Many people struggle when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep. From overthinking the moment our head hits the pillow to clutter making it difficult to switch off, there are several reasons why so many of us have a hard time getting a decent night’s rest. The good news is that there are some easy fixes you can make to your bedroom that will ensure you have a rejuvenating rest.
Switch the Air Con On
You may not realise but we actually sleep better in a room that’s slightly cooler. The ideal temperature for a restful sleep is 67 degrees Fahrenheit or 19 degrees Celsius. If your bedroom is typically much hotter, it may be the reason why you struggle to get to sleep at night. An easy way to ensure your room is the right temperature for sleeping is to run your air conditioner throughout the night to cool the air down and help you sleep much more comfortably, also, depending on the size of your air filter, it may increase the air quality in the room.
Cover Your TV
When you’re feeling tired, your self-control is often one of the first things to go. Studies have suggested that being tired inhibits people’s ability to stop eating highly caloric foods, but it can also be the reason why many of us find ourselves watching too much TV late at night and missing our planned bedtime. If you have a TV in the bedroom, consider either moving it to another area of your home or covering it so you’ll be less tempted.
Charge Your Phone Elsewhere
Using your phone late at night as part of your bedtime routine is just distracting you from sleeping but it can actually delay the body’s ability to shut down. Before you head to bed, put your phone in a different room to charge and switch over to a classic alarm clock instead of using your phone’s alarm feature. This will stop you from being tempted to scroll social media or reply to messages when you should be resting.
Keep a Notepad on Your Bedside Table
The Zeigarnik effect is the reason why the moment your head hits the pillow, you start to mentally list off all the things you didn’t accomplish that day. It can be an exhausting process and one that can leave many of us wide awake hours after we’ve decided to go to sleep. Instead of spending hours pushing nagging thoughts aside or getting anxious about all the things we need to remember to do the next day, put a notepad next to your bed and write down any worries which creep in. It will help you relax, ensure you don’t forget anything important and help you drift off to sleep much faster.
Install Blackout Curtains
From street lights to passing sirens and cars, the lights from outside can be distracting and inhibit a decent night’s sleep. A quick fix that doesn’t take long to put in place is replacing your curtains with blackout curtains which will keep your room completely dark and will actually encourage the production of melatonin, an essential hormone for sleep.
