These days most people try to have good sleep hygiene, so you will probably be well aware that things such as using your mobile phone in bed or drinking caffeine too late in the day can affect whether or not you get a good night’s sleep.
But what about the environment you’re sleeping in? Can your decor itself sabotage your snoozing efforts? As it turns out, there are plenty of ways that your bedroom itself may be keeping you up at night. Read on to find out more, and see if there’s anything you need to change!
Loud coloured walls or busy wallpaper can interfere with your sleep
If you love bold colours or vibrantly patterned wallpaper in your home, you may want to avoid adding it to your bedroom. If you have opted for very bold decorating in your room and you find that you’re struggling to sleep, this could be a factor that you may want to consider.
Webbs who have years of experience when it comes to designing bedrooms told us “bright colours or bold patterns encourage activity and keep your brain alert, so consider redecorating the space and opting for neutral colours and patterns to make the space more calming and relaxing.
Too much light in your bedroom can keep you awake
No matter what the source is, if you have too much light in your bedroom, particularly if it’s the wrong kind of light, it can seriously affect your sleep.
We’ve known for a number of years now that blue light can disturb our sleep, as it prevents the pineal gland from releasing melatonin, which is what is responsible for making us feel sleepy.
However, while most of us are aware that we shouldn’t look at our phones in bed, but even just the light of the screen lighting up when you get a notification can disturb light sleepers. It’s also worth hiding any LED screens on devices such as radios that can light up your room.
Similarly, if you have too much light coming in from outside, perhaps if you have street lights outside your window, then you may benefit from investing in blackout blinds to combat light pollution.
Noises in the rest of your house shouldn’t be disturbing your sleep
If you find that you’re being kept awake or disturbed in your sleep by noises from other parts of the house, you may want to consider whether your decor choices are helping to muffle enough sound.
For example, if you sleep above the kitchen and hear the dishwasher running at night you could make sure that you only run it in the day, but if this isn’t possible then consider laying cork underneath a carpet, as both of these will help to absorb sound.
While wooden floors are very aesthetically pleasing, if you’re being disturbed by sounds then they may not be the best option for you. For some more tips on how to soundproof your living spaces, check out this article from The Spruce!
We hope this has given you a couple of things to think about if you are struggling with your sleep, and a few ways you may be able to help to improve things!