Getting a good night’s sleep is something most adults can only dream of. (See what I did there?) Whether it is difficulty falling asleep or trouble with waking up through the night, it just seems like one of those things you don’t get to have any more when you grow up. But that’s not true! There are some easy changes you can make in your bedroom to help you both fall and stay asleep.
Here are 10 super simple changes to make to your bedroom right now.
1. Declutter Your Space
I don’t know about you, but when I walk into my bedroom and it’s not clean, it definitely heightens my anxiety. It becomes hard to relax and unwind. By keeping your bedroom neat and tidy, it will provide a more calm, relaxed environment to dial down before bed.
2. Clean Bedding
How often do you wash your sheets? Did you know that washing your bedding weekly can improve your health and your sleep? People tend to sleep better on freshly washed bedding and it’s not just because it feels amazing.
Think about all the germs on your body and all the dead skin cells that fall off while tossing and turning at night. Oh, and don’t forget about the dust floating around, too. The longer you go without washing your sheets, the more of these little critters that accumulate on your sheets. This can aggravate your allergies, disrupting your sleep.
3. The Right Pillow
This might sound silly, but the right pillow really makes a world of difference. My husband and I had been talking about upgrading our pillows for a while and just didn’t want to make the purchase, but when we did… boy oh boy! A good, comfy pillow (This one is so comfortable) really does make a difference in your sleep.
4. The Right Scent 
For me, it’s lavender or vanilla, but you can choose any scent at all that you find soothing and calming- or that you just enjoy smelling. Don’t overthink this one. Just pick a candle or essential oil that speaks to you and go with it!
5. The Right Temperature
Most people tend to sleep better at a slightly cooler temperature. Finding the right temperature for you may involve getting a fan, cracking a window or even turning up the heat a little. Find that cozy temperature that’s not too cold, but that you won’t find yourself waking up at 2am sweating in either.
6. No Pets Allowed
I know, I know. We all love our pets, but trust me on this one. No pets in the bed! Allowing your fur-friend into your bed will inevitably end with you twisted like a pretzel, fighting for space. Not ideal for quality sleep. Get your pet a nice, comfy bed of their own they can spread out in and you can keep right by your bed side. Everyone will sleep better this way.
7. White Noise
Many people sleep better through the night using a sound machine. (When my nieces sleep over and bring their sound machine, I sleep like a baby!) These machines work by creating constant sound, as to not startle or awaken you when the room goes from silent to a car door slamming outside.
Our hearing still works while we are sleeping, so if it is quiet and peaceful one moment and noisy the next, this will wake a person up. The white noise created by a sound machine, which can be quite soothing and helpful in getting a person to sleep, helps maintain a consistent volume level to help keep you asleep as well.
8. Don’t Sleep With the TV On
Best case scenario, you won’t even have a TV in your bedroom and you will practice more restful habits, like reading, meditating or stretching before falling asleep. But, if you’re like most people, you will indulge in a little mindless television before falling asleep. If this is the case, be sure to either turn the TV off when you are about to fall asleep or set a timer so it turns off shortly after you start dozing.
The light from the TV is very bright and tells your brain that, since it’s not dark, it’s not time for sleep. This can cause people to struggle to fall asleep. Another issue with leaving the television on all night is that, if you do wake up in the middle of the night, you can easily get hooked into a show or the brightness will again prevent you from falling back asleep.
9. Get a Salt Lamp
It is important to have a balance of positive and negative ions in the atmosphere. If there are too many positive ions (created by electronics and allergens), it can impact a person’s health, mood and sleep. A high quality Himalayan salt lamp can help to reduce the amount of unhealthy positive ions in the air by naturally generating negative ions, similar to things in nature, like ocean waves and lightning storms.
Think about how many electronic devices (positive ions) you have in your bedroom at one time. For me, it’s 2 cell phones, 1 TV and 1 laptop. My salt lamp helps to balance out the energy by creating negative ions.
10. Get Rid of Blue Lights
Exposure to blue light found on your laptop and smart phone at night can throw your circadian rhythm off and reduce the production of melatonin, your sleep hormone. It is ideal to avoid these electronic devices several hours before going to bed. If that is not something you are able to do, then consider downloading f.lux, which can drastically help with this problem.
By downloading f.lux onto all your electronic devices, you can enter in your location and your devices will emit different amounts of light depending on the time of day. The high amounts of blue light we are exposed to from our phones and computers at night can actually confuse our brains into thinking it is still day time and that we need to stay awake. This can greatly impact a person’s ability to fall asleep and the quality of sleep they get once they do.
Here’s to a good night’s sleep!
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