Sleep better: 4 fixes for your bedroom

Jason Tulio

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Sleep better: 4 fixes for your bedroom
Your future rests on a good night's sleep. Make your space slumber-ready with these tips

MANILA, Philippines – There’s no better feeling than waking up refreshed from a good night’s sleep.

Getting enough sleep has numerous benefits: it helps your brain function better the next day, keeps your body healthy, and improves your emotional well-being.

Aside from getting the recommended 7 to 9 hours per day, the quality of your sleep is also important. One clinical review studied the effect of sleep on the school performance of adolescents. The results showed that quality of sleep actually has a bigger effect on performance than the number of hours slept.

Your bedroom’s surroundings also affect the depth of your slumber. Ideally, it should be the most relaxing and comfortable part of your home.

Want a better night’s sleep? Try these fixes:

Keep it cool

Your bedroom’s temperature needs be set just right: too hot and you’ll wake up in a fitful sweat, too cold and you’ll be shivering all night. Some air-conditioners have fans that redirect cool air towards the ceiling instead of blowing it directly on you. This helps the room’s temperature stay even and ambient all throughout the night. Just keep in mind that temperatures below 12 degrees Celsius and above 24 degrees Celsius will disturb your quality of sleep. While ideal temperature is a matter of personal preference, experts say that you should set your room temperature at around 18 degrees, or around 3 to 5 degrees Celsius lower than the average daytime temperature. 

Keep the air clean

The quality of air that you breathe in and smell while you sleep will have a big effect on how you’ll feel when you wake up. If you’re sensitive to airborne particles, unclean air can also trigger allergic symptoms.

To keep your bedroom’s air clean and fresh, try these tips: increase your room’s ventilation, eliminate any sources of moisture and dust build-up, place a small houseplant inside your room for a natural carbon dioxide filter, and change your sheets and curtains regularly.

You can also invest in an air-conditioner that has dust sensors, which actively filter and catch dust particles that float around in your bedroom.

Keep a relaxing space

Your bedroom should be a place for sleeping. Using it for anything else may disrupt your sleep.

Most people like to chat or surf before bedtime and tend to fall asleep with cellphones or laptops within arm’s reach. These gadgets can greatly affect your quality of sleep, either when they ring in the middle of the night or when they distract you before you sleep. According to experts, the light from these gadgets can also disrupt your sleeping pattern. So before you shut your eyes, put your gadgets on silent and keep them on the dresser drawer.

The rest of your bedroom should be a simple and relaxing space. A minimalist room design with mild hues on the wall and on your beddings will create a mood of tranquility in your room, which can encourage better sleep. A UK survey says that blue is the most calming color.

Keep things dark

At night, your body produces the hormone melatonin which relaxes your body and makes you feel less alert before you fall asleep. One study showed that exposure to room light before you sleep can inhibit your body’s melatonin production by up to 50%. The study also concluded that repeated exposure to room light at night can negatively impact sleep.

For optimum melatonin production, it’s best to sleep in total darkness. Aside from switching off your room lights and pulling down the the curtains, you should also hide any ambient light sources like alarm clocks and LCD screens. If this proves too difficult, you can also invest in a sleeping mask to completely shut out any light while you sleep.

What’s your favorite bedroom fix for a better night’s sleep? Share it with us. – Rappler.com

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