Sleep Enough

How to Create a Better Sleeping Environment?

Creating a better sleep environment is essential for good sleep. Your sleep environment can actually make or break a good night’s sleep. I gradually learned this from experience; even things like your sleeping orientation and positioning may affect your sleep. What are the aspects of a good sleeping environment?

Noise pollution

Obviously, the first thing to bear in mind is the noise pollution level in the vicinity of the sleeping location. Some people can sleep through a lot of noise, but for sleep’s sake, try and get a quiet place to sleep. Common culprits of noise like snoring, dogs/cats, firecrackers, speeding bikes, loud music, and even the TV left on, can all affect sleeping. If you must, sleep separately from your partner. Research has shown that we humans actually sleep better ALONE.

Heavy curtains or drapes over the window can help keep out the noise, as is adding a carpet of rug to the floor and plugging up the space underneath the door. You can also use earplugs, but I personally find them a little discomforting.

Ambient temperature

Besides noise, temperature is one of the most important factors affecting sleep. Try this useful tip: If you are having problems sleeping for hours, try to change the temperature quite significantly. See if that works. Usually, a change of several degrees Celsius is often enough to signal to the body to initiate sleep. Make the change based on the ambient temperature; you may need to bring in more blankets, or turn the air conditioning on.

The bed and mattress

Many people don’t get this, but the size and type of bed can also affect sleep. I used to have problems when my mattress was long overdue for change. But after getting a new mattress, I slept better, and fell asleep faster. At the very least, a good mattress and a spacious bed can eliminate any potential cause related to these. A small bed with a thin mattress is often the cause of poor sleep. It’s alright to spend money on getting a good bed and mattress; your sleep is more important than anything else.

Bedside clock

Did you know that being aware of the time while you’re trying to sleep is one of the major causes why you cannot sleep? Checking the time only increases your anxiety and puts your eyes and brain to work, albeit briefly. But that brief moment is enough to throw your sleep off. Setting your alarm and turning the bedside clock away, as well as refraining from looking at the time definitely helps.

Proper use of the bed

Train your subconscious mind to accept your bed as the place where you will sleep. Checking the bills while in bed is a definite no-no! Train your subconscious mind to equate the bed with sleeping.

Sleep positioning

Some authorities have stated that sleeping in a North South position is conducive to a good night’s sleep. This may be due to the polarity of the Earth’s north-south axis and compatibility with it. Others state the importance of Feng Shui elements in sleep. It is definitely no harm in trying out these unorthodox methods regarding the alignment and positioning of your bed and sleeping position.

Lighting

Try not to have any light at all in your sleeping room. The darker, the better. Light is the main enemy of melatonin, the sleep hormone. If you can’t prevent light from your sleep area, use an eye pad to block out the light.