Whether you have a newborn or a child in college, being a parent means sleepless nights. In my household with two little ones under three, no sleep equals a pretty lousy day and all cranky hell breaks loose. With that being said, I want the best for my kids and that means a well-rested mom, who is ready to tackle the day. I’ve tried everything under the roof for sleeping, and I’ve come to find out that not only is it what you do with your body (exercise, melatonin, no coffee or alcohol, etc), but also the actual space you sleep in. Here is a list of four simple things you can do to your bedroom for a blissful night of sleep.
1. Blackout Curtains
Blackout curtains are excellent for blocking outdoor light. Curtains range anywhere from $20 a panel to $100+. Not only can you eliminate light, but some blackout curtains also claim to reduce outside noise by 40 percent. Blackout curtains can help too with energy efficiency, keeping your room cool during the summer and warm in the winter. If curtains aren’t your thing, you can also get blackout roman shades or blinds.
2. No Electronics
So you go through all this trouble to blackout your room, why would you place light in your room by your bed side, or even worse, by your pillow? Take out the TVs, cell phones, tablets, etc! They emit a blue light that really messes with your internal clock. If you want more a more science-y explanation, Google it. It’s kind of crazy what electronics do to your brain and sleep cycle. Good rule of thumb, turn all electronics off an hour before bed and keep them out of the bedroom.
3. Set Comfortable Temperature
When you go to sleep, your body tries to achieve a certain temperature. If you get too cold or too hot, your body will respond and most likely wake you up. In this category, I can’t tell you what your perfect temperature should be, but for our house, it’s around 74 degrees. Anything above and my husband and I are sweating. Anything below, I’m shivering. Consider what you wear to bed as that can affect your sleeping temperature as well.
4. Comfortable/Clean Space
I want you to imagine walking into your favorite spa. What elements make you feel so serene instantly? It’s most likely the look, smell, comfortable furniture, relaxing music, and soft-spoken people. You suddenly feel the urge to read a magazine, sip on citrus infused water, take deep breaths. Now why on earth we don’t try to recreate this in our homes is beyond me. I know it’s not ideal every night, but the least you can do is clean your room and splurge a little on comfortable bedding.
Now on to project spa bedroom. 🙂
How do you get the best sleep?
Great points, thanks for sharing! Curious if you happen to know who sells that fabulous comforter in the picture? I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! Also, I tend to sleep better if I make my bed in the morning – maybe it has to do with the “clean space” thing!!
Hello Veronica!
I cannot take credit for the beautiful cover on that bed for it is Emily Gentry’s. 🙂 She got it at West Elm but says that they are selling a very similar one at Target right now. Happy shopping!
I think the duvet is West Elm. We have the same one. 🙂