Sweet Dreams
You should never underestimate the importance of your bedroom sleep environment, it can impact your sleep more than you think. There are four main factors that can impact your sleeping environment – noise, temperature, smell and bedding.
Sleep experts at OTTY have compiled a list of bedroom accessories to add to your room that help improve your sleep. From weighted blankets to wake-up lights – here’s your guide to a good night’s rest.
Pillow Spray
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Your sense of smell can play a significant part in how you fall asleep! Lavender oil is renowned for its relaxing effect. It has been found to increase slow-wave sleep, essential for slowing your heart rate and increasing muscle relaxation thus promoting sleep.
However, you should avoid citrus smelling essential oils like orange and lemon. These citrus scents may smell fresh, but their uplifting properties have been proven to keep you awake. Another scent to avoid is peppermint, which uplifts and brightens your senses and actually prevents fatigue, so could keep you up at night.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Oil Diffuser
]An essential oil diffuser can help soothe and relieve dry throat symptoms caused by dust and arid environments. Not only will an essential oil diffuser reduce that dry throat feeling, but it can also help scent your bedroom with night time oils such as lavender.
Air Purifier Spray
A fan is an excellent way to keep you cool at night, but the whirring noise of the fan may keep you awake when it comes to bedtime. Stop the endless cycle of not knowing whether to keep the fan on or off and invest in an air purifier fan. The Dyson Pure Cool tower fan, and similar purifiers, circulate cool air around the room whilst removing 99.97% of allergens and pollutants.
Guided Meditation App
If your mind is racing with thoughts, a guided meditation app such as Calm, Headspace or Synctuition is what you need. It allows you to relax and let go of the thoughts running through your mind. This activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which helps slow down your breathing rate and lower your heart rate – the recipe for a restful sleep!
White Noise Sound Machine
If you live in a bustling city, the sounds of your surroundings may not be the perfect bedtime lullaby. One of the simplest and relaxing ways to get a good night’s sleep is by drowning out the city with a white noise machine by your bed. The neutral non-repeating sound from white noise will help put your body in a state of relaxation.
Weighted Blanket
While your average blanket is pretty good for keeping you warm, you may still be tossing and turning at night. Weighted blankets have been proven to help create a more restful sleep for their users – especially for those who suffer from anxiety. Using ‘pressure therapy’ a weighted blanket uses a calm-inducing amount of pressure on your entire body, providing you with a similar feeling of being hugged. The pressure calms you by activating your parasympathetic nervous system, which lowers your heart rate when you’re stressed. A lower heart rate leads to the overall feeling of calmness that the blanket provides.
Before investing in a weighted blanket we would suggest you take some time in researching the best one for you as the right size and weight of a weighted blanket depends on your needs.
Blackout Curtains
As the days are getting longer, which means the sun is rising earlier and setting later, there’s nothing worse than light peeking through your curtains, keeping you up at night or waking you up earlier than your morning alarm. Bright light keeps you alert, it is an external cue that we have to signal our circadian rhythm. Invest in some blackout curtains or blinds; they are made to block out any sunlight!
Wake-Up Lights
There’s nothing worse than the sound of a harsh ringing alarm when you wake up in the morning, sometimes the time you set your alarm may be the worst time to wake up based on the way you have slept that night.
Wake-up lights such as Lumie are perfect for those who find it difficult to wake up in the morning by signalling our circadian rhythm. You can create your own personal sunrise, a gradually brightening light that gently rouses you from sleep so that you feel naturally wide awake when your alarm goes off. Your bedroom sleep environment is the root of a good night’s sleep. Sleep is a vital component of every person’s overall health and well-being, it enables the body to repair and recharge for another day. Most of us need around 8 hours of good-quality sleep a night to function properly – but some need more and some less. Remember, not only is sleep important for your physical health but your mental health too!
Article thanks to OTTY