You Will Sleep Better if You Do These 5 Things to Your
Bedroom
Posted on May 6, 2014 by The
Alternative Daily
Getting a
good night’s sleep is probably one of the most important things you can do for
your health, as your body repairs and restores itself during those precious six
to eight hours each night.
Yet
according to the National Sleep Foundation, over 40 million Americans suffer
from sleep disorders, and an overwhelming 60 percent of adults report having
difficulty sleeping a few nights a week or more.
This is
significant, since lack of sleep has been linked to several chronic conditions
affecting the cardiovascular, nervous and immune systems, as well as disrupting
the metabolic functions of the body. And if you’ve ever been around a
sleep-deprived person before, you know that moodiness and irritability are two
of the most noticeable side effects.
Before you
run to the pharmacy in search of dangerous and addictive sleeping pills or
potions, you may want to take a good look at your bedroom. The atmosphere of
this all-important room can make or break your sleep cycle. Here are five key
changes you can make to your bedroom to ensure a good night’s rest:
1. Invest
in a comfortable bed. According to the National Sleep Foundation, 93
percent of people surveyed agreed that a comfortable mattress played a key role
in their ability to sleep well. Comfortable sheets, pillows and blankets also
ranked high on the list. Make sure you invest in a quality mattress and replace
it every seven years.
Also be sure
that the mattress suits your needs. Do you have a partner or pets that share
the bed? Do you need more or less support? Is the mattress only comfortable for
one of you, and leaves the other tossing and turning? Be sure to invest in a
suitable mattress for your situation.
2. Keep
your bedroom dark. The presence of light interferes with your body’s
ability to secrete the sleep-promoting hormone, melatonin. Prepare your body
for sleep by dimming the lights and turning off all electronics, especially
televisions. Make sure your room is as dark as possible once you are in bed by
turning off hallway lights, as well as closing blinds to block out any outside
lights.
3. Dial
down the thermostat. Your body temperature naturally decreases while you
sleep. Before you get into bed, turn your thermostat down between five and ten
degrees below the daytime setting to ease your body into slumber. You may want
the room even cooler if you share the bed with a partner or pets, or if you use
heavier bedding.
4. Keep work
outside the bedroom. You wouldn’t sleep in your office (though you may have been
tempted), so don’t work in your bedroom. Remove anything that doesn’t have to
do with sleeping or implies work or stress-related activities. That means no
exercise equipment, computers, telephones or tablets. There’s no need to be
reminded of unanswered emails or missed workouts – you can tackle those
problems tomorrow.
5. Turn down
the volume. Another reason to keep your bedroom free of electronics: all
of their alerts, notifications, bells and whistles can jar you out of a weak
sleep cycle. Keep anything that may chirp, beep or ring outside of the bedroom,
and if you need to fall asleep to the sounds of a television, be sure to set
the sleep timer so it doesn’t wake you hours later.
For other
noises you can’t control, try to drown them out with a white noise machine or
play a CD of relaxing sounds, such as ocean waves. For those who require
complete silence, a pair of earplugs may be the best investment you can make.
-The
Alternative Daily
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