Ideally, your bedroom is where you sleep.

But in reality? It’s where you toss and turn, worrying about the day’s stress and what tomorrow will bring. It’s where you stare at the clock and watch the wee hours of the morning tick by. It’s where you scroll on your phone and ponder the fate of people on Facebook. Maybe during the day it’s where you work, or fold laundry.

However, a few simple changes can turn your bedroom from the place where you lay on your bed wishing for a better night’s sleep to the place where you go to bed and awake well rested, ready to start a new day.

Make Your Bed

Science has proven that making your bed every morning will help you sleep better at night.

The foundation for a good night’s sleep starts when you wake up. To keep your room a haven where you’ll sleep soundly, start your day by making your bed. A survey by Hunch.com, 71% of people who make their beds consider themselves to be happy people (source). And that happiness was defined as satisfaction in their job, healthier exercise habits, owning a home, and feeling well rested.

Can you imagine starting to see your life improve and your sleep quality increase, just by spending less than 3 minutes a morning making your bed? It’s possible, as the data shows!

No Clocks in the Bedroom

Or at least your clock. Watching the minutes tick by and counting how much sleep you’re going to get (or not get) before it’s time to start the next day just adds stress and frustration, neither of which help you sleep better.

I can hear your objection already: you need your alarm.

No problem! Set your alarm, turn it upside down, facing away from you, or even put it in a drawer, and don’t touch it until the alarm goes off. Not even once. The same goes for your phone. Leave it in another room.

This will save you headaches, worry, stress, temptation to scroll your phone, and shorten those periods of sleeplessness if you do have them.

A DARK Bedroom

Your body was created to wake with light and sleep when it’s dark.

In fact, the production of melatonin is surpressed when certain types of lights are present, making it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. Darkness is your new best friend.

So to get your best sleep, close the curtains, turn off any lights, and even eliminate any clocks or radios with lights from your room. An investment in room darkening curtains is an investment in your sleep. And if you do need to have them in there, put a piece of black electrical tape over any lights that show (fire or carbon detectors) so you don’t see them when the lights go out.

You’ll sleep so much better if there is no light at all when you flick that light switch and settle in to slumber.

Get A Good Night’s Sleep

See, all easy fixes! And things you can fix right now to sleep better tonight.

So go make your bed if you didn’t this morning, get rid of your clock, and eliminate any light. And tomorrow? Enjoy waking up feeling more rested than you have in a while!

Need more help with your sleep? Check out our Adult Sleep offerings.