Preparing Your Bedroom for Sleep

Preparing your bedroom for sleep and only sleep rather than for other activities is as important as preparing yourself for sleep.

Most of us think of our bed as a place to sleep. But many people also use their bed for watching television, listening to the radio, talking on the telephone, eating, reading or playing cards. If you really want to do all you can to sleep better, however, you shouldn't do any of these nonsleep activities in bed. When you do, the bed and bedroom can become associated with these activities rather than with sleep.

Instead, you want to condition your mind and body to become drowsy and ready for sleep when you get into your bed, not ready and alert for a chat with a friend or a drama on TV.

If you're one of those folks who sets the timer on the television or radio and drifts off listening to it, you might want to break yourself of the habit. You may not realize it, but you may be fighting off sleep just to hear the end of that monologue or the last bars of that favorite song.

In addition, if you condition yourself to fall asleep only when you have that background noise, then if you wake up in the middle of the night, you may not be able to fall asleep without it. So you either struggle to fall back asleep without it or wake yourself up just to turn the device back on -- neither of which is likely to improve your sleep overall.

Some people even go so far as to do work in bed. While this practice may help you catch up on paperwork, it can seriously disrupt your sleep. When you do work in bed, all of the associated stress becomes related to the bed and bedroom. Just getting into bed at night may subsequently cause your heart rate to increase, your muscles to tighten, and your thoughts to race. Whether you consciously realize it, the sheets, blankets and pillows can become associated with your job, and their very sight and smell may cause thoughts of work to flood your mind as you try to fall asleep.

The single exception to this rule may be sex. We say "may be" because it depends on the effect that sex has on you and your bed partner. For some people, sexual activity is very relaxing and tiring and tends to make them sleepy. If that's the case for both partners, then having sex before rolling over to sleep may be just the ticket for a restful night.

However, some people find sexual activity actually refreshes and energizes them, making them more alert. And, for some folks, relationship problems, frustrations or negative feelings about sex can make it far from pleasant or relaxing.

For couples in which either partner finds sexual activity too stimulating or too fraught with negative emotions to be conducive to sleep, sex might best be left for another time and even a different room. It's important for couples to talk and determine what works best for both partners in terms of helping or harming their efforts at getting a good night's sleep.

If you do find yourself lying in bed and still not sleeping, check out the next page for tips on how to end all that tossing and turning.

For more information on how to get a good night's sleep, see:

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.