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Hands up who’s tired. Nearly half of us are getting just six hours or less of shut-eye a night, with four out of five people complaining of disturbed or inadequate sleep. You know it’s a problem when there’s an awareness month dedicated to the cause – in this case, Sleeptember, an initiative set up by The Sleep Council to promote good sleep practice.
One of the key factors for a restful night’s sleep is, of course, our environment. Sounds obvious, but how many of us have actually bothered to make our bedroom sleep-optimised?
Your bedroom should be dark enough to allow your body to release melatonin, which relaxes the body and tells us it’s time for sleep. Suddenly those blackout blinds and curtains seem more appealing. Choosing darker shades will also help to lessen light levels in your room. And the colour that’s thought to help aid sleep the most, according to research by the National Sleep Foundation, is blue. Why? Well, it’s down to special receptors in your eyes called ganglion cells. Blue is associated with feelings of calm which, when picked up by your ganglion cells and relayed to your brain, help reduce blood pressure and heart rate, all of which helps you drift off to cloud nine.
So if you want to create a sleep-ready space, dark, moody blues are a no-brainer. Happily, it also happens to be this autumn’s biggest bedroom trend. Here’s our pick of the best pieces for sweet dreams every night.
Happy Sleeptember, everyone…
Navy Geo Bedding Set, £18.99; Ceres Gold Wire Sphere Pendant, £39.99; Sequin Cushion, £9.99; Aurelie Gold Bed, £229.99, all available at Argos
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