10 style tips for a better night’s sleep

Design a sleep friendly bedroom

In ancient feng shui, the bed is considered the most important piece in your home. In this belief system, your bedroom environment can affect your energy and well-being. For better sleep, it is suggested that the bed is placed in a ‘commanding’ position, meaning that you can see the door – ideally not directly, but diagonally across.

Get the right mattress for good quality sleep

A supportive and comfortable mattress is key for quality sleep, so take the time assessing what’s the appropriate mattress support and comfort for you, and your sleeping partner, for optimum comfort and relaxation. Your bed can make or break your quality of, sleep and so it is important to get the right mattress for you for a good night’s rest.
 

Make your bedroom feel bigger

The room where you lay your head each night should provide a sense of calm that is akin to good sleep. Space can help create a more relaxing atmosphere. To make your bedroom look and feel bigger try:
 

• Leaving space on either side of your bed
• Hanging curtains higher than the railing for the illusion of tall ceilings
• Keeping your colour palette simple and light
• Adding a large rug that takes up most of your floor space
• Adding multi-functional furniture for extra room and storage

Turn down the lights 

Light can seriously affect our sleep regulation. The amount of darkness in your room affects your circadian rhythm- our ‘sleep-wake cycle’. When aligned, this rhythm can promote consistent and restorative sleep. However, when affected by outside influences such as light, this sends signals to our brain of alertness rather than rest.

To counter this, ensure your room is darkened when it is time to sleep. Consider black-out curtains, doors closed, a bedside lamp that isn’t too bright or can be dimmed, and minimising the amount of artificial light you engage with before bed such as laptops, TVs and phones.
 

Style your bedroom to be sleep-friendly

Ever heard of the psychology of colour? There’s a reason we get hungry looking at certain fast-food logos and feel calmer in day spas – it’s all in the colour. To provide a room that fills you with emotions of calmness, relaxation, and warmth, look to include soothing colours in your bedroom that are conducive to sleep.

On your walls, in your bedding, curtains, rugs, throws and cushions, consider colours that will provide you with a sense of relaxation. Think soft blues and greens that can be calming, restful and soothing, or cool greys and whites which provide a neutral sense of balance.

De-clutter your room for a stress-free sleep

Walking into a room and seeing mess or clutter doesn’t automatically fill us with feelings of tranquillity and relaxation. In fact, physical clutter can lead to mental clutter, which activates the brain and negatively impacts sleep. Removing unnecessary items causing clutter and investing in some proper storage solutions will help in creating a harmonious space that is a much more enticing to snooze in.

Add in relaxing scents to help you sleep

Your sense of smell can play a big part in helping to calm you before bedtime. Scents such as lavender or incense can provide feelings of calm and relaxation, and can be a big factor in reducing anxiety.

To improve the scent in your bedroom, think about adding in products to provide calming scents such as candles, air purifiers, incense, and diffusers to make it easier to drift off and feel well-rested.
 

Bring in a touch of nature

Nature has calming properties, and so whenever possible, look to bring the outside in. Think of plants, fresh flowers, indoor trees and even some lavender on your pillow to make your room look feel and smell fresh. Plants have also been shown to help create a sense of well-being, improved mood and a reduction of stress.

Use the best sounds to get you to sleep

While we can’t always help the external factors that affect sound near our room, we can look to improve the sounds we add to our night-time routine.

If you have difficulty falling asleep or are looking to drown out external noise, consider adding a white noise machine to counter other distractions, or getting some speakers to play sleep sounds that can assist with getting you to drift off.

Get quality bedding for a good night’s sleep

While your bedding no doubt affects the aesthetics of your room, have you thought about how it affects your sleep? From the temperature of your linen to the cleanliness of your sheets, your bedding should provide a comfortable refuge for the ultimate sleep.