According to the Cleveland Clinic, around 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep disorders, with an additional 30 million regularly getting less sleep than recommended.
Why this matters: Most experts agree that the optimal amount of sleep each night is somewhere between six and eight hours. While fatigue and general lethargy are obvious outcomes of restless nights, trouble sleeping (or trouble waking up) may also open you up to a whole host of problems.
- Too little sleep can cause cognitive issues and put your immune system at risk, in some cases leading to chronic health problems like diabetes and heart disease.
- On the other hand, too much sleep can damage your metabolism, which can lead to unwanted weight gain, and, ironically, an increased sense of fatigue.
But it’s not just an issue of too much or too little.
- Sleep quality matters tremendously
- Research indicates that quality could be even more important than quantity.
So, let’s take a look at some things you can do to get the best possible sleep.
1. Humidity
Keeping your bedroom’s humidity at an even keel should be a top priority.
- The target humidity in your home—and bedroom—should be 45%.
- Much above 50% and you risk mold growth and dust mite proliferation. Below 40% for too long and physical discomforts, such as drying of the mucus membranes and dehydration, may develop.
- Numerous sinus infections are caused by low humidity.
- Unsafe humidity levels are, by and large, preventable.
What you can do:
- Utilize dehumidifiers and humidifiers with digital gauges to monitor and prevent humidity levels from getting too high or too low.
2. Light
Our 24-hour biological cycles are known as circadian rhythms (from Latin: circa “about” + dies “day”) and are largely driven by how our bodies interact with light, natural and artificial.
- Exposure to certain spectrums of light, those drawn naturally from the sun, can stifle the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.
- Blue light, in particular, artificially mimics light from the sun and is often prevalent both inside and outside your home. (Red-light frequencies, like what we get from fire, don’t create sleep disturbance.)
- Computer screens and televisions are common sources of blue light, as are many light bulbs. Even night lights often emit some degree of blue light.
- Street lamps are huge emitters of blue light.
What you can do:
- Reduce exposure to television, computers or other backlit screens for at least an hour or two before bed.
- Remove incandescent and fluorescent lights (yes, even your super-efficient CFL bulbs) from your bedroom environment.
- If outside light is an issue, “black out” your windows with curtains and/or blinds, or utilize a sleep mask.
3. Noise
Keeping disruptive night sounds to a minimum is important for a good night’s sleep, but a few common remedies bring their own issues.
- Though earplugs are often recommended, they may keep you from hearing an alarm or your phone or your child. Also, having an object in your ears for several hours straight can lead to irritation or even infection.
- Heavy rugs and curtains may help in a noisy house, but they also provide a haven for dust mites when humidity is high.
- Fans are a common solution to noise reduction, but they can dry you out and cause congestion issues if blowing directly on you.
What you can do:
- Use a standalone sound machine or install a sleep-sound app on your phone.
- If you have a fan running at night, keep it pointed away from the bed, or make sure it’s oscillating.
- Purchase a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter that is not specifically marketed as “quiet.” It’ll help muffle sounds and keep your air clean!
- Install double and triple-paned windows to help mute outdoor sound.
4. Dust and Other Particles
Excessive dust can be a major disrupter of sleep, particularly for those who have asthma, allergies and sinus problems.
- Household dust is generally a mixture of atmospheric dust, human skin cells, pollen, mold spores, clothing and carpet fibers, paint particles and other tiny little pieces of our buildings that naturally shed through time.
- Carpets, curtains and downy blankets are huge reservoirs of dust, and if the humidity goes up for more than a few days, that’s where the microbial critters will party.
- Despite their soothing effects, burning candles for too long can contribute a substantial amount of unhealthy, super-fine, combustion-related dust.
- Scented candles release oodles of potentially toxic (albeit pleasant-smelling) chemicals into the air.
What you can do:
- Get rid of the carpet in your bedroom. If you must, use area rugs, but keep them clean.
- Use a HEPA air filter. Recommended in every home. They reduce exposure to impure particles and the amount of dust that settles on surfaces.
Note: HEPA-filtered vacuum cleaners are just as important. Non-HEPA vacuums fail to capture micro-fine dust, actually redistributing it throughout your house, which can cause irritation in sensitive people and trigger asthma attacks. - Wash your curtains regularly.
- Clean under your bed and dresser. Dust bunnies don’t bite! Wear an N-95 dust mask when cleaning hard-to-reach areas.
- Use candles in only short increments. particularly the scented varieties.
5. Habits and Vices
What you do in the hours before bedtime can have a serious effect on how you sleep. Less is definitely more when it comes to a whole host of decisions.
- Eating, drinking and exercising too close to bedtime can throw off your natural rhythm and disturb your shuteye.
- Watching TV or looking at your phone or computer will naturally awaken your senses and keep you up later than you want.
What you can do:
- Avoid caffeine. This may seem obvious, but even if you’re someone who can have an evening cup of joe and still get a full night’s sleep, the caffeine will keep your brain working overtime, reducing the quality of your slumber.
- Exercising during the day is great, but don’t do it within two hours of bedtime. You want your system to slow down, not rev up, before hitting the sack.
- For a whole host of reasons, avoid eating within four hours of going to bed. Spicy foods, in particular, may lead to heartburn.
- Get hydrated, but don’t overdo it. Having a glass of warm or room-temperature water before bed is a good idea. (Cold water is discouraged.) More than a glass, though, and you may need to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.
- Cut yourself off from alcohol within four hours of bedtime. Drinking may make you sleepy, but it also causes sleep disturbances as the alcohol is metabolized.
- Avoid nicotine, which is a stimulant. Don’t smoke ’em just because you got ’em!
6. Mattresses and Bedding
You’ll spend more time on your mattress than anywhere else in your world, so make sure it’s quality. (Bedding, too.)
- Fire retardants are required in most mattresses by federal law, despite containing some very toxic substances.
- Even without the fire retardants, the chemicals used in the manufacture of most traditional spring mattresses are simply unacceptable.
- Latex (foam) mattresses, unlike traditional spring mattresses, are naturally antimicrobial and unfriendly to dust mites.
- With bedding, using fabric softeners and scented detergents when laundering can add unwanted chemicals to the mix. Clean doesn’t have a scent.
What you can do:
- Switch out your traditional spring mattress for natural latex (foam).
- Use organic cotton sheets and blankets.
- Wash your bedding with unscented detergents and avoid fabric softeners.
Lastly, ALL beds should have mattress and pillow encasements to contain allergens as much as possible.
7. Electro-Magnetic Frequencies (EMFs)
Electromagnetic frequencies, such as those emitted from desktop hard drives, high-tension power lines, badly wired houses, and common household appliances, can wreak havoc on sleep patterns.
What you can do:
- Reduce, if not eliminate, exposure to the electronics in your bedroom.
And Finally…Location, Location, Location
Just because your bed is in your bedroom doesn’t mean it’s the best place to sleep. Basement apartments or basement bedrooms, for instance, almost always pose problems, with a lack of fresh air exchange and a high probability of excess moisture being chief among them. Other bedrooms may allow in too much natural or unnatural light or are situated near high-traffic areas in your home that produce too much noise. Perhaps you’ve chosen a bedroom beneath your child’s room and it sounds like the sky is falling each time they spring out of bed. Whatever the case, don’t be afraid to experiment with your setup in pursuit of better sleep.
Sweet dreams!
