Your bedroom should be the most peaceful space in your house, but too often we don’t plan the decor to promote this room’s number one activity: sleep. Because deep, restorative sleep relies on maintaining your body’s circadian rhythms, it’s important to create conditions that support these natural processes. That means controlling the light, sound and temperature to help you relax and drift off. Here’s how to design your room for both beauty and slumber.

Arrange Furniture for Sleep

The human brain is very sensitive to light, so a bright street lamp shining through your window can seriously disrupt your sleep by tricking your body into thinking the sun is up. To avoid this, plan your furniture arrangement so the head of your bed is sheltered from light that comes in the window, whether it’s the morning sun or headlights from passing cars. To do this properly, note the location of the sun in the morning and outdoor electric lights at night; then experiment with your bed placement to find the most consistently dark spot.

Invest in Heavy Curtains

Another way to keep out unwanted light is to hang thick drapes. Add a light blocking curtain — or at least a liner — to your window treatments to avoid unwanted light. Curtains with an insulated liner will also help to dampen sounds from outdoors, which can be a big help if you live in a noisy neighborhood. Try layering soft Roman blinds and insulated drapes to absorb unwanted sounds for uninterrupted sleep. To let the sun shine in during the day, hang a double curtain rod so you can open and close your window layers at will.

Embrace the Layers

Layering your window treatments to block light and sound is just the start. Your bed is another prime location for a range of textiles. In add ition to a standard duvet and sheets, add some extra blankets that you can fold and stack at the foot of the bed or use as a casual throw. These allow you to experiment with colors, patterns and textures for a designer look, but also give you plenty of flexibility when it comes to controlling your body temperature during slumber. Choose bedding made of 100 percent cotton for breathability, and you’ll be able to stay cool in summer and warm in winter.

Install a Dimmer Switch

If you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night, you can minimize the interruption to your sleep by avoiding bright overhead lights.  Install a dimmer switch in your bedroom and bathroom so that you can walk around without blasting your retinas with bright light. This is an easy project that will definitely improve your quality of life. If you rent, consider putting an extremely low wattage bulb in your bedside lamp to achieve the same effect, then use a clip-on book light to read by if you like.

Little changes can add up to big results when you design with an eye toward your sleep cycle. Need a bigger bedroom makeover or want to create that luxury master suite? Design Custom Homes is here to help with all of your remodeling needs.