From decluttering and ventilation to cool colours and creating a ‘no work corner’, there are many avenues to pursue when enhancing your sleep environment to create a calming, stress-free bedroom. This Stress Awareness Month we explore ways to make your bedroom a soothing sanctuary...
Why is it Important to have a Peaceful Bedroom?
The stresses of everyday life can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially amidst the testing times of a pandemic. Now more than ever, it’s essential to look after our mental health.
Your bedroom should be a stress-free environment that enables you to relax, revive and refresh, both at the beginning and end of the day. Now many of us are working from our bedrooms as well as sleeping in them it’s even more vital to ensure it's a haven of tranquillity, peace and calmness. One that will have a positive and calming effect on your mood and help you to sleep soundly.
Declutter
We’re all guilty of having a messy room from time to time, but it’s important not to underestimate the power of a clutter-free room.
Smooth, clean and tidy surfaces have been proven to reduce stress and anxiety and can even improve sleep. What are you waiting for? Start clearing away that clutter to bring Feng Shui to the bedroom to re-balance for more inner peace.
Essential Oils & Natural Scents
In aromatherapy, a number of scents are especially useful for reducing stress and have a relaxing effect on your mind. There are several easy ways to introduce these scents into your bedroom. Burn a candle, use a reed diffuser, add a few drops of essential oils onto your pillowcase or even buy a bunch of your favourite smelling fresh flowers to create a calm space.
Calming scents include lavender, lemon, sandalwood, chamomile, valerian and ylang-ylang.
Ventilate
To avoid over-heating during the night, your bedroom must get the ventilation it needs. Open your window for a few minutes every morning and night and sleep with the door open to ensure your bedroom isn’t circulating the same stale air day-in, day-out. Opening the window also lowers the levels of carbon dioxide in the air, which has been shown to improve sleep quality.
Keep it Cool
A way to ensure you sleep soundly lies heavily on the temperature of the room. Many experts say that the ideal temperature for the bedroom is 16-18 degrees celsius. Sleeping in a cool room helps to stabilise core body temperature and ensures you can maintain the perfect balance of comfort and airflow for better sleep.
Select a Quality Mattress
Having a good quality mattress is essential. If your body is not supported well, you will toss and turn and wake up with aches and pains, feeling more stressed than you did the night before. Some people require a firm mattress, while others prefer a softer one. There are numerous mattress toppers, too, to add a layer of luxurious comfort.
As mentioned, keeping cool at night is essential for a good night’s sleep. Do you often wake up hot and sweating in the middle of the night? If so, our CoolMax memory foam mattress range is for you.
Cool Colours
When it comes to your bedroom walls, choose cool colours, which promote a calm, peaceful, soothing feeling.
Blue is a calming, serene colour that helps you relax, re-balance, and clear your mind after a stressful day. Blue also helps lower blood pressure and steady your breathing. These are great aspects to help you fall asleep or unwind and create a relaxing environment. Add a few colourful throw pillows for a pop of colour.
Create a ‘No Work Corner’
The boundary between work and home life blurs for people who work in the same place they sleep. If you do work from your bedroom, it’s important not to work from your bed.
Set up a desk in the corner of your room that gets lots of natural light and make sure to switch off any electronics at least an hour before bed. Exposure to blue light can lead to significant melatonin suppression (which helps you sleep at night) and can increase your alertness levels. The goal is to calm your brain down and focus on relaxing, not work!