Creating an ideal sleeping environment is absolutely essential to getting a good night’s rest. It can also play a crucial role in the process of identifying and diagnosing sleep disorders (if present). A sleep environment is, unfortunately, not something many people think about when they think about having sleeping problems. But, a sleep environment can make all the difference in the world.
Having a good sleep environment means setting one up. The primary things to include in a proper sleep environment are:
Does your room hit all of these marks? If not, this could contribute to any existing sleep trouble. If you are having sleep trouble, the first thing you might do is ensure that your sleep environment is not the cause of your sleep problems. Let’s look at each of these in more detail.
Your room should be really dark, pitch black. If you live out in the country, away from city lights, this is much easier for you – you might not even need blackout curtains.
However, most people live in our near city lights. If that’s you, blackout curtains will really help to block out that light. More importantly, living in Alaska we have a handful of months out of the year where it’s light no matter where you live. No outside lights should be visible from your room.
You can make blackout curtains yourself, or buy them online for relatively cheap (about $20). Some things to keep in mind with blackout curtains are:
In the same vein of thought, make sure no lights are on inside your house, such as night lights, flashing lights from electronics, etc. Remember, your room should be almost pitch black! Especially in our summers here in Alaska, this is a must.
As nice as it is to snuggle up in bed at night and watch TV or a movie, or play around on your computer or phone – get sources of blue light out of your room. Don’t use them before bed.
Blue light significantly interrupts melatonin production, which is the hormone that helps you regulate sleep. In the hour before bed, you should avoid blue light, including computers, phones, and television.
Having these items in your room before bed is usually too much of a temptation. Your best bet is to just keep them out of your room.
It’s amazing how much difference a nice sleeping arrangement will make in getting a good night’s sleep. Not only are nice sleep arrangement comfortable, they can:
For a nice chunk of change, you can get a top of the line sleep setup (sheets, pillows, mattress). Don’t have several thousand dollars lying around? For a couple hundred dollars you can get high thread count sheets, a contoured memory foam pillow, and a thick memory foam topper for your bed.
A nice smelling room will relax you and, over time, the particular scent will help condition your body to prepare for sleep.
Diffusers tend to be the most convenient, as you don’t have to blow the candle out and deal with the smoke smell before bed, and you can buy a diffuser with a timer.
Do you deal with car noise? Neighbor noise? Noise from others in your house? No problem. Get a fan. While a quiet room is generally ideal for sleeping, there’s no denying that white noise can help drown out outside noise. Some people even prefer white noise for sleeping.
However, if the noise is coming from inside your room, such as a snoring partner, use earplugs. They can be hard to get used to using, as they are a distraction, but many thousands of people comfortably adjust to using them and blocking out a noisy bed partner.
Lastly, don’t underestimate the power of a clean room. A clean, tidy room tends to smell better (easier to clean) and feel better.
If you live in Alaska and have created a nice sleeping environment but are still struggling with sleep issues, it’s definitely time to consult with your doctor or a sleep specialist. Take our free online sleep test to get started.