9 Ways To Turn Your Bedroom Into An Oasis For Sleep

We all know that sleep is a basic human need, like eating and drinking. And yet many of us still believe that we can get by on less sleep with no negative consequences.

In fact, obtaining enough quality sleep that's in sync with your body’s natural internal clock is vital for your mental and physical health. Inadequate sleep is linked to conditions like heart disease, kidney disease,high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity, and depression. Not to mention, sleep is important for personal safety: Poor or too little sleep is associated with an increased risk of injury, serious car crashes, and human error resulting in tragic accidents.

As a Ph.D. diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine since 1984, I've devoted 35 years to the study of human sleep and clinical sleep disorders. And I've found that creating a bedroom conducive to sleep is one of the most important steps to getting the quality rest you need for your mood, physical health, and mental well-being. Here are nine key ways to design a sleep-friendly bedroom:

1. Make your bedroom very dark and quiet.

If where you live is too light and noisy, consider installing black curtains on the windows or wearing an eye mask to block the light from entering your eyes. Turn any clocks with lighted dials away from you.

You can purchase an inexpensive “white noise” sleep sound machine to mask disruptive outside noises. A dark and quiet bedroom is especially crucial to night shift workers who must sleep during the day.

2. Use colors to separate your bedroom from the rest of the home.

Your bedroom should be separated from the rest of your home to maintain a different association and function. For example, the walls should be painted a different, soothing color to reinforce the idea of rest.

3. Declutter your sleep space.

Your bedroom should not be filled with magazines, papers, and electronic gadgets. That's because clutter is often associated with multiple functions, and the idea is to limit the bedroom’s associations and functions, not expand them.

4. Make your bed daily.

It's important to make your bed every day so that you must draw back the covers at bedtime. This ritual also helps to associate the bed with very specific functions—sleep and sex. Do not eat in bed, watch TV in bed, or do any work in bed, as these activities are each associated with wakefulness, not sleep.

5. Invest in a comfortable bed and keep it simple.

Be sure to purchase a high-quality, comfortable bed and pillows; it's an investment you will not regret! Keep your bed sheets, covers, and pillows to a minimum so that you're not constantly pushing them out of the way to get comfortable when trying to sleep. Choose a color for your bedsheets and covers that you find peaceful and calming.

6. Keep pets out of your bed.

Your pets are best left off the bed, so you feel able to move around without being concerned that you might disturb them. The idea is to prioritize your own comfort during sleep. Your pets can still have separate beds in your bedroom if you'd like.

And if you have a human bed partner who is disruptive, consider putting two beds together or investing in a bed that allows for the separate control of each side. This is another investment you will not regret. 

7. Use red bulbs to minimize sleep disruptions.

If you get up in the middle of the night for bathroom trips, do not turn on overhead lights. Turning on your overhead lights sends a "wake up" signal to your internal clock. Use red bulbs—red light is basically invisible to our internal clock—in baseboard-level night lights to see your way to and from the bathroom.

8. Keep the bedroom temperature low.

Have you ever noticed that you sleep better during the winter months? We actually achieve more deep, delta sleep in a cool sleeping environment.

You may find you sleep more soundly when you're nude with covers. If you are hot when you go to bed, you'll have a very tough time sleeping. This has to do with your body temperature staying too high for sleep onset to occur. Our body temperature has a 24-hour cycle that parallels the activity-rest cycle. Body temperature rises and peaks during the waking day to produce heat in support of activity and falls during the evening hours to lose heat in preparation for sleep, an energy conservation state. You must literally cool down in order to fall asleep—and a hot bedroom blocks that cool-down process.

9. Get up and leave your bedroom if you can't sleep.

If you're having trouble falling asleep, get up and leave the bedroom to watch TV or read until you're sleepy, and then return to the bedroom. That way, you won't associate your bed with restlessness.

