Establishing an Effective Sleep Environment

If you’ve ever been too hot or too cold when trying to sleep, you’ll understand how difficult it is to fall asleep under those circumstances.

Your body heat peaks late afternoon and then starts to drop in the evening to prepare your body for sleep, kickstarting melatonin production. An ideal bedroom temperature is around 16-18°C (60-65°F).

Hot, cold or draughty rooms can seriously impact on your sleep, in particular REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Temperatures over 24°C (71°F) are likely to cause restlessness, while a cold room of about 12°C (53°F) will make it difficult to drop off.

When it’s dark, we release melatonin (the hormone that helps regulate the body’s circadian rhythm), which relaxes the body and helps us to drift off. It’s no surprise that many of us struggle to adjust to a new sleeping pattern during British Summer Time!

When we see light, our bodies assume it’s time to be awake and alert, which is why artificial light in an evening disrupts our circadian rhythms, making us feel less sleepy.

Studies have shown that the sleeping environment can have a great impact on sleeping patterns, so it’s no surprise that the light in the bedroom has an impact on the quality of sleep, which can in turn lead to numerous health consequences. Ideally you shouldn’t be able to see the other side of the bedroom!

Your bed is by far the most significant element of a good night’s rest. It is near impossible to get a deep, effective sleep on an old, uncomfortable bed. Mattresses lacking comfort, space and support are likely to leave you waking tired and achy and will also have a significant impact on your partner’s sleep, too.

Quite often a mattress has worn out long before you realise. That’s why the National Bed Federation recommend replacing your mattress every 7-8 years. After this time a mattress has been subjected to over 20,000 hours of wear and tear, and did you know we lose half a pint of fluid each night and shed a pound of dead skin cells a year?  Yuck!

Most people generally need a quiet bedroom to sleep well. Internal or external noise or sound that disrupts your sleep can come from people, TVs, animals, music and traffic etc.

It goes without saying that loud, sudden or repetitive noises can interrupt sleep, leaving us feeling less refreshed in the morning.

Importantly, noise tends to be most disruptive in the lighter stages of sleep e.g., when you start to drop off, and at certain times in the middle of the night. But noise that awakens us in our deepest sleep does the most damage.

A study published by Noise and Health Journal found that noise-interrupted sleep can affect our:

In fact, a study, conducted by New York’s St. Lawrence University, revealed that a messy bedroom can lead to a poor night’s sleep and increased anxiety.

Your bedroom shouldn’t be your office, gym or playroom. To make it a place where you want to sleep, it’s a good idea to move those things into a different room.

How many of you have been guilty of having an exercise bike in the bedroom or working from your bed? If the treadmill or bike is now a place to hang your clothes rather than exercise, can you move it elsewhere?

It’s also a great idea to put the computer, work desk and paperwork in a different room, if possible.

Tidy up

No one expects the bedroom to be pristine. However, if your bedroom is crammed with junk, tidy it or reorganise. Sort the laundry, clear the piles of books away and hide toys away. A bedroom is designed as a place to rest and relax.

While you sleep with your eyes closed – and therefore can’t see the clutter when asleep – it is the last thing you look at before you go to sleep, which may influence any anxious or worrying thoughts.

In an ideal world, there would be no electronic devices in the bedroom, including the TV. This may seem harsh, but it will help you sleep better.

The bedroom shouldn’t be an extension of your living room. While there’s nothing wrong with watching a film, playing games or answering emails, these tasks should not be completed in bed, and ideally should be avoided in the hour before bedtime!

Not only do these devices emit the blue sleep-stealing light that suppress your melatonin levels, but they often used for consuming content that may rob you of sleep because it’s so engaging. Beeps, buzzes and even the tiniest standby lights can play havoc with the body’s circadian rhythm, so make sure everything is switched off at the mains.

Think about your own bedroom:

• Is it a sanctuary?
• When you enter the bedroom do you have good thoughts?
• Does it make you want to crawl in bed?

If it doesn’t entice you in, you need to make some changes.

Whatever you decide to do, take the time to make the changes that will improve your sleep quality!