Rohrscheib recommends positioning your sleeping area far from vents, as sudden temperature fluctuations can cause discomfort throughout the night, leading to “sleep fragmentation and restlessness.”
Regarding electronics, specialists advise that you think about eliminating them entirely from your bedroom. This includes TVs, smartphones, tablets, and laptops. “Your brain excels at creating associations between environments and behaviors, meaning how you utilize your bedroom affects your ability to sleep soundly,” explains Rohrscheib. This is why sleep professionals suggest avoiding work in bed or lounging around there throughout the day. Your bed should be associated with sleep only, and the more time you spend in it doing other activities, the more likely your brain will associate it with something other than a dedicated sleeping environment.
To be more straightforward, Robins states, “Your bedroom should serve two purposes—intimacy and sleep.” Rohrscheib adds, “Your brain is adept at forming associations between environments and behaviors, meaning how you use your bedroom influences your capability to sleep well.” Moreover, the blue light emitted from devices like smartphones hinders melatonin production, which is crucial for regulating your sleep-wake cycle. Rohrscheib highlights that “even passive exposure to notifications, vibrations, or standby lights from devices can heighten alertness and disrupt your ability to fall asleep and stay that way.” Robins suggests that if you wish to read before sleep or need to use the restroom at night, it’s wise to use a red light flashlight.
Photograph: Yiu Yu Hoi/Getty Images