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Appropriate bedroom design can have a lot of power over how well you rest. Here are some easy ways you can decorate your room to help improve your sleep.

Bedding

It should go without saying that a bed itself has to be comfortable in order to get a good night’s sleep. But you’d be surprised how many people fail to select bedding products that don’t work for them. Your bed is something you should put good money towards, so expect to fork out a bit of money for the best quality bed. Your mattress has to be comfortable, otherwise you’re going to have a Goldilocks issue with having a mattress either too hard or too soft. Make sure you find out your sleeping style, desired support level and choose one to match this.

Our body changes temperature during sleep so it’s important to have bedding materials that help regulate your body. If you’re one to feel the cold more, opt for a down or feather quilt. Down has the highest fill power of all quilt fillings. If you tend to overheat in your sleep, natural fibres such as bamboo are great because they adjust based on your own temperature. According to the Sleep Health Foundation, it’s important to select sheets and bedward suitable for the season.

Organic materials also help calm you.Source:Supplied

Colour

Cool tonal palettes are optimum in bedrooms and should be considered the next time you give your bedroom a fresh coat of paint. A TraveLodge study looked at homes across the UK to determine if the colour of a bedroom can influence sleep. The findings revealed that the most restful colour for a bedroom is blue, with people sleeping in blue bedrooms getting an average of five hours and 52 minutes a night. Sleep expert Chris Idzikowski said of the findings:

“There are specialised receptors called ganglion cells in the retina part of our eyes, which are most sensitive to the colour blue,” he said. “These receptors feed information into an area deep in our brain that controls 24 hour rhythms, and affects how we perform and feel during the day.”

Cool, muted hues like blue, neutrals and greiges all create a serene and relaxing atmosphere.

Lighting

We all strive for natural light in our homes but the bedroom is an area where this could be to our disadvantage. As we approach spring, the moving of the clocks forward may mean we get an extra hour of sunlight, but we also lose an hour of sleep.

Our circadian rhythms are synchronised to match the environmental cycle of light. Moving the clocks forward affects this because we are suddenly required to wake up when we’ve been programmed to sleep. So it’s important to block out as much natural light as possible in your bedroom to ensure you’re not disturbed. This doesn’t mean you have to have cumbersome drapes, instead try installing roller blinds that have a blockout effect.

If you’re looking at your bedroom lights make sure you install bulbs that have a lower wattage or a dimming feature. Slowly lowering the lights as it gets closer to bedtime will help your body to relax and wind down.

Bright lights have been linked to insomnia.Source:News Limited

Technology

We’re told time and time again not to introduce technology into the bedroom but it seems to be something we still ignore. According to research that explored the effect of bright screens used before bed, our melatonin levels (the hormone that helps us be ready for sleep) is affected by up to 1.5 hours of screen usage. This increases our alertness and delays the body clock.

Try removing technologies that have an artificial lighting. TVs should not be allowed and digital alarm clocks should be removed as they’re placed too close to the bedside. Phones should always be left in the living room. Arianna Huffington is a sleep advocate and often cites leaving her phone outside her bedroom as a way to help better her sleep routine. Her book, “The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time” is a call for people to reignite the romance with sleep.

Layout

Feeling balanced and centred in your bedroom is essential for a good night’s sleep. Your layout must complement your sleep and there are certain ways to organise the furniture in your room in order to catch those Z’s.

A well-balanced bed is important for creating good feng shui in the room. Your bed is the major feature of your room and should be easily approachable from both sides. Having it up against a wall creates restriction which inhibits your sleep. You should have two bedside tables, one on each side to house a lamp. Keep the head of your bed against a wall for stability and the bed should not be pointed at openings such as doors and windows.