The ideal environment for a good nights sleep. Does your bedroom stack up?
When we are sleeping at night, our body is healing. If our sleep is disrupted, of poor quality, or you are not get the right amount (ideally we should get around 6-8 hours) it can start to impact your health.
But the environment in which you sleep is crucial to your quality of sleep. Here are 3 top tips to help you enjoy a fabulous night sleep and wake feeling well rested, and ready to take on the day ahead.
- Have the room dark:
Our bodies are programmed to sleep when it is dark. Light inhibits the secretion of melatonin, the hormone that promotes sleep. Make sure anything that creates light, even a power light on a TV/heater/air conditioner or light on a clock face etc. are covered. You can use black tape to do this. Make sure that your blinds are fixed close to the wall so as no light can sneak in from street lights etc. You can even purchase blackout blinds to help with this, or use black garbage bags to cover the windows. You could also wear night shades if this is easier and you feel comfortable sleeping with them on your face.
Even when you are winding down getting ready for bed keep the lights on dim. Avoid having bright lights on where possible.
Did you know even if you dose off to sleep with the lights on, the light can still be detected through your eyelids, thus your brain will not produce melatonin as it is confused between night and day.
- Turn off all electrical equipment in the room:
You may want to think twice about sleeping with your phone on beside your bed, the television on, or your clock radio on the bedside table. As life has become so over run by technology, people have their devices with them 24/7 even when they are sleeping. These devices are releasing electromagnetic fields (EMF) that are negatively affecting our sleep and therefore our health. Sleep deprivation can lead to a whole range of health problems, including depression.
Think about the things that may be on in your room and emitting EMF. This could include:
- Television
- Mobile phone
- Clock radio
- Alarm clock
- Electric blanket
- Baby monitors,
- Lights
- Laptops
Having these on in your room while you are trying to sleep could lead to insomnia, mood disturbances, relationship problems, decreased immunity and poor production through the day which could impact on your performance at work, and in daily life.
Blue light that is emitted from a cell phone can slow down the production of melatonin, which is the hormone that controls our sleep cycle. To limit the amount of blue light coming from your cell phones and ipads you can wear red lenses. You can also put a coloured filter on the actual device. On an apple iphone: Go into settings, then accessibility, then display accommodations and then colour filters to achieve this. If you have a different device, simply google how to put a red lens filter on the screen of your specific device.
Wifi is the main contributor to electromagnetic radiation. Make sure you have this turned off at night to assist you in reaching a higher quality sleep. During the day it may be wise to only have it on when you are using the internet to decrease the constant effect on your body.
Avoid having power points on in the room, especially any that are near your bed or on the wall where your head is against. Remember the electrical wires from the power point have to travel somewhere, and you don’t want the ones in the wall near your head running with power through the night. Consider what is on in the room next door which may be impacting on the electrical currents flowing near your head. For example if the room next door to you has the power on to a computer, printer or any electrical device this can be having an impact on your sleep and your health.
The simplest solution is to turn off all devices in your room and keep them away from your head by 2-3 meters. Keeping your bedroom radiation free will make such a difference to the quality of sleep you will be able to achieve.
- Keep your room cool:
When you go to sleep your body temperature naturally drops. If your room is too hot it will take longer for your body temperature to go down and thus longer for you to get off to sleep. It is advised to keep the room temperature no more than 21 degrees Celsius or 6-12 degrees Celsius below the average daytime temperature.
If you are have concerns related to your sleep please feel free to contact us to discuss your personalised situation on (03) 54443388 or email [email protected] we would love to help get you a better nights sleep.
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