“Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone.”
- Anthony Burgess
- Invest in the Right Mattress
According to a National Sleep Foundation survey, 93 percent of respondents consider a comfortable mattress important to a good night’s sleep. Sleep impacts our bodies in a big way. Quality sleep will aid in improving memory, focus, lowering stress, balancing blood pressure, increasing productivity, heightening happiness, lowering weight, avoiding aging prematurely and increasing your lifespan. With a mattress that’s fit for your needs, your body is properly supported. This helps lower stress against pressure-sensitive parts of your body such as your hip, shoulder, ankle, and even ribs. With the correct mattress your spine is aligned with the rest of your body and your body weight is well distributed. Popular ideal mattresses include medium-firm memory foam, latex, or coil spring to ensure you are well supported. The benefits of a new mattress can be felt throughout your day. You will experience muscle relief and a more positive outlook on life in being well rested.
- Use a Sound Machine
Ambient white noise reduces the difference between background sounds and disruptive noises, making it easier for you to sleep without disruption. When a noise wakes you up in the middle of the night, it's not necessarily the noise itself that wakes you up, but the sudden change or impact of the sound that can wake you up. White noise creates a sort of masking effect, blocking out those fluctuations of sound that disrupts sleep. Even if you are awakened, the soothing sound of white noise can make it a lot easier for you to fall back asleep. Raj Dasgupta, MD, assistant professor of clinical medicine and sleep expert at Keck Medicine of USC, compares it to a soft, steady glow of a night light, versus an overhead light being switched on and off. Investing in a sleep machine will do you wonders. There are various machines to choose from on the market that produce various sounds to fit your needs. Check out our article Top 10 Must-Have Bedroom Items from Amazon to find an amazing sound machine to invest in!
- Aromatherapy
Essential oils can be a powerful way to help ease your nerves and encourage a better quality of sleep. Lavender essential oil is praised as a natural sleep aid. The National Institutes of Health research shows that using lavender oil decreases blood pressure, lowers heart rate and cools skin temperature in sleepers. Those who used lavender for sleep aid reported feeling recharged and relaxed. In general, essential oils can have many different benefits, such as weakening some viral infections, strengthening the immune system and easing feelings of anxiety. Our sense of smell is interestingly wired to memory and emotion. This means smells travel to the limbic (emotional) system of the brain, which includes areas such as the amygdala, which triggers our reactions and memory. Who knew smell could make such a big impact on our emotions and the way we respond! Research the benefits of various scents and choose one that you feel captivates you and provides benefits tailored for your own personal needs.
- Declutter
In 2011, neuroscience researchers found clearing clutter in your home and work space resulted in increased focus and made processing information easier. The visual distraction of clutter overwhelms the brain and can even take a toll on our memory. This is why we should be sure to free our space, especially the bedroom, from clutter. Multiple studies have also found a correlation between clutter and poor eating choices. Chaotically cluttered environments led participants in a study to eat more snacks, eating twice as many cookies than participants in a clutter free environment. Other research has shown that being in a messy room will make you twice as likely to eat a chocolate bar than an apple. Decluttering is essential for both mentally and physically well being.
- Remove the TV
With no TV in the bedroom, you are committing yourself to a better quality of sleep. You might not think much about how you’ll sleep when you’re watching an action packed movie right before bed, but chances are, it won’t be quality rest. What you watch before you slip into sleep greatly impacts how well you will sleep. For example, a horror or action movie will keep you awake throughout the night because your body has built up adrenaline. The TV also causes eye strain. Think back to point 2 in this article on how disruptive sounds can be compared to harsh lights. Eyestrain can trigger headaches or migraines, impacting your sleep and your levels of productivity in the following day. This is why many people opt for removing the TV from their bedroom. It is best to save watching TV for the living room and use your bedroom as a space for relaxing, unwinding, and most importantly, sleep.