Creating a relaxing environment can make a big difference in your sleep quality. This doesn’t mean you need to rearrange your entire bedroom or splurge on blackout curtains. You can start small and simple with just your bedside table. It’s the perfect spot to convert into a miniature relaxation station.
The first step is to remove the clutter and anything that makes it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. I know it’s hard, but try to keep your laptop and cell phone somewhere that they cannot disturb you. Charging them in a separate room is best, but at the very least keep them somewhere out of arm’s reach. Set your phone to DND or flip the screen down so you cannot be awakened from a notification casting a beam of light in your room. Unless there’s a very strong possibility for an imminent emergency, there’s no need for you to be accessed in the middle of the night. 99.999% of issues can be solved in the morning.
Now that that’s out of the way, here are some items you can have on your nightstand to make it a little easier to drift off to dreamland:
1. A book or journal
It’s no surprise that staring at your phone while laying in bed wreaks havoc on your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Social media is designed to keep you scrolling for as long as possible, while the blue light your phone emits tricks your brain into thinking it’s always day time. This is all a major contributor to insomnia. This is a really difficult habit to break, and the best way to change a habit is to replace it with a new one. In the place where you might usually store your electronics, set down a book or journal.
Read a few pages before bed. It can be something you’ve been wanting to learn but haven’t had the time or it can be something so boring your eyelids get heavy right away. Either way, you’re benefiting.
If you have a journal, this is a great time to write down whatever is on your mind, whether it’s something that has been bothering you or something you need to remember for tomorrow. Getting these thoughts onto paper sometimes helps to stop their racing around your mind.
2. Lavender-scented anything
The calming effect of lavender is a well known fact, and there are several ways to incorporate it into your nighttime routine for better sleep:
- Have a lavender-scented candle burning (preferably one with essential oil instead of artificial fragrance) while you do your evening routine and read/write before bed. Add dried lavender. Always remember to blow it out before falling asleep!
- Pour a few drops of lavender essential oil into a diffuser.
- Add dried lavender to a bedtime tea. Chamomile, lemon balm, spearmint, passionflower, and valerian root are also great herbs to promote relaxation.
- Keep a tightly sealed bundle of dried lavender on your nightstand or even under your pillow.
3. Houseplant
Snake plants in particular are great to have on your bedside. They are extremely low maintenance, so they can do well in almost any room regardless of light levels. They are also exceptionally good at filtering indoor air.
There’s something very calming about having plants around the house. Maybe green is a relaxing color or it brings a feeling of being closer to nature, but whatever it is it can’t hurt to have a potted plant be one of the last things you see before falling asleep.
4. Humidifier
This is particularly helpful if you live in a dry area, as we do here in Temecula. Cold, dry air can trigger inflammation in your sinuses, causing colds and allergies. Air conditioning is a major culprit of this, but when the weather is hot almost year round, this can become an unavoidable issue. Adding moisture to the air makes it easier to breathe, therefore easier to sleep.
If you do use a humidifier, be sure to use only distilled or purified water and clean the tank out regularly to prevent mildew.
5. Himalayan rock lamp
Sometimes the issue isn’t falling asleep but staying asleep. I keep a salt rock lamp next to my bed specifically for these instances. The light is low enough to not disturb my partner, unlike a regular lamp, but bright enough that I can read or write until I feel sleepy again. It emits a warm orange glow that helps promote sleep. It’s the opposite of a phone screen: blue light wakes you up, and orange light calms you down.
In conclusion
Sleep and stress management are crucial for our health and overall wellbeing.
If you want to take your sleep quality beyond what a bedside table can do, reach out to us and we’ll help you find a home with the perfect bedroom for your need
