10 Easy Tips for Creating a Soothing Sleep Environment

We take sleep for granted too often, at least until things go south. And when they do, we find that poor sleep deprives us of our health, happiness, and productivity. 

The culprit may not be turmoil within ourselves but our sleep environment. Luckily, you can turn your bedroom into a sleep-dedicated sanctuary quite easily. You just need to address its appeal, comfort, health, and association.

These expert tips explain exactly which steps to take and why to turn your bedroom into your optimal soothing sleep environment. Keep on reading to discover the details!

Don’t Take Your Work to Your Bedroom

Nor anything else that’s not sleep-related, for that matter. Well, except for intimate moments, since it’s proven that sex is good for sleep.

However, making a home office in your bedroom is a big no-no! The ideal bedroom shouldn’t remind you of your busy schedule and deadlines. That won’t help you relax and get in the mood for sleep. Therefore, there’s no place for your desk, PC, or files in a bedroom environment for good sleep.

Your bedroom isn’t a good place for your fitness equipment, either. Although working out does wonders for your sleep quality, looking at your treadmill won’t help you fall asleep. When you go to bed, everything that you associate with your daily activities will only be a distraction.

The same goes for your TV or PlayStation, but we’ll talk more about that later. Just keep in mind that this isn’t your living room. A sleep-friendly bedroom is reserved for sleep. If you need some inspiration for decorating your calm retreat, you can find a number of stylish bedroom ideas online.

Make Your Bedroom Clutter-Free

Most people are stressed out in a room full of clutter, and no one wants to feel anxious before going to sleep. This is also confirmed in a Bedroom Poll by the National Sleep Foundation: 66% of respondents claimed that a clean bedroom is an important factor for getting a good night’s sleep.

Your surroundings should help you calm down and relax. However, your mind won’t be able to unwind in an untidy room, so keep this in mind when creating a perfect sleep environment.

Maybe you’re not aware of it, but subconsciously, you will see the mess around you as something you need to sort out. That pile of dirty laundry or scattered clothes will constantly remind you that you haven’t done all your chores and won’t let you doze off.

So why would you let such a trivial thing keep you awake? Clear your room of all the unnecessary clutter and create a pleasant atmosphere for a good night’s rest.

Remove All Electronics from Your Ideal Sleep Sanctuary

Electronic devices should stay clear of your bedroom for several reasons. Most importantly, they’re a huge distraction. If you keep the TV in your room, you’ll eventually turn it on and start watching your favorite series or some other attention-grabbing program. Not only will you close your eyes later, but you’ll also experience problems falling asleep. 

It’s a well-known fact that electronic devices emit blue light, which slows down the production of melatonin, a sleep hormone. Therefore, your TV has nothing to do with the ideal sleep environment. The same goes for laptops, tablets, smartphones, or other similar gadgets. Their screen light will confuse your mind, making it believe it should stay awake. 

In addition, if you use your phone for checking emails or texting, you might end up getting anxious about your work and the responsibilities awaiting you in the morning. All of this will make you toss and turn instead of releasing tension and getting enough ZZZs.

These are just a couple of the many reasons why technology is a sworn enemy of sleep.

Put the Lights Out

Your body associates darkness with bedtime—and conversely, light means wakefulness. So don’t mess with a well-programmed machine. Keeping your bedroom dark will play a big role as you figure out how to create a peaceful sleep environment.

Before you hit the sack, switch all your bedroom lights off. If you like reading before going to sleep, don’t forget to put out your reading lamp, too. On the other hand, if your partner likes to stay up longer than you, you might consider using a sleep mask.

But that’s not all. Outside light, such as street lamps, can also disturb your sleep pattern. To eliminate all light, it’s best to install blackout curtains. Every night when preparing your bedroom for sleep, remember to draw your curtains or drapes, since a dark room will help your body easily slip into a deep slumber.

Also if you have to charge your cellphone in the bedroom, place it screen-side down. This way, the screen’s light won’t wake you up when you receive a new message, email, or app notification.

Keep the Noise at Bay

You need a quiet, peaceful room to fall asleep and have a good night’s rest. Of course, we’re aware that you can’t control all the noise around you, but you should try to minimize it in your bedroom environment. Also, keep in mind that not all sounds are disruptive, some can even be soothing and calming. Actually, constant background noise doesn’t usually pose a problem. However, sudden sounds can wake us up and prevent us from getting enough restful sleep.

If you live in a particularly noisy neighborhood, you can try sleeping with earplugs. This way, loud, unpleasant sounds won’t interrupt your sleep. Alternatively, a sound machine can mask annoying sounds coming from your neighborhood or street. Many people with sleep problems who’ve taken this sleep advice say it can help you fall asleep more easily. This kind of device typically comes with a wide selection of sounds, from white noise to sea waves to soft music, so choose the one that suits you best.

Control Your Bedroom Temperature

Your body prepares for sleep by lowering its temperature. That’s why you should sleep in a cool room if you want to wake up fresh and well-rested. Of course, a too-cold bedroom won’t make a pleasant environment for sleep either. The ideal sleeping temperature is between 60°F and 67°F. Anything outside that will probably make you toss and turn all night long. With this in mind, try to keep your room cool since this will help your body maintain its optimal temperature for sleep.

Some even suggest that it’s best to sleep naked because your PJs or nightgown can keep you too warm. Plus, you’ll feel the most comfortable without any clothes on. However, if you simply don’t like sleeping naked, choose pajamas that are made of light and breathable materials. In addition, specially-made cooling pillows and mattresses can help out with coping with the heat.

