A good night’s sleep is important for maintaining overall health. Most people can agree that they have a more productive and pleasant day when they start it well rested. Whether you are a great sleeper or not, you probably have a bedtime routine in place. Have you considered your environment and your bedtime habits as ways that can improve or decrease the quality of your sleep? If not, now might be a good time to evaluate your sleep environment. Here are a few tips to creating a healthy environment for sleep:
- Sleep in a dark room. Try using room darkening curtains or adding a barrier around your window to keep the light out while you sleep. You could also use an eye mask if you can’t keep your room dark.
- Keep your bedroom cooler at night. Cooler temperatures can promote better sleep.
- Choose comfortable bedding. This can include a comfortable mattress, pillow and sheets/blankets.
- Keep your pets in another room, or at least off the bed. Movement and possible allergies can keep you awake at night.
- Turn off all lights and dim any necessary ones such as an alarm clock or phone.
- Clean the clutter from your room before sleeping. Having clutter can stress some people out.
- Don’t turn on the television when you’re going to bed.
- Turn on a fan or white noise to block out disturbing noises.
For more information on health sleep, check out the sleep foundation website here: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/what-is-healthy-sleep
