awake or tired you feel. Overhead lighting that is too bright late in the evening can make it more difficult to wind down.
Artificially bright streetlights and early morning light may induce lighter sleep or make the person wake up earlier than they otherwise would.
Warm bedside lamps, dimmable bulbs and blackout blinds or lined curtains can help greatly if outside light is a problem.
Noise – even “white noise”, the ambient sounds that are supposed to cancel out other distractions in your environment, can cause disturbances to restful sleep.
Solutions: draught-proof windows/doors, soft furnishings (rugs and curtains) and acoustic underlay/thicker carpets in upstairs rooms.
Temperature – too hot or too cold (restless sleep)
The last thing you want is a warm or cold, stuffy bedroom to rob your good night’s sleep.
Proper insulation, draught-proofing and a steady background heat that makes it comfortable without having to blast the heating. Letting air in properly is an essential part, and using soft airy bedding is ideal.
The silent slumber saboteurs: Air quality and humidity – the throat and nose get irritated by dry air, and having humid air often leads to condensation, damp smells and mould – all of which are not great for a good night’s sleep.
What works: ventilation, proper extractor fan use (especially if there is a bathroom nearby), and not drying laundry in the bedroom.
Mental noise – clutter and layout
A bedroom that seems too cluttered, messy or visually challenging can have us on “alert” at all times and prevent relaxation. You will always find it harder to switch off if you are stepping over laundry, dodging furniture or surrounded by piles of stuff.
The solution: space, functional storage and a zen-like practicality in the layout.
Small changes around your place can do a lot more for how you sleep than most people think. Do you know what in your bedroom is bugging the heck out of you right now? (light, loud noise, blazing heat, followed by humidity and or a messy space).
