It seems that scientists are always urging us to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night in order to live a healthy life. However, many people don’t follow this advice, for a number of reasons. Sometimes it’s a hectic work schedule, sometimes it’s a legitimate medical condition (like insomnia), often it’s just recklessness and bad habits during the transition from day to night. You’d be surprised by how many people suffer from bad sleep due to inappropriate bedroom conditions.
It cannot be stressed enough: in order to maintain a healthy mind and body, you need healthy sleep, and for a healthy sleep you need a proper bedroom.
Here’s a short list of what I believe does not constitute proper bedroom behavior when it comes to getting a good night's sleep:
- Untidy room with clothing lying around
- Uncomfortable mattress and pillow that are bad for your spine and neck
- Not enough fresh air
- Eating in bed, leaving crumbs on the sheets
- Watching TV in bed, listening to loud music
Another very bad habit is to fall asleep wherever one happens to be at the moment (living room in front of TV, sofa in the study room, a friend’s place, etc.) It’s OK to have sleepovers from time to time, but if you don’t have a permanent, regular place of rest, it can lead to sleeping disorders.
5 Steps to a "Proper Bedroom"
Here’s what you can do to introduce sound sleep in your life:
- Get a comfortable mattress. Mattress manufacturers come up with better solutions each day, so now we have a choice of organic, eco-friendly, anatomical, foam mattresses, etc. The names they give these products are: balance, revitalize, harmony, comfort, perfect sleeper, and similar. They want the mere name of their products to express the comfort level and soothing quality of where we’ll be sleeping. I recommend Memory Foam Express to get a comfortable mattress.
These advanced and innovative products come with a certain price that’s not so soothing to many people. That is why it is best to stick to the generally accepted and well-proven method: chose a medium soft mattress that your body won’t sink into. Trying out a mattress before buying it is the best strategy.
- The quality of your pillow is an equally important element in the search for the perfect sleeping spot. Some people prefer high pillows, and some choose very thin ones so that it almost feels like they are not using any. Again, it’s an individual thing and everyone should choose what they feel is comfortable to them. Of course, it’s recommended to choose a pillow that will not endanger the spine and neck.
- Often ventilate the room you are sleeping in. That goes for every room in the house, but is especially important in the bedroom, where we spend the whole night. When it’s not too cold outside, it’s preferable to leave the window open the whole night. You can also get room fresheners or ventilators that naturally and effectively ventilate the room.
- Tidiness and nice décor positively affect one’s rest and sleep. Whether you’ll decorate your walls with paintings, framed photos, nice modern wall stickers or soothing wall paint, it’s only important that you feel comfortable and peaceful with your surroundings. Also, if you’re surrounded by dirty laundry and 2-day old food tray with leftovers, your body will probably rebel by refusing to sleep and rest.
- Proper and healthy sleep demands peace and quiet, so including TV and loud music in your bedroom area is ill-advised.
If you follow these not-to-difficult steps to a healthy relaxation, you’ll have no trouble having sweet dreams every night.
About the contributor: Stacy has worked in the home improvement industry for a few years. In her leisure time, she likes to write and share her experiences and observations in order to be a helpful contributing member of the society.
