Sleep Better

Lesson 6: Set up your bedroom

Goal: make your bedroom dark, cool, quiet and boring, so your brain links it with one thing: sleep.

Dark

Block outside light with blackout curtains or blinds, or wear a comfortable eye mask.
Cover or remove standby lights, chargers with LEDs and bright clocks. Even small lights add up.
If you need a light to get to the bathroom, use a dim, warm night light at floor level.

Cool

Your core body temperature naturally drops in the couple of hours before sleep and keeps falling through the night. A cool room helps that happen.

The Sleep Foundation suggests a bedroom of about 16 to 20°C, with around 18°C a good starting point.
Use lighter bedding in summer and layers you can kick off. Feet that are too cold can keep you awake, so socks are fine.
A warm shower or bath one to two hours before bed can help you fall asleep faster: warming the skin draws heat out of the body’s core afterwards, which mimics the natural pre-sleep cool-down.

Quiet

Earplugs work well for traffic, neighbours and a snoring partner.
A fan or steady “white noise” can mask sudden noises. Keep it constant rather than changing.
If a partner’s snoring is loud and has pauses or gasps, that’s worth a doctor’s visit for them (Lesson 13).

Comfortable

A mattress and pillow that suit you matter, but there’s no single “best”. If you wake stiff or sore, or sleep better in hotels, it might be time to change.

Keep the bed for sleep

This is one of the most powerful and most ignored rules. If you regularly work, scroll, watch TV or lie awake worrying in bed, your brain learns that bed is a place for being awake. Sleep clinics call fixing this stimulus control, and it’s a core part of insomnia treatment (Lesson 10).

Use the bed only for sleep and sex.
Charge your phone outside the bedroom, or at least out of reach. Use a cheap alarm clock instead.

Hide the clock

Checking the time at 3 am starts a chain of calculations (“If I fall asleep now I’ll get four hours…”) that wakes you up further. Turn the clock to face away from you. You don’t need to know what time it is unless you’re getting up.

Pets and partners

Pets on the bed are a common hidden cause of broken sleep. If your sleep is poor, try a few nights with them sleeping elsewhere. Couples with very different schedules, or one restless sleeper, sometimes sleep better in separate beds or rooms. That’s a practical choice, not a relationship verdict.

Exercise 6

Tonight, lie in bed with the lights off for two minutes and look around. List every light you can see and every sound you can hear. Fix the two easiest ones this week.

Sources

Sleep Foundation, Best temperature for sleep
Sleep Health Foundation, Sleep hygiene and tips
Sleep Health Foundation, Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)

This course is general information, not medical advice. If you have ongoing sleep problems, loud snoring with pauses or gasping, or sleepiness that affects driving or work, see your doctor. In Australia, if you are struggling or feel unsafe, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.