January is a great time to start building habits that will carry you through the year. And if your vacation was anything like ours (no alarm clocks, no deadlines, lots of time with family and friends and plenty of time for reflecting on 2008 and looking ahead to the new year) you're ready to conquer 2009. Here are some of the simplest but most important habits you can start to keep your bedroom healthy and restful so you can stay on track with your other goals:
Best Bedroom Habits To Start In The New Year
According to experts it only takes 3 weeks to build a habit, so jump in today and see if these make a difference in how much rest you get or how you feel when you wake up. If you have other habits that make a big difference, share them in the comments.
Change the sheets on Sunday: There's just nothing like slipping into a clean bed, give yourself that luxury every week. This might mean that you need to invest in a second set of high thread count sheets or that you commit to doing laundry on sundays. When we're feeling lazy, we at least change the pillowcases.
Make the Bed Everyday: We've made this easy on ourselves by only having a duvet and pillows to fluff, no fussy sheets to tuck in or bedskirts to deal with. Our bedroom is small so when the bed is made the room looks tidy.
Abstain from the Internet/TV Before Bed: It's easy for us to end up taking the computer to bed with us, catching up on blogs, thinking about what we want to write for the coming week, but this can often set us up for fitful sleep while our brain keeps working and our body is trying to rest. If we put the computer down an hour before bed it lets us wind down. This gives you space to reflect on the day and might even allow for more quality time with a partner, if time is often at a minimum.
Put Things Away Every Day: We start our before-bed ritual by putting things away. We don't sleep as well when there are clothes strewn about or piles of paperwork sitting around. We try to spend 5-10 minutes keeping this stuff under control in the evening. This means that in the morning, we have a clean bedroom to wake up to.
Read: Find a book you're really into and keep it by the bed. Put time aside to read before bedtime or in the morning before leaping to your feet. Need some help finding a good book? Check out some recommendations from other readers.
Image from Design Public
Comments (19)
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There's no way in hell I'd ever be able to wash my sheets every single Sunday! Yikes, is that bad?!
The best thing I did for my bedroom was get rid of any clocks that I could see in the dark. They are torture for people with insomnia (and I am a firm believer that they contribute to it!) so now I just sleep with my phone next to me. The alarm clock on it is great and people know not to call during certain hours.
view Erin Lang Norris/Yellow Canoe's profile
Where can I find a headboard like that, its beautiful!
view ashbadger's profile
Erin- Clean sheets every week is a pretty important (think dust mites, skin cells, sweat, drool - yick)... That doesn't mean you have to WASH them every week though. Have 2 sets and wash them both at the same time every 2 weeks. Makes for a more full load too.
view LilyC's profile
How am I supposed to have time to read with all these extra chores?
view whytephoenix's profile
Erin-- I'm with you on the 'no clocks I can see in the dark' rule. I just switched to a new alarm clock and discovered I can switch off the illumination at bedtime. It makes for a much more restful night since I no longer look over and get anxious about how few hours of sleep I'll have for work the next day.
view PhillyLass's profile
i recently got rid of my glowing alarm clock and it has been life-changing. i never realized how much the clock contributed to my insomnia and anxiety. i'd recommend that anyone with trouble sleeping give it a try.
view bebklyn's profile
i'm supposed to restrict myself to two sets of sheets?
i'm a stickler for clean sheets. i change them about every 4 days.
i totally believe in the no alarm clocks thing though. i use my cell phone as an alarm clock. face down on my bedside table, and i can't see a thing at night.
view joolzie's profile
First I must say this is the first I heard anyone else talk about the no clock thing. I thought it was all part of my insomnia. . .
I heard somewhere in the past, to help you get more restful sleep. To keep the activities you do in your bedroom to a minimum. Preferably only sleeping and love making- obviously most people keep their clothes in there. But not to fold your laundry, exercise, pay the bills, etc. in your bedroom. Also keep it clean and decorate in colors and in a theme that is relaxing to you. So that when you retreat to your bed at night, your bedroom won't cause your mind to start up. But rather to relax.
I also believe, not to exercise within a few hours before you want to fall asleep.
view Emma Jo's profile
Man, I'm just glad I'm not the only one who has trouble sleeping. Emma Jo, I follow all those (on a good day anyway) and can say they definitely help with relaxing and falling asleep!
view laure's profile
Ditto on the headboard! Very nice.
view slantedview's profile
I work a mix of night and day shifts, so my sleep comes at varying times. I have to have a clock visible or else I'll drive myself batty trying to guess what time it is, i.e. "did I go to sleep when it was dark or light??"
When I have to get up for a day shift, I sleep best when I get everything ready the night before - clothes laid out, lunch ready, purse and keys by the door. I'm not a morning person so the more I do ahead of time, the better I can rest.
There are all kinds of things shift workers can do to deal with a wacky sleep schedule, I love these suggestions too :)
view ephcee's profile
Sleep hygiene: http://www.metrohealth.org/body.cfm?id=1855
view nashdp's profile
also loving the coverlet... source?
view oakjo's profile
I also put fresh sheets on our bed every Sunday. I sprinkle lavender talc in between the sheets---feels and smells so good! I also have my exercise clothes ready to put on as soon as the alarm goes off. My clothes for the workday are also picked out the night before. The ritual of this is very calming, and streamlines my morning.
view scootergirl's profile
oakjo, the coverlet should be available through design public.
view laure's profile
does anyone know where i can get a clock that i can turn off the illumination at night? that would be brilliant!
view bprophs's profile
I got one from a drug store. You just hit the snooze button on top and it lights up for about 30 secs. I also sets the time and date itself.
view snakeboy's profile
amen on the no clock you can see in the dark. Mine has a button I can hit if I really, really want to know how long I've been laying awake.
My new thing this year: before I get out of bed in the morning, I make a list of five positive things about the day. It makes for a really nice start to the day!
view GypsyTeri's profile
GypsyTeri -- I really like that idea! But if you can't think of five positive things, do you get to stay in bed? :)
view jrochest's profile