10 Secrets for a Better Night's Sleep - Remodelista
We admit it; some of us at Remodelista toss and turn at night (and even find ourselves on Pinterest at 3am–Michelle, are you reading this?).
1. Open the windows; nature is the original Ambien.
So when our friend Jackie Ashton, an SF-based writer, yoga teacher, and mindfulness practitioner who is passionate about the intersection of design and well-being, offered to share her secrets on getting a good night’s sleep, we leapt at the chance to hear her thoughts.
There’s something about connecting with the natural world–from whence we came–that makes the daily minutiae dissolve (as Benjamin Franklin said, “People who live in the forest, in open barns, or with open windows, do not catch cold, and the disease called a cold is generally caused by impure air”).
Above L: Eve Ashcraft Vapor from Fine Paints of Europe. Above R: Benjamin Moore’s Wickham Gray.
2. Make your bedroom a place of beauty and ease.
Our resident paint expert Eve Ashcraft suggests, “If you want a tranquil room, you should keep your color palette subtle and tonal. The more similar each color is the ‘quieter’ the visual impact.” A few favorites: Eve Ashcraft’s Vapor (pale blue) or Benjamin Moore’s Wickham Gray (pale blue/gray).
In a spartan bedroom in the English countryside designed by David Kohn, a tasseled Moroccan bedspread adds a note of whimsy.
3. Be fully present. Leave work and technology elsewhere.
3. Be fully present. Leave work and technology elsewhere.
Consider practicing a brief meditation before sleep–research shows that just 10 minutes a day can have an impact. (Don’t be mentally at the office, at the dinner table with your kids, or in last week’s argument with your mother.)
Your bedroom should have a restful atmosphere, and for most people, outer order instills inner calm.
4. Keep your bedroom simple, clean, and neat.
Some people prefer absolute quiet, while others sleep well with a sound machine.
5. Pay attention to the amount of nighttime noise.
6. Make your bedroom a place of comfort.
Invest in the best sheets (see 10 Easy Pieces: Simple White Sheets) and non-toxic mattress (see 10 Easy Pieces: Editors’ Favorite Mattresses) you can afford.
Like children, our adult bodies need signals that it’s time to rest. Take a hot bath about 90 minutes before bed to raise your body heat–the subsequent drop in temperature will let your body know it’s time to sleep.
8. Make your bedroom a place of meaning. Display sentimental items around the room.
The Night Carafe by Sugahara is $53 from Tortoise General Store in LA.
Photos of family members and loved ones. Let your bedroom be a place that reminds you of everything that is meaningful and good in your life.
8. Make your bedroom a place of meaning. Display sentimental items around the room.
9. Turn off the lights and turn down the thermostat.
Lowering the thermostat right before bed signals the body that it’s time to sleep.