Choose the Ideal Color for Your Bedroom

Besides maintaining healthy sleep hygiene, some less obvious factors can also help you have a good night’s sleep. For example, the colors you choose for your bedroom play an important role in the amount of sleep you get each night. Knowing that colors can affect our mood, it’s no wonder that they also have an effect on our sleep.

According to a study by Travelodge, the best color for your sleep haven is blue since people sleeping in a blue bedroom slept 7 hours 52 minutes on average. This sleep-inducing color is followed by yellow and green, which averaged 7 hours 40 minutes and 7 hours 36 minutes respectively. If you’ve been wondering how to make your bedroom more restful, consider painting it in one of the calming hues of blue, green, or yellow.

The same study found that purple, brown, and grey are the worst options for your bedroom walls. People sleep considerably less in bedrooms painted in these colors: 5 hours 56 minute in purple, 6 hours 5 minutes in brown, and 6 hours 12 minutes in grey.

Sleep on a Comfy Bed

We can’t emphasize enough the importance of a comfy bed for a good night’s rest. If your mattress causes you aches and pains, you definitely need to replace it. So if you want to know how to make your bedroom perfect for sleep and your bed super comfy, here are a few tips. 

A good mattress has to provide ample spinal support and offer great pressure relief at the same time. Today, there’s a wide choice of mattresses made of various materials, with varying firmness levels and a number of different features. Your choice depends on your preferred sleeping position and other sleep preferences.

And if you wake up with a pain in your neck, you need to consider replacing your pillow. Again, there are a number of things to consider when choosing the perfect pillow, from its material to its size.

Pick a Calming Scent

Creating a relaxing atmosphere is one of the sleep strategies that can help you improve your sleep quality. As you probably know, you may use aromatherapy to let go of the stress. Some of the scents that are good at promoting sleep are lavender, chamomile, and vanilla.

You can introduce one of these fragrances into your bedroom by using a diffuser, linen spray, or scented candles. Just don’t forget to air out your room before filling it with a sleep-inducing scent, since fresh air will also make you sleep better.

How to Create the Perfect Sleep Environment for Babies

Generally, babies aren’t much different from adults when it comes to sleep. They also need a peaceful, quiet environment to have a great night’s rest. Most of them find white noise comforting, so try several different sounds to see which one your baby likes the most.

However, instead of sleeping in the complete dark, they prefer a dimly lit room, which allows them to see where they are when they wake up. Also, babies need a bit higher temperature for optimal sleep: between 65°F and 70°F.

Make Sleep Your Priority

Besides developing healthy sleep habits, such as having a relaxing bedtime routine and exercising regularly, it’s important to create a pleasant sleep environment. That’s why we presented you with these helpful tips on how to make your bedroom better for sleeping.

Too many times we take sleep for granted, even though it’s key to our health and well-being. Also, you should try to keep in mind that your night’s rest greatly affects your daily activities. A restless night makes you less productive and leaves you prone to making mistakes, some of which can even be deadly. So you should do everything you can to help your mind and body get the necessary rest every day, and you can start by creating a soothing sleep environment.

FAQs

How does the environment affect sleep?

Environment affects sleep in two ways:  

• Physical factors like light, noise, temperature, smell, and comfort can stimulate, or preferably, calm your senses down before sleep.
• When our habits and what we see around us unconsciously prevent us from sleeping, it’s known as the associative effect.  

What is a poor sleep environment?

It’s pretty straightforward—any environment that prevents us from getting restful shut-eye is a poor sleep environment. That said, a poor sleep environment is usually:

• Too noisy
• Too hot
• Too light
• Has an unpleasant smell
• Too messy and cluttery
• Brown or grey in color 
• Contains a lot of electric appliances and screens.
• Has chemical health hazards
• Has polluted air

What is a good sleep environment?

A good sleeping environment relaxes you enough to fall asleep and provides the comfort you need to keep dreaming. 

The combo of a comfortable bed, soothing bedroom design, and an environment that is calm, relaxing, and cool promote healthy sleep.   

That said, everyone is different, and nuances do apply when talking about the perfect sleeping conditions. One thing is sure, though, when you succeed in creating it, your life will take a turn for the better. 

Is it better to sleep in a hot or cold room?

Colder temperatures promote healthier sleep, but of course, you shouldn’t overdo it. Our bodies naturally cool down before sleep and prefer a cooler over a hotter environment. 

This is especially true for adults. On the other hand, the elderly and babies do better at neutral sleeping temperatures. 

Heat is bad news for restful sleep because it promotes insomnia and limits deep (slow-wave) sleep.  

How can I make my bedroom sleep-friendly?

Few simple steps can make your bedroom sleep-inviting:

• Paint your walls in light blue, the color of serenity and calm
• Limit external and artificial light
• Turn off electrical devices
• Reduce all noise except white or pink noise
• Use a mattress, pillow, and bedding that is suitable for you
• Keep the room temperature on the cool side
• Aerate it and keep it fresh
• Limit bedroom humidity to 50%
• Regularly clean dust and pet dander
• Use your bedroom only for sleeping and sex

How to create the perfect sleep environment for babies?

Generally, babies aren’t much different from adults when it comes to sleep. They also need a peaceful, quiet sleep environment to have a great night’s rest. Most of them find white noise comforting, so try several different sounds to see which one your baby likes the most.

However, instead of sleeping in the complete dark, they prefer a dimly lit room, which allows them to see where they are when they wake up. Also, the ideal sleep temperature for a baby needs to be a bit higher: between 68°F and 72°F.