Having A Calm & Relaxing Bedroom Promotes Better Sleep:
The 30-Day Self Care Challenge
Day 6
This post is the 6th post our 30-day self care challenge on the topic of Creating Calm. I will be guiding you to understand the importance of having a calm and relaxing bedroom environment, to ensure you are sleeping better.
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Get Better Sleep With A Calm & Relaxing Bedroom Environment
Hey hey my lovely entrepreneurs,
An often-overlooked aspect to creating more calm in your life is your physical health. When your body feels better, you're bound to have an improved mental outlook. A key component to better health is getting a good night's rest. This can be difficult for many of us when our lives are jam-packed and our minds are constantly on overload. Follow these tips for creating a calm and relaxing bedroom, and you'll be getting better sleep in no time.
why your sleep is important
Although it’s hard to find, adequate sleep is one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your appearance. Your body spends most of your sleeping hours regenerating itself, rebuilding cells, balancing hormone levels and brain chemicals. Adequate sleep will not only help you look good, it will help you feel good as well. Neurochemicals that control mood and pain levels are produced during sleep, which is why so many chronic pain patients are found to have an underlying sleep disorder. So, even if you are not the raving beauty you wished you were, proper mood can lead to proper perspective, and at least it won’t bother you as much. There is, of course, no such thing as perfect, and there’s nothing like a good night sleep to put those nagging doubts and insecurities into perspective.
Adequate Sleep
Make a habit of getting enough sleep. Most experts claim seven to nine hours per day is the required amount. Some experts say that setting the total amount of sleep to coincide with the natural 90 minutes per sleep cycle is best. This would mean either 7.5 or 9 hours of sleep per night. Five cycles would mean 7.5 hours, six cycles would be nine hours of sleep. Try experimenting with setting your clock for either 7.5 OR 9 hours, depending on your schedule, so that you can complete each and every sleep cycle naturally. On the other hand, if you find that 8 hours or 8.5 hours is what makes you feel best, by all means, do what works for you.
Napping
Make a habit of grabbing naps. Personally, I absolutely love naps! I'm sure I must've been a cat in my previous life. Humans were meant to take naps. That’s why those of us who are permitted to live according to our normal biological cycle (babies, small children and the elderly) take naps. Humans are designed to nap during the afternoon. Current studies show a natural rise and fall of hormones that indicate a programmed “nap” time in the afternoon. That famous mid-afternoon slump isn’t just lack of sleep at night, a heavy lunch, or stress – it’s your instincts kicking in and telling you to take some down-time. Take a nap during the weekend if you can. Instead of sleeping in on Saturday and Sunday, get up at your normal time and then take a nap in the early afternoon. It doesn’t need to be a long nap, a simple twenty minute “cat nap” will do just fine! Your body will thank you. And hey, if all you end up doing is resting in a cool room with your eyes closed and clearing your mind, that’ll help too.
get your best mattress
First and foremost, the best mattress you can afford is recommended, if at all possible. Go to the store so that you can test out each mattress and find the one that feels best for you. It's a good idea to try to find a store that allows for a trial period to make sure you love it and that you'll sleep well night after night.
I have found through my various travels and different sleeping arrangements, that having a mattress topper has really helped my sleep! I've been using a mattress topper since my first day of college! If you've lived in dorms or a furnished apartment, you'll know that the mattresses they provide you aren't the best! What I love about mattress toppers is that you can choose whichever type that you need according to your sleep preference. If you suffer from back pain, or are too hot, you can really find one that'll ease all of your ailments and help you fall asleep, and wake up rested and ready to attack the day!
Also, I am an extremely light sleeper and have bouts of insomnia, so getting in those few hours of sleep are super important. My rest needs to be regenerative and this mattress topper definitely helps me get my beauty sleep!
Keep it cool
Temperature matters when it comes to getting a good night's rest. You want to sleep in a room that is cool in order to promote sleep. Cooler temperatures alert your body that it's time to sleep. Open that window, lower your heater. Not only will you be saving money, you'll be airing out your space and preparing it for a much better sleep!
make it dark
Waking up to see light filtering in through the curtains can truly disturb your rest and make it harder to fall back asleep. That's why it's smart to add light-blocking drapes to your bedroom. Keeping things nice and dark will add to your nighttime routine. In addition, avoid adding night lights if at all possible.
We live in the city, so there are always disturbing lights around. Personally, this has never really bothered me - strangely enough! We do, however, have drapes on our windows, but that is mainly to have a little privacy! We also have shutters, but we never close them, unless there is a mega storm or we are away for a few days.
Nevertheless, preparing your sleeping space as best as you can to ensure a good night's rest is important to create calm and find your inner peace. So, do what is best for you!
Add soothing colors
Calming, cool colors are best for the bedroom. A nice pastel will promote rest and relaxation far better than a brighter hue. Save the brights for more energetic spaces like the kitchen or living room. Color matters when it comes to getting a good night's sleep.
During the second lockdown in 2020, we changed the decor of our bedroom and have put a night-blue with golden shapes wallpaper, on the wall behind out bed and it not only provides a very intimate feel to the space, it has also created a beautiful feature wall!
Reconsider your alarm clock
Not only do you want to sleep well through the night, how you wake up can also have an effect on how you feel. A harsh, high-pitched, buzzing alarm clock will jar you awake. This can cause you to feel agitated, rather than rested and rejuvenated. Look for one that wakes you gradually, with music that increases slowly in volume or that adds increments of light to help you to adjust to the waking hours.
I used to use my phone as my alarm clock. However, I noticed that because my phone was next to me, in my bouts of insomnia, I would just turn it back on and scroll mindlessly. Such a big no-no!! Instead, I just have my fit-bit watch to check the time in the middle of the night, and don't have an alarm anymore - because I have a little girl who does the job!
I was also gifted this awesome sleep aid device that helps me fall asleep so much more easily, so I tend to wake up around the same time anyways. I first saw the Dodow in a cute concept store we have in our neighbourhood, and immediately fell in love with the idea. In french, the term dodo is a word used to mean sleep for kids, so the play of words was just perfect for a linguist like me! I didn't end up buying it, but I received it as a birthday present, and I haven't looked back since!! Very similar to the Hatch Restore, that I found on Amazon.
keep it neat
This one goes without saying. Be sure to clear the physical clutter in your bedroom as much as possible. Seeing piles of laundry to be put away or the paperwork that's waiting for you in the morning will not put you in the right frame of mind for rest. Get rid of other types of distractions like television, computers, and excessive décor also.
my fave items
Rugs are a must for my space to be super comfy & relaxing! I have one very similar to this one. It's super plush and soft!! Great for lying on it with a great book, or listening to some great vibes.
These seat cushions are a must for any space where you want to relax, but maybe don't have much room.
printableS of the day
in collaboration with theawesomeprintables.com
If you'd like to track your sleeping hours and get an overall picture of how you're feeling when you wake up and what time you really go to sleep, this minimalist & functional Sleep Tracker is awesome!
Just click on the image to download your FREE printable.
the takeaway
Hopefully, these tips will help you to create the bedroom of your dreams. Your surroundings make a difference to your sleep quality. Make your room as pleasant to all of your senses as possible in order to enhance your rest.
In the next post I will be looking at ways to stay cool, calm & collected when chaos erupts!
Until then, stay humble, grateful and remember that today may not be the best day, but you can always improve on it!
Elle Ash xo
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