The Influence of the Environment on a Good Night's Sleep
The psychology of color explains how aesthetics can influence rest and the psyche. Yes, it’s true that you can adopt decorative strategies to adjust light and darkness to your needs. In fact, letting your imagination and creativity flow in these cases can help solve sleep problems. That being said, it’s important to consider the influence of the environment on a good night’s sleep in order to create the perfect space to be able to get good rest.
In Spain, 20.8% of the population suffers from sleep disorders, the most prevalent being insomnia. In these cases, it’s advisable to adopt relaxation and sleep induction strategies.
Moreover, psychological, behavioral, and even environmental factors exert influence on sleep. Therefore, in this article, we’ll be talking about how the environment influences the cells in charge of inducing sleep. Additionally, we’ll guide you on what changes you can make in your room to facilitate good sleep.
The influence of the environment on a good night’s sleep
One of the most common sleep disorders is insomnia, which changes the body’s homeostasis and makes resting difficult. Stress, bad habits, and looking at screens before bed are some of the causes.
Colors that induce sleep
Believe it or not, colors have an influence on the emotional brain. Psychologist Eva Heller, in her work Psychology of Color, talked about the colors that provide greater harmony and benefit rest.
Among them are pure colors, such as white, which provides luminosity and creates a neutral and purifying environment. Additionally, we have colors that remind we can find in nature, such as green, brown, blue, lavender, or gray. When combined with neutral colors, such as white, they create an enjoyable atmosphere.
Light, a good friend of rest
Rods and cones capture light. These cells are in charge of telling the brain that a new cycle is starting and that it has to stay awake and active. For that reason, it’s important to limit the exposure to bright colors before bed.
Intense blue light stimulates the photoreceptors, which negatively affects the secretion of melatonin, the hormone responsible for inducing sleep. The opposite occurs with dim amber light, which can be very helpful.
A relaxing and pleasing temperature
When we talk about the influence of the environment on a good night’s sleep, we don’t only refer to the colors around you. Actually, temperature plays an essential role in this activity. The room temperature has to be lower than your body’s temperature. According to research, body temperature tends to drop a couple of degrees during the night.
For this reason, the room temperature must be approximately 68ºF.
Complement the space with feng shui
Although you may not know it, feng shui helps reduce stress in a significant way. Thus, decorating your room with this technique can be very beneficial for you if your ultimate goal is to get good sleep.
Feng shui considers the importance of optimal natural light and a spacious and orderly room. At the same time, it uses materials that provide serenity, such as wood or metal. As for the color of the environment, it states that light colors are best.
Ideas for a good night’s sleep
Now that you know about the influence of the environment on a good night’s sleep, you’re probably wondering what else you could do.
We already shared tips on the psychology of color, lighting, temperature, and feng shui. If you follow them, we’re sure your sleep will improve. However, we have other recommendations for you:
- Use colors inspired by nature.
- Apply a warm type of lighting to the space. Avoid intense blue lights and take advantage of natural lighting as much as you can.
- You can use blackout curtains to prevent outside light from entering your room.
- Lower the resolution of your mobile screen.
- Avoid high air conditioning during the summer.
- Avoid thick duvets in the winter and overly high heating.
- Remember that, in order for positive energy to flow in the room, you must keep it organized and clean.
- Wood, water, and metal are the three natural components of feng shui that give good energy. Use them if you want.
In short, sleep disorders can have different causes, and some of them may be out of your hands. However, it’s vital to remember that you can adopt a series of measures that can counterbalance and favor rest. Dare to change your room; we’re sure you’ll see the difference!