The 5 C’s to Designing a Bedroom for a Good Night’s Sleep

Do you wake up in the morning feeling sluggish and unrested? Sleep is essential to our well-being and health. It’s paramount that you are designing a bedroom for a good night’s sleep to maintain your physical and mental health.

Let’s explore the 5 C’s that might be standing in the way of the sleep you are dreaming of.

Color

All colors have a personality and affect our mood. Some contribute to relaxing and calming. Others make us want to move. The best colors for relaxing and resting are soft shades of blue. Have you ever noticed, the primary color you see on your television screen is blue? That’s why we often fall asleep watching television.

In a study of 2,000 participants they found that those who had blue bedroom walls, averaged just short of 8 hours of solid sleep on a consistent basis. That sounds dreamy, doesn’t it?

Soft shades of gray can also be conducive to good rest. Do you notice how tired you feel on a day that has full cloud coverage? Gray encourages your eyes to rest.

If you're not a fan of the cooler tones, a soft warm neutral can also be restful. Be sure you choose shades that are toned down and not too intense for designing a bedroom for a good nights sleep.

Greens can be calming and restful too. Choose greens that are soft in tone that lean towards blue and away from yellow. One of my favorites is Benjamin Moore’s Palladian Blue. It’s a soothing, calming blue-green that has become a favorite of my client’s over the year. It’s somewhat of a prescription for a good night’s rest.

Stay away from colors that are intense like red, purple and bright yellow. These colors are conducive to promoting energy but will keep you awake at night.

Comfort

There are Four main items that will play into the comfort of your bedroom. Your Mattress, Bedding, Temperature and Flooring.

Mattress

When was the last time you purchased a new mattress? The recommended life of a mattress is 7-10 years, yet many of us are guilty of keeping them much longer than that. The funny thing is we probably replace our cars more often.

Consider the fact that we should be spending 8 solid hours in bed or 1/3 of the day.

Another thing to consider is the fact that we are all aging and our bodies have changed over the years. Rotating and flipping a mattress might help. But a new mattress should be high on your priority list.

Although there are a lot of things you can shop for online I stand firmly (no pun intended ;) that a mattress is something you should shop for in person. If you’re sharing your bed with a partner both of you should make this decision together. It might be time to bump up to a king size if you currently have a queen size bed.

A mattress should be large enough for you to move freely without disturbing your partner. You don’t want your sleep habits to become a point of contention.

Bedding

Light weight cotton bedding is best! Early in my career as a designer I discovered this line of bedding when visiting High Point Furniture Market. Peacock Alley is known for quality, washable, lightweight linens. They also have many beautiful Mattelasse, quilted coverlets. Everything in their line is breathable and lightweight but will keep you warm on colder evenings. It’s been my go to line for designing a bedroom for a good nights sleep.

Think of your bedding as if you’re traveling to Ireland. If you have ever been there you know that the temperature can change at moments notice. The best way to travel in Ireland is wearing layers and peeling them off as needed. Having layers of bedding allow you flexibility for the change in temperature so you can peel back the covers on a warmer evening.

Temperature

The recommended sleeping temperature for getting a solid night’s sleep is somewhere between 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal sleep. When you’re first falling asleep your body temperature decreases to initiate sleep. The recommended range will help facilitate this and promote a deeper, solid sleep.

You might be like me …..I struggled with this range at first. I prefer my home to be 71 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. My husband generally agrees with that except when going to bed. Finally, I agreed to turn it down a few notches prior to retiring for the evening. I must admit, he was right, we’re both sleeping much better at 67 degrees.

Find a happy medium that works well for everyone. It might take a few adjustments but well worth the effort.

Flooring

Carpet is the most popular for bedroom floors. It feels soft on the feet and buffers and absorbs sound. The downside of carpet is that it’s not conducive to someone who has allergies. Carpet can collect dust, pet fur and other undesirable irritants that can cause sinus and breathing problems. If you have carpet in your bedroom be sure it is vacuumed on a consistent basis, at least once a week.

Coughing and Sneezing in the middle of the night is not conducive to a good nights rest.

My preference for bedroom flooring is Cork.

It’s smooth to walk on when you’re barefoot and it offers the acoustical benefits that carpet does. At the same time, it eliminates the concerns of collecting dust and other irritants. This is the cork flooring I have in our bedroom. It actually looks more like burrowed wood than it does a cork board. We had it installed in 2002 and it still looks beautiful and has worn as well as wood flooring.

Of course, wood flooring is another great option and offers some of the benefits that cork flooring offers. Since it’s not as smooth as cork and not as sound absorbent consider an area rug to place underneath the lower two thirds of your bed. This allows you to step down on something soft in the morning and will help absorb sound. Since an area rug is carpet be sure to vacuum it at least once a week.

Calm Environment

It seems to be the norm nowadays to have a television and other electronics in our bedroom. We can’t seem to break away from them. Partially because we work long days and want to wind down at the end of the day. Sometimes this just doesn’t happen until bedtime. However, if you are serious about designing a bedroom for a good nights sleep let’s set some ground rules to abide by.

Turn your electronics off at night or at least silence them and stow them away in a drawer. Notifications can wake you up easily and will disturb your sleep.

Turn off your television and other devices at least fifteen minutes before bedtime. Use this time with intention to settle your mind. Some calming music, a dab of lavender oil on the arch of your feet or under your nose, and some deep breathing are all conducive to sleeping soundly. For some, a sound machine or just the sound of a oscillating fan will also help.

Conducive

The fact is, light is not conducive to a solid night’s sleep. Investing in proper window treatments for blocking out outdoor lighting as well as the man in the moon. The benefits will be well worth the cost.

Blackout shades or blackout draperies are best. Think of how well you sleep when you stay in a hotel. They always use room darkening draperies to help their guests sleep well. Shades and draperies should be mounted well past the glass to prevent light gap.

Even the slightest light gap can wake you up in the middle of the night.

Draperies can be lined with blackout lining. There is also decorative blackout fabric that doesn’t require any lining. Purchase your shades and draperies from an expert who will guide you on what will work best for your application and will stand behind their products.

What about our furry friends?

For fellow pet lovers, offer them their own bed in your room close to your bed. This way they feel like they are doing their job guarding you but are less likely to disturb your sleep.

Clutter

Your bedroom should be free of clutter for optimal rest. Eliminate laundry, workout equipment, books you intend to read someday. These items stimulate your mind and make you think about things you should be doing. Your bedroom should be treated like a sacred place for resting your mind and body.

Limit your nightstand surface to the basics…a lamp, book or journal, a glass of water and just one photo frame.

Make it a rule that the last one out of bed make the bed before they leave the room. Having a freshly made bed to crawl into at night helps your mind settle in.

Designing a bedroom for a good night’s sleep includes keeping your room consistently uncluttered and neat.

Get busy implementing the 5 C’s and I assure you, your sleep will improve dramatically.

This should get you on the right path but if you’re still struggling consider my Local or Online Design Services! You deserve a good nights rest.