Tips For Creating a Restful Bedroom

If you are having a hard time relaxing and falling asleep at night, it may be due to the way your bedroom is decorated. The atmosphere in your bedroom should be conducive to falling sleep and should evoke a state of calm. Your cares should melt away as you enter your own private oasis of tranquility. Simple and inexpensive design tips can help you turn your ordinary bedroom into your own private sanctuary.

SELECT A GOOD MATTRESS

The most important factor is comfort and that's where your mattress comes into play. We spend 1/3 of our day in bed and if your mattress isn't comfortable, you will not be able to get a good night sleep. If your mattress is old or too firm or soft, you will develop pressure points that will cause your extremities to fall asleep. This could be a reason that you toss and turn at night and wake several times during the night. Take time to shop and try out different mattress styles. The choices are coil and spring, foam or air chambers. The air chamber mattress allows you to set your desired comfort level for yourself and also for your partner. What you get is a custom fit that you can change as you desire.

LIGHT CONTROL

You may enjoy the sun streaming in the windows in the morning but light filtering in at night may keep you awake. Invest in good window coverings that will block out the light from the passing cars or street lights. Your best choices would be blinds, shutters, shades or fabric that has a light blocking liner.

INVEST IN GOOD SHEETS

Thread count and ply matter and will determine the softness of your sheets. Thread count is the number of threads, both horizontal and vertical, in a one inch square of fabric. Ply is how many threads are wrapped together into a single thread. The manufacturer will let you know if it is a one- ply or two- ply. The higher thread count is created by using finer thread and more of them can be fit into the one square inch space, which results in a softer, smoother sheet. Another factor to consider is the weave of the fabric. The most common are percale, sateen, flannel and jersey.

AVOID CLUTTER

Sleep will come much sooner if you have a clear and relaxed mind. Keep clutter out of your bedroom. Resist the urge to put your computer in the bedroom. The computer is associated with an activity, usually work, and your mind will not be able to stop the thought process. Another item that I see a lot in bedrooms is exercise equipment. Exercising and sleeping are on opposite ends of the spectrum. How could you possibly get to sleep while staring at your treadmill? Put dirty and clean laundry where they belong, hint, it's not on the floor or on your treadmill. Looking at your next day's chores will certainly keep you up.

ROOM LIGHTING

Keep your light bulbs 40W or below. The higher the wattage will prevent your brain from making serotonin. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that slows down nerve traffic to your brain. Consider purchasing a book light that will only illuminate the page.

SOUND

Soothing sounds may help you to declutter your mind, especially if you live in an area of high traffic noises. You can purchase CD players and radios that play white noise, nature sounds or alpha waves. Most players feature a time control that will turn off the sound in 1-2 hrs. Worrying about turning it off will not help you get to sleep.

AROMATHERAPY

The selection of appropriate scents will help to unravel your frazzled nerves. Popular scents are lavender, chamomile, bergamot, sandlewood and mandarin.
Putting a few drops of oil on your light bulb or mixing up a batch of scented linen spray will certainly put you in a relaxed state.

COLOR

The colors that are in your bedroom will determine if you are going to be able to relax in the space. Choose colors that are soft and calming. Colors that are most popular are blue and green. Think watery colors that will float away the cares of the day, pair them with white, beige or brown. Avoid bright action colors that evoke high energy, like red or bright yellow. Keep your decor simple, large graphics and bold patterns will work better in other rooms of your house.

TV

I know this is a tough one; most of you probably go to sleep with the TV on. It probably is not a good idea to have your TV in the bedroom if you routinely fall asleep and wake up several times during your show. Your sleep is being disrupted several times and by the time you finally turn off the TV, you find that you can not get back to sleep. A better idea would be to have a book to read at your bedside table, even if you wake during the night, reading a few pages will
be just enough to get you back to sleep.

RITUALS

Believe it or not, having a bedtime ritual will help your body get ready for sleep. Whether it is taking a warm bath or shower or reading a few chapters of your book, create a ritual that lets your body and mind know it's time to shut down and drift off into peaceful slumber. Sweet Dreams.

By Kathleen Moser