You're Sleep Environment; 7 Tips to Create a Room that Promotes Sleep
By: Amy Korn-Reavis, RRT, RPSGT
Posted in: http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=94180555863&h=mBUex&u=yzES4&ref=mf
A good night sleep is influenced by many things. If you are suffering from insomnia the first thing you should do is rule out where you sleep as the cause of the problem. The easiest thing to do is to look at your room and see if a change here could change your sleep problems.
1. Is your bedroom and office the same room?
Life is stressful especially in this economy. If you are using your bedroom as your office to manage the household, do work at home, study for school or plan your volunteer activities. This can keep your mind going so you can not relax and sleep.
2. How cluttered is your room?
Do you make the bed each morning? Is the laundry picked up? What is on the top of your dresser, night stand and other furniture? Clutter causes thoughts of what chores need to be done. It also causes chaotic thoughts. These do not help anyone to relax and go to sleep. Plus there is the issue of having to get up in the middle of the night, the clutter could cause you to become more awake if you hit or trip on it.
3. What sounds are you in your room?
Is a television or radio on in your room? What about the noise outside your room. Is there a loud television in the room next door? Are your neighbors noisy? If this is the case there are several things you can do to help ease the problem. White noise will help to mask the issue. This can be a fan, a white noise machine, or other consistent noise that will mask the outside noises. This does not include television or radio because the level of volume and the sound itself changes. You can also use light absorbing curtains because they also help to absorb noise from the outside. This is especially helpful to those who live on a busy street.
4. How much light is in your room?
A small night light is acceptable for sleeping but any more light and it can disturb your sleep. We all arouse several times during the night to change positions as we change from one stage of sleep to the next. The light can disturb you and actually change that short arousal into an awakening and take you longer to go back to sleep.
Outside light can also disturb your sleep. This can affect you if there is a streetlight outside your bedroom window, or if you are a shift worker. The investment in room darkening curtains is relatively inexpensive if you shop around. The help in getting a good seven to eight hours of quality sleep is priceless.
5. Who is sleeping in your room?
When you go to bed at night is there more then just your significant other in your bed. Pets can be one of the biggest disturbances when you sleep. They can be noisy they move around at night and can keep you from getting the sleep you need. The best place for them is outside your bedroom.
Where do your children sleep? Many parents share there beds with their children, however you need to be aware of the size of your bed and the more people sleeping in it the less space you will have to get comfortable. The idea is for everyone who shares the bed to get a good 8 hours of sleep not just the kids.
6. How is your bedroom decorated?
A relaxing surrounding is important to sleep. The color and comfort of your bedroom contributes to this. A soothing color is important to a good night sleep. So is the comfort of the bed you sleep in. Investments in such things as an egg crate or pillow top for your bed might make a mattress that is a little too hard more comfortable. Good quality sheets and bed linens are important. Softer sheets whether they are high thread count, flannel, satin or other materials that you like will help you to sleep better. A pillow that is right for your body position is also a good investment. They should be replaced on a regular basis. Pillows are not really lifetime investments, especially if they are of the foam variety. They wear our and you do not get the support you would get when you bought it. If you tend to like using three or four pillows when you sleep you might want to consider buying a wedge pillow. This will allow you to sleep at a 45 degree angle and would not require you to wake up and readjust your pillows several times a night.
7. What temperature is your room?
I know that many people think they sleep best when the room is warm but our bodies are designed for a cooler temperature at night. This is a natural thing, as our body temperature falls and is lowest during the 3am to 5am time period. If you get cold during the night consider adding a blanket or socks.
When you create a bedroom that is designed to help you fall asleep you will find that insomnia may not be as big a problem as it has been in the past. If you find that you are still having issues with insomnia look at your sleep routine and talk to your doctor. Sleep is too important to let anything stand in its way.
Amy Korn-Reavis, RRT, RPSGT has been in the respiratory field for over twenty years. She has worked in all areas and is currently focusing on sleep and how to help the community feel better by sleeping better. She is the manager of Physician Associates Sleep Center of Central Floridaan independent testing facility located in Maitland and Orlando, Florida. She is also the coordinator of A.W.A.K.E. Orlando a support group for people with sleep disorders http://awakeorlando.ning.com. If you have any questions about sleep or are looking for someone to speak at your community function she can be reached at areavis@paoc.com
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