Do you often have trouble sleeping through the night? If so, you're not alone. In fact, according to a recent report by the Australian Sleep Health Foundation, 60% of Australians report experiencing at least one sleep deprivation symptom 3 or more times a week. These include: trouble falling asleep, staying asleep or waking too early, and not being able to get back to sleep.
We all know poor sleep manifests the next day in ways such as irritability and brain fogginess, however studies link the cumulative longer term effects of sleep deprivation to chronic health problems such as, poor mental health, weight gain, certain types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, depression and heart disease.
If you're not getting enough rest after sleeping for a sufficient number of hours, then aside from the usual lifestyle factors such as avoiding caffeine and alcohol and making sure you spend more active time outside during the day, reconfiguring your sleeping environment with the following practical design tips may be useful in order to set you up to improve the quality of sleep for you and your family.
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1) Control the Natural Light Sources to Support Your Sleep-Wake Cycle
You may or may not have heard about "circadian rhythms", but these are essentially our body's internal clock and work around 24 hour cycles. Circadian rhythms run in the background and help co-ordinate your body's essential functions and processes.
The sleep-wake cycle is one of the most important circadian rhythms, designed to create a stable cycle of restorative rest to enable increased daytime activity. The sleep-wake cycle is regulated by a part of our brain that is highly sensitive to light (the suprachiasmatic nucleus or SCN.
Light exposure causes this "master clock" in our brain to either transmit signals that generate alertness, keeping us awake and active, or to initiate the production of melatonin, to promote sleep.
To control natural light exposure, installing black out bedroom window furnishings that will block out daylight when needed is important to communicate to your body when it is time for rest.
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2) Incorporate Soft Lighting and Layered Lighting into your Home Design
In addition to natural light and it's influence on our sleep-wake cycle, it is important to consider your artificial lighting sources in your home. Preparation for a good night's sleep begins before bedtime and we need to allow our body time to wind down if we want to fall asleep easily. Spending an evening under bright, cool down lights that mimic bright daylight in the middle of the day is not the way to do this!
When designing your home consider incorporating soft lighting as well as harsh overhead light through incorporating lamps, wall and architectural lights, and dimmer switches. It is important to limit your amount of exposure to blue/ cool bright light in the hours before bed if you are to help prepare your body for a restful sleep.
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3) Eliminate Distractions in your Bedroom that are Detrimental to Sleep Quality such as Electronics and Clutter.
This is one of the more controversial tips, particularly amongst those who love to watch TV in bed, however screens are probably one of the greatest disruptors to a quality night’s sleep. You have probably heard how looking at electronic screens before bed emits blue light which is detrimental to your circadian rhythm (as listed above). However, aside from the dreaded blue light, keeping your phone next to the bed as an alarm is also likely to distract in terms of constant checking and fragmented sleep when notifications may go off during the night.
Do your brain a favour and keep your phone outside your bedroom. Buy an alarm, use your smartwatch, or still use your phone but set it outside your room so you have to get up to turn it off! (Probably a less popular option for the rest of your household if they are also likely to hear it!)
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An additional distraction for the brain comes in the form of visual clutter which can generate stress - counter intuitive to telling your body to wind down in preparation for rest. If you or your children have lots of clutter in your bedroom, assess if your storage requirements are adequate and designed to be fit for purpose. For more information on removing clutter see my blog post here https://www.inhabitatinteriors.com/post/5-simple-steps-to-reduce-stress-in-your-home-environment-during-the-covid-19-lockdown
4) Keep a cool, comfortable environment conducive to sleep.
A lower core body temperature is necessary for better sleep. Lowering the thermostat at night may help regulate your body temperature and signal your body that it's time for bed as our bodies are naturally programmed to dip in temperature in the evening.
The Sleep Foundation lists the ideal bedroom temperature for sleep as around 18C celsius. According to the Sleep Foundation, most doctors recommend keeping the thermostat set between 15.6 to 19.4 degrees Celsius for the most comfortable sleep, though this may vary by a few degrees from person to person.
In warmer/ humid climates ceiling fans can be a great way to help create a more comfortable climate for rest.
Image Source: Aimee Tarulli
5) Keep it quiet
We've all been woken up by unwanted night time noises, but is there noise that is often waking you and causing you to experience fragmented sleep that you can control? When designing your home don't forget acoustics and sound, particularly around bedrooms.
Consider double glazed windows to control external noise as well as the bedroom location to the street. Do you have a bedroom wall that backs onto appliances such as televisions? or next to a laundry? If so you may want to consider extra sound-proofing in these walls. Again keeping electronic devices out of bedrooms or switching these on to airplane mode at night time can also help to prevent notifications pinging and robbing you of your deep restorative sleep.
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6) Look for a non-toxic mattress, natural bedding and sleepwear to enhance your sleep quality
A non-toxic mattress is one that does not contain high levels of harmful chemicals. How does a mattress contain harmful chemicals you may wonder? Fire retardant chemicals are used in mattresses to prevent them from catching fire, however these have been found to be harmful to health. If shopping for a non-toxic mattress you may want to consider materials such as organic latex, natural foam, organic bamboo, cotton and wool. Avoid synthetic materials such as synthetic latex or polyester.
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The same goes for bed linen and sleepwear. While our core body temperature needs to be cool at night, contrary to expectations, the best pyjamas should warm the skin. This helps our core body temperature to decrease by releasing heat through dilated blood vessels.
Bedlinen and pyjamas made from natural fabrics such as cotton, wool or linen tend to breathe better for better body temperature regulation and sleep.
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7) Decorate your room in colours that make you feel at ease and prepare you for rest.
You like the colour red? Your bedroom is not the place to use it in abandon. Selecting colours from a palette that is neurologically shown to be calming and soothing include; blues, greens, beige. If you prefer warmer tones, softer faded out autumnal colours can also help the space to feel cosy and welcoming. It is a good idea to steer clear of large amounts of bright, energetic and stimulating colours (a good one to think about in children's rooms).
So in summary, health professionals believe that sleep is as vital as regular exercise and eating a balanced diet for helping a person maintain optimal health and wellbeing. While there are lifestyle steps we can take to improve our quality of sleep, considering the design of our bedroom environment through: controlling natural light, incorporating layered lighting, eliminating electronics and distractions, keeping a cool bedroom temperature, keeping a quiet bedroom environment, selecting non-toxic bedding and sleepwear, and choosing a soothing colour palette can also play a large role in supporting us in attaining the seemingly elusive restorative sleep.
If you are committed to a healthy lifestyle and want to learn how to create a home environment that supports you in your endeavours sign up to my list where I share design tips backed science that can make a huge difference to how your home helps (rather than hinders) your ambition to feel and live well.
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