Elizabeth, who blogs over at Elizabeth Danon Interiors, has shared her thoughts on creating a sense of calm in the bedroom – thanks Elizabeth!
Sleep plays a vital role in the body’s cycle of healing, growing and rejuvenating, but it’s sometimes difficult to create the right environment for a good night’s sleep. During sleep our immune systems reboot, and the brain engages in a variety of critical housekeeping functions. The room that we sleep in can have a huge effect on our lives.
Here I’ll be giving you my top 5 tips to getting the best shut eye every night, with the help of a few little things.
1. Darken the room
I live in central London, which is great, until bedtime arrives, the constant sirens and motorbikes revving their engines can really cut into your 8 hours, so as well as earplugs and an eye mask, I have some proper blackout blinds. Your body reacts to light, so if your room isn’t properly darkened you may find you wake up a lot more during the night.
2. Create a spa feel
Having a spa like feel to your room will really help you create a relaxing environment, where possible use curtains over your blinds to soften the look. Choose neutral fabrics without too much texture, they will simply create an illusion of a much softer room to sleep in.
3. Appeal to all your senses
I normally use a lavender spray on my pillows; relaxing your sense of smell will help you drift into a much deeper sleep. If you don’t want a constant scent while you sleep, use a calming scented candle in your living area to unwind before you go to bed.
4. Invest in your mattress and bed linen
There’s nothing quite like slipping into fresh bed sheets. If you’re not allergic to feathers I would really recommend goose feather filled pillows and duvet, also make sure your linen is quality cotton. You can go a little wilder with the colour or pattern on your bed sheets, as you’re unlikely to look at them when you’re actually in bed, it can become a visual feature if the rest of your room is neutral. Considering you spend (hopefully) 8 hours of every 24 hours sleeping, the reason for investment in these key pieces is easy to justify.
5. Make sure your furniture is flush
All wardrobes, bedside tables and any other bedroom furniture should have well hidden storage and a flush finish. Clutter free rooms allow the mind to fully relax as there is nothing to create visual stimulus, think fuss free. Also if you’re to pick a colour for your walls make sure the tone is soft; my favourite colour to go for is a muted grey lavender.
Finally as a general point, make sure to remove all media devices from your bedroom and never work from your bedroom or even watch films as your bedroom becomes associated with stimulus. Where possible use an alarm clock instead of your phone to prevent easy distractions.
Do you have any tips to share for creating a calm bedroom environment? Let us know your thoughts below…
Images sourced via Pinterest. Credit: decoholic.org and bloglovin.com.
