How to Arrange Your Bedroom for the Best Night's Sleep
Caffeine, stress, noise, light, temperature—there are so many factors that can influence your quality of sleep. And here's one more to add to the list: how you arrange your sleeping quarters.
Bedroom design also plays a role in your sleep satisfaction, but we're not just talking about choosing cozy sheets or hanging room-darkening curtains. Certain furniture arrangements may actually lead to better sleep, according to a survey of more than 1,000 people conducted by Sleep Junkie, a website that reports on sleep science.
The Wilde Project
The study asked participants about their bedroom layouts in relation to the restfulness of their slumber. They were presented with multiple furniture arrangments and asked to select which one best represented their own room's design. The winning setup—with 75% of respondents reporting restful sleep—involved a bed centered on an interior wall, the door on an adjacent wall, a TV across from the bed, and a window to the side. Coming in second was a near-identical layout but with the bed pushed into a corner instead of centered in the room.
Courtesy of Sleep Junkie
The merits of this arrangement make sense if you think in terms of lighting. Placing your bed against an interior wall, facing away from windows and doors limits interfering light from outside or the hallway. A little natural brightness can be an effective wake-up call, however, so having a window to the side of the bed can help alert your brain when it's time to start the day.
Related: Create a Relaxing Bedroom
And while you're rearranging your bedroom furniture, you might want to consider tidying up as well. The survey found that 73% of respondents with clean bedrooms reported sleeping well, compared to only 53% of those with messy rooms. Christine Lawler, the sleep consultant behind The Peaceful Sleeper, explains the logic behind this. "A messy room causes stress, which in turn causes terrible sleep," she says. "I have three kids and my room is always a mess, but tidying up my room (even just a little) calms my mind and makes me feel accomplished and relaxed."
So if you've been having trouble falling asleep lately, it could be time for a quick bedroom refresh. Sweet dreams!
