If your bedroom is merely a place to sleep and to store your clothing, and if it isn’t a sanctuary to help buffer you from the effects of a hectic day, it’s time to make some changes. Not only will our tips help you to sleep more soundly, but they’ll help you look forward to that moment when you switch off the TV and pad down the hallway to shake off the world.
1. Use your senses to help you plan
Psychologists have written volumes about the psychology of color, even when it comes to residential wall paint. “Room color, particularly in your home, can dramatically affect moods, feelings, and emotions,” says psychiatrist Dr. Julia Shugar.
Professional decorators, on the other hand, suggest that you choose paint colors that appeal to you the most and not to rely wholly on trends. “What is exciting and energising to one person may be overwhelming for another. So identify colours that you love and never tire of, then decide if a particular space needs warming, cooling, energising or calming” says interior designer Debbie Ambercrombie.
Enlist your sense of smell when considering how to decorate your bedroom. Scented room sprays, incense, and essential oil diffusers can all help, but so will throwing the windows wide to allow fresh air into the room. Noisy neighbors and barking dogs can kill the chill you’re trying to create so consider purchasing a white noise machine, water fountain or calming music with a slow beat (80 beats per minute) that can help to slow your heart beat.
2. Make it an electronics-free zone
Neuroscientists claim that blue light – which is emitted by electronic devices, such as a TV – disrupts our sleep cycles. “Changes in sleep patterns can, in turn, shift the body’s natural clock, known as its circadian rhythm,” Scientific American’s Jessica Schmerler says. She concludes that “shifts in this clock can have devastating health effects because it controls not only our wakefulness but also individual clocks that dictate function in the body’s organs. In other words, stressors that affect our circadian clocks, such as blue-light exposure, can have much more serious consequences than originally thought.”
Not only that, but studies also show that those with a TV in the bedroom tend to stay up later than those who don’t have a TV in the room. So, get that TV out of the bedroom and consider also evicting the Kindle, smartphone, iPad, laptop and even the digital alarm clock.
3. Slip between the sheets
Now that you’ve painted the walls, camouflaged unwanted noises and 86’d the blue-light-emitting perpetrators, it’s time to slip into something a bit more comfortable – a bed that is fit for dreaming. What you slip between when you crawl into bed at the end of the day can make or break your relaxation level. Sheets lay the foundation for everything else.
A lot of fuss is made over thread count whenever bed sheets are discussed, but that isn’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to determining whether or not a sheet will be comfortable. “It’s best to rely on the retailer’s reputation and ask advice, as you really get what you pay for. If 1000-count sheets are a bargain, they will probably pill. Most bedlinen retailers will have customer reviews to help you decide” says Wallace Cotton owner Paula Wallace.
Top the sheets with a cozy quilt, bedspread or comforter and then a pile of pillows. Yes, there is more you can do to create that sanctuary bedroom. Consider adding live plants to help cleanse the air in the room and add a pop of colour and texture; lighting that can be adjusted to suit your mood and something comfy to step on when you rise in the morning.
Brent Palmer – Professional Real Estate Consultant
About the Author: The above article on 3 Easy Tips for a Dreamy Bathroom was written and provided by Brent Palmer, a local leader in the field of Richmond and Nelson Real Estate sales, marketing, advanced technology for home selling, and social media. You can contact Brent Palmer here, or at 027 544 9921.
He has helped many people buy and sell homes in the Nelson, Stoke and Richmond areas for years, and would love the opportunity to help you as well.
Thinking of selling your home? I have a real passion for helping people sell their homes in our Nelson and Tasman Region, as well as the marketing, social media & advanced technology for home selling that goes along with it. I’d love to have the opportunity to sit down with you discuss how we can work together to get you the best price.
I help people buy and sell real estate in the following Nelson and Tasman towns & neighbourhoods: Wakefield, Brightwater, Hope, Appleby, Redwood Valley, Mapua, Stoke, Tahunanui, Atawhai and of course, Richmond and Nelson City. Connect with Brent on Facebook and pretty much everywhere else.
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