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Getting enough sleep helps you maintain your physical health. Plus it supports better, healthier brain function. Sleeping properly isn't easy for everyone, though. Some people toss and turn until they fall asleep. Or they fight with problems like the wrong bedroom temperature that keeps them from getting the shut-eye they need.
According to the Mayo Clinic, teens need between eight hours and 10 hours of sleep per night. Adults need 7 hours or more sleep for the restorative rest that will leave them feeling their best. Not getting enough sleep could harm you and lead to exhaustion or high blood pressure. It could even shorten your life expectancy.
What Makes the Ideal Sleep Sanctuary (According to the National Sleep Foundation)
The ideal sleep sanctuary is one where people can easily get their recommended hours of sleep. The right setting might vary from person to person. But the right visual design, layout, smell, lighting, and sound level are a must for people hoping to get the perfect amount of sleep.
To get the right amount of sleep, it can help to get rid of anything that could lead to sleep disruption or disturbance in your sleep cycles. Things like a cluttered room with dirty clothes could make it hard to get to sleep. Something as simple as that could hurt your chances of getting a good night's rest.
5 Tips for Creating Your Very Own Sleep Sanctuary
It's time to focus on getting your own perfect night's sleep. Try some of these helpful tips to make your bedroom more comfortable and relaxed so you get the good sleep you need.
Get the right lighting
The first thing to consider in any bedroom is the lighting. You can turn your bedroom into a sleep oasis by finding lighting that you can lower in the evening, for example. You may also want to try blackout curtains if any amount of light is disturbing to you when you sleep.
When your room is darker, the darkness encourages melatonin production. A darker room may help you get to sleep faster when you lie down in bed. Some ideas include wearing a silk eye mask or blocking out light in your space with curtains. With these solutions, you may be able to fall asleep faster for better sleep every night.
Improve your room's temperature
When your bedroom temperature is too hot, it can make it hard for you to get the rest you need. You might shiver on winter nights if you aren't covered enough. Or you might sweat buckets in warmer months as you try to escape the heat held in by synthetic materials in heavy sheets and comforters.
Are you a hot sleeper?
If you're a hot sleeper, the mattress you choose matters since some will help trap heat and make you hotter. Look for gel mattresses that wick away heat from the body so you stay cooler. Try silk sheets to help you better regulate your body temperature, too, so you have good ventilation while you're covered up on your new mattress.
On cool days, consider opening a window for fresh air, or adding a fan to the room to encourage better air circulation.
Trade up to a silk pillowcase
One way to see a difference in sleep is to upgrade to quality bedding along with your new, high-quality mattress.
There is a huge difference between different kinds of fabric. That's why you should look into using silk pillowcases for a huge impact on how you sleep at night. Silk helps keep you cool and maintain your ideal temperature. It's also good for sensitive skin thanks to a high thread count that doesn't cause friction.
Satin's cheaper...but is it as good as silk?
While you might think that other materials, like satin, are similar enough, the truth is that isn't the case. Silk and satin both look shiny, but silk is truly soft whereas satin is only smooth, but not soft.
One hundred percent mulberry silk doesn't hold onto moisture from sweat. Instead, it wicks it away. This helps you maintain your body temperature, reduce irritation, and even reduce damage to your hair at night.
Try essential oils
To really create the ultimate sleep sanctuary, you should consider a multi-sensory experience. This is why it's important not to ignore scent when designing your sleep palace. That's why we recommend essential oils to help soothe yourself to sleep.
Essential oils come in calming scents like eucalyptus, lavender, lemongrass, and many more. Many of these oils can help you to fall asleep and stay asleep longer. Some oils, like lavender, are known to work like sedatives. Others, like peppermint, improve sleep by potentially reducing stress and anxiety, according to Medical News Today.
Add a few drops of your favorite oils to a diffuser. Or mist your room with a bottled spray to relax into a better night's sleep.
Go high-tech
With high-tech options, you can help yourself get a great night's sleep, too. Try a white noise machine to help block out annoying noises so you can get to sleep and wake up with higher energy levels. White noise creates a sound that feels like "background noise," like the static on a television or the whirring of a fan.
If you're not a fan of those sounds, consider putting on your Blissy Sleep Mask and listening to brown or pink noise if that soothes you. Brown noise contains noises at all frequencies, but lower frequencies are amplified. Brown noise is like pink noise, which also plays lower frequencies at a higher volume. The difference is that pink noise is like a gentle rainshower, while brown noise is like whipping wind in a storm.
Think about white, pink, and brown noise like a cascade. White noise is highest, pink noise is more midrange, and brown noise is deep. If you like the sound of crashing waves, try brown noise machines. For rain, try pink noise. For trickling waterfalls? White noise machines will play the kinds of sounds you're eager to listen to.
Tip: Don't forget to track your sleep
Consider wearing a sleep tracker to make sure you're getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night. If you're not, or if your sleep tracker shows signs of sleep apnea or disruptions in your sleep cycle, consider speaking with a medical professional.
Why Is a Sleep Sanctuary Important for a Great Night's Sleep?
Having somewhere in your home that you can trust as your one place to rest and relax is essential to getting a soothing night of sleep. Blocking out light and noise, resting with your spine aligned, and feeling good with a cooling pillowcase that keeps your temperature balanced can ease you into the sleep you need.
The American Sleep Association says it could be helpful to find your correct sleep chronotype. The 4 chronotypes, (Dolphin, Lion, Wolf, and Bear), all reflect a different kind of biological clock with its own needs. Everyone is "programmed" to sleep better during certain sleep cycles. So figuring out your sleep pattern and combining it with your ideal sleep sanctuary can help you get better sleep each night.
Your perfect sleep sanctuary will be one that has the right temperature balance, the ability to maintain the right level of lighting, and just enough sound to let you drift off to sleep easily each time you lie down. Knowing that this space is available to you may be enough to reduce anxiety about sleep, so you can get more rest without frustration.
Get a Good Night's Sleep With Blissy
At Blissy, we have many products that can help you get to sleep and stay sleeping soundly. Opt for our buttery-smooth silk pillowcases. Or pick up a Blissy Sleep Mask to block out light. Either way, we know these will help you get a better night's sleep.
