Ideal Sleep Environment
HIMbody’s recommended PEM approach to sleep focuses on the Physical, Environmental, and Mental aspects. Here, we focus on the environmental aspect.
Ensuring you have an ideal sleep environment helps set the stage for a restful night’s sleep. Here are three key focus areas:
Lighting
Depending on where you live, outdoor daylight may or not be an issue in helping you sleep. In summer, if you live in a region further away from the equator it may still be light outside when you head to bed.
Alternatively, in winter it may be dark late into the morning much later than when you need to wake up.
If you have a sleep routine that includes being in bed (listening to music, reading, etc.), then consider dimming the lighting 30 to 60 mins prior to your sleep time. One great option is a salt lamp to provide a soft glow.
TIP – don’t believe the “experts” when they recommend salt lamps to help clean the air and that they release negative ions to improve your health. They are recommended here purely for creating a soft glow to help you wind down.
Another great tip is to eliminate screen time at least one hour prior to bedtime. The blue light that is emitted from mobile devices can interrupt your circadian rhythm and make it more difficult to fall asleep. And it is recommended to leave your phone in another room when it is time for bed.
Sounds and Noise
Distractions – whether from within your home or outside such as city life can interfere with getting a good night’s sleep. Think of the many times you are just about to hit dreamland when some sound – your partner rolling over, someone flushing the toilet, a car horn from outside, or any other noise – awakens you and adds another hour of trying to fall asleep.
HIMbody recommends having some sort of background noise when going to bed if there are distractions that prevent you from falling asleep. It may not be needed all the time, but could be especially useful if you live in a bigger household or have other external distractions.
TIP – don’t use a “white noise” machine, as often the speakers are of poor quality and often produces more frustration. Instead, either use a air purifier that produces a nice “hum” that also cleans the air, or for help falling asleep use a mindfulness app that has nature sounds or other preferred background noise options combined with sleep headphones such as the ones linked below.
Temperature
Generally we sleep better when we’re cooler. If you live in a climate with colder winters and hotter summers, which season do you sleep better in? (ignoring any use of air conditioners).
On average, our body temperature goes down a couple degrees when we’re sleeping. That is why having a hot shower as part of a sleep routine is a great idea – as it helps to reduce your body temperature shortly after the shower, which signals to your body that is i ready for sleep.
So try using cooler bedding when sleeping, and even consider a cooling weighted blanket or cooling pillow.
