Are you getting the most out of your bedroom*

No sleep series would be complete without talking about sleep and devices next week!

One last area before we get to that however is the “Sleep Environment “

Bed companies would have you buying a new bed, pillow companies create a zillion types of pillows and so on, all in an attempt to sell their product and sell you the idea of a perfect night’s sleep

Is this vital? Does it really work? And what else do we need to address?

For those of you who have been following the series - you know that re-training yourself to sleep includes all the factors in all of my articles:

Exercise, day time light (blue light), preparation for bed, creating a routine and learning how to manage when you wake during the night.

Now we address creating the best environment to encourage quality sleep.

When we consider our sleep environment, we need to create an association that bed is for sleep only.

Now consider our senses and remove distractions (including technology - more on this next week).

Sound, Smell, Sight, Taste, Touch.

We are aiming for cool, quiet, dark, comfortable environment, free of interruptions.

Temperature:

Aim for a warm 16°-18°C (60°-64°F) room. This is very important. Warm and very cold are sedative temperatures, cool is stimulating! So temperatures outside of 16°-18°C (60°-64°F) can cause restlessness and can make it more difficult to drop off. Hot, cold or draughty rooms can seriously impact on your sleep, in particular REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.

You can use a fan (this will produce white noise which can assist you).

Our brain and body need to drop core temperature to initiate sleep.

Plus we need to stay cool overnight.

Our coldest is about 4am, which corresponds with us being most sleepy.

Sound:

Consider noise. Sudden noises can rouse us. You can use a fan to keep cool and this will provide white noise which can help. White noise can create a soothing hum and can mask other sounds. . A number of electronic gadgets are also available to produce white noise. If you don’t want white noise you can consider ear plugs.

Sight:

We need to eliminate light. Options include a mask and black out curtains. Also shutting the door. We want darkness (light reduces melatonin production, light helps circadian rhythm. We have light receptors in our eyes (not for seeing) inside 1000LUX, outside 70k-80k lux. You can use black out shades to eliminate early morning light.

Smell:

We can consider freshly laundered bedding and sheet. Also aromatherapy - lavender drops on the pillowcase help create a soothing and relaxing state.

Bedroom setup :

If you have pets that sleep in your bed or in your room at night, think about putting them out, especially if they seek attention.

Get rid of clutter. ​​A messy, cluttered bedroom can affect you more than you might think, especially when it comes to bedtime.

Consider your walls - eg paint colour. Also furniture placing (check out Feng Shui for more on this).

And last but not least - turn off your cell phones at night so that any emails or texts you receive will not disturb your sleep.

A quality night’s sleep is vital for our health - both short term and long term.

Sleep helps us balance out our emotional state especially when it comes to negativity.

Day time impairment includes fatigue, malaise, difficulty concentrating or paying attention or remembering things, impairment to social, professional or academic performance; irritability and mood disturbances; excessive daytime sleepiness; hyperactivity, aggression and other behavioural issues, increased risks for errors and accidents.

Remember - when learning to sleep - do ALL the tips from ALL the articles.

The Sleeping Series©

*sleeping