The bottom line: These sleep-friendly adjustments to your bedroom can increase your quality sleep for better mood, physical health, and mental focus.

by Deborah E. Sewitch

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-24898/9-ways-to-turn-your-bedroom-into-an-oasis-for-sleep.html

What’s More Important: Exercise Or Sleep?

You know that getting enough sleep and getting enough exercise are both essential for good health. But when you’re short on time or are feeling tired, is it still worth waking up extra early so you can squeeze in a workout?

You’re probably hoping the answer is "no." After all, who wouldn’t want permission to stay in bed for an extra hour, especially on those awful mornings when it’s freezing cold, pouring rain, or just sort of dark and depressing?

The answer isn’t so clear cut, though. Quality sleep and regular exercise (along with eating right) both help keep your body functioning at its best. In fact, they feed off of each other, meaning that regularly skimping on one in favor of the other isn’t the best idea.

So what’s a sleep-deprived fitness fanatic to do, then? Read on to find out.

Sweating and snoozing go hand in hand.

At some point, we’ve all tried to power through a workout after a late night. Whether or not we ended up making it all the way through the sweat session, though, is another story.

Research shows that getting less than seven hours of sleep could lead you to shorten your workouts ... if you can even get yourself moving at all. Unsurprisingly, running low on sleep can make you less motivated to lace up your sneakers, and makes you perceive higher exertion and fatigue.

But doesn’t that mean that sleeping is more important than exercising? Not exactly. Because once you start skipping your workouts, your slumber is more likely to suffer. At this point, it’s a known fact that exercising regularly during the day will help you sleep more soundly at night.

But what if you need to make a trade-off?

The reason experts recommend that adults get 7-9 hours of sleep every night is because there’s no one-size-fits-all amount that’s right for everyone. So if you aren’t sleeping the standard eight hours but still feel rested and energized, there’s likely no reason to skip your workout in favor of more snooze time.

Many of us occasionally wake up feeling groggy and on the fence about what to do, though. If you’re only a little more tired than usual, it’s probably a good idea to just suck it up and work out. An occasional night of bad sleep won’t kill you, and getting a good workout can mean better sleep that night. But since it’s so easy to get into the habit of hitting the snooze button instead of exercising, it’s better to save the sleeping-in card for extreme scenarios only. (More on that below.)

When you don’t quite feel at your peak, think about moving your sweat session outside. Exposure to bright morning light suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin, so you feel more energized. Plus, it has the added bonus of regulating your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle, so you sleep more soundly in the evening.

The exception to the rule.

It’s a good idea to still exercise on mornings when you’re slightly tired (or afternoons if that’s your pick). But in cases where you’re seriously zonked, it’s probably better to let yourself doze. Chances are you’d slack off on your workout anyway, and you’ll end up feeling weaker, crabbier and even more spaced out than before. Snooze it off and get back to the gym once you’ve got some rest under your belt.

So what's the solution?

Even though it’s OK to occasionally exercise when you’re a little tired or skip exercise for sleep when you’re really fried, it’s not a great idea to make a habit of either. Instead, take a look at your habits and schedule to figure out where you can make some healthy changes. Groggy mornings could be a sign that you need start moving towards an earlier bedtime.

Or, if a crazy schedule means that you don’t have time to get in enough sleep and a workout, consider shorter, more intense exercise sessions. Experts agree that 20- or 30-minute interval workouts are just as effective (if not more so) than their longer, slower-paced counterparts.

Still, remember that if you’re dealing with a temporary situation that makes adequate sleep pretty much impossible (finals week and new babies, we’re looking at you), you should cut yourself a break.

If you’re able to squeeze in a nap and a short workout a few days a week, great. But if you’re doing your best just to get a few hours of sleep most nights, don’t sweat it too much. When you’re able to get back to a more regular schedule, your sneakers will still be there waiting for you.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

BY ROSIE OSMUN 

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-18648/whats-more-important-exercise-or-sleep.html