3 Free and Simple Ways to Make Your Bedroom Healthier
Our bedroom was a large area of concern on our journey to reduce our exposure to harmful chemicals. You spend around one-third of your life sleeping, and your bedroom should be a haven that encourages deep, restful sleep. Today, I’m sharing three free and simple ways to make your bedroom healthier by making a few simple changes to your routine.
When I learned that nearly 20% of the population doesn’t sleep enough each night, I knew I didn’t want us to be part of that statistic. Just one night of poor sleep can cause issues for days afterward, causing higher stress and anxiety levels, decreased motivation, and self-control issues.
There are a lot of simple changes you can make to improve your quality of sleep and feel healthier overall. Today’s tips will help you make your bedroom environment one that encourages deeper, more relaxed sleep and healthier habits in every area of your life.
Looking for more tips on your non-toxic journey? Check out my most recent posts:
The Most Toxic Products in Your Home
The Ultimate Guide to Non-Toxic Makeup Products
Making your home and life healthier doesn’t have to be expensive. It doesn’t need to be stressful, cost you a lot of time, or take more energy than you can reasonably spend to make changes. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with the process, take a break for a while. Making changes over time is a great way to save yourself money and stress along the way.
I share about the changes we’ve made in our lives every week on my blog, and I want to encourage you that it can be done. The steps we’ve taken to embrace a low-tox lifestyle did not happen overnight. It has sometimes taken months and even years to embrace the changes we’ve made. Don’t give up hope. Make changes as you can handle and afford, and release yourself from the pressure of being perfect through this process.
How do you make your bedroom healthier?
Keep it clean and organized.
It’s hard to wind down and relax for bed when you’re overwhelmed by every surface being covered in clutter. I have difficulty focusing on anything, let alone trying to relax and fall asleep when there’s clutter on every surface. An easy way to make your bedroom healthier is to clean it. Clear side tables, shelving, or dressers, and wipe surfaces down at least once weekly to keep the dust levels down.
Less clutter is also better for the air and your nervous system! Downsize items you no longer need or use and keep décor to a minimum. You’ll feel more relaxed looking around your room at night, and it’s easier to keep organized when you have less stuff to manage. I like to go from room to room every few months and donate anything we haven’t used. There’s no need to hold on to things, just collecting dust around our home. Plus, cleaning is much simpler! Double win.
Keep it calming and relaxed.
When I get ready for bed, I want a cool room with warm, cozy bedding waiting for me to snuggle into. Research shows that keeping your room cooler, around 65 degrees, encourages more restful sleep than when it’s warmer.
Another area to consider is your electronics. If you’re like most people, you may charge your phone on your side table, watch TV before bed, and use Wi-Fi throughout your house to connect your electronics. Unfortunately, electronics emit EMFs that can interrupt our sleep cycle and cause serious health risks. While the research isn’t very clear, keeping your exposure to a minimum is best, especially around bedtime.
Blue light exposure before bed can also affect melatonin levels, hindering our ability to fall asleep and stay asleep long enough to feel rested. To create a calming environment, turn off electronics at least 30 minutes before bed, use red light while reading, and keep your room cooler to encourage restful sleep.
Research lighting and bedding.
I don’t know about you, but I love my bed and snuggling in for the evening. We keep the room cooler to encourage deeper sleep, and something about settling in under our duvet and relaxing is so inviting.
To make it even more comfortable, no later than 8 pm, we only use red light in the room. It’s incredible for reducing inflammation, blood circulation, and improving sun damage, and it’s so much easier on your eyes. In addition to all these incredible health benefits, it can encourage better, deeper sleep.
Unlike blue light, which interferes with sleep and can cause issues like blurry vision, dry eyes, headaches, and more, red light is incredibly healing to the body.
Bedding and mattresses
Investing in a low-tox mattress and bed set is an incredible way to make your bedroom healthier. Chemicals like flame retardants, formaldehyde, toluene, benzene, VOCs, and chlorofluorocarbons found in conventional mattresses can cause many health issues like respiratory distress, allergic reactions, and cancer. It’s frustrating that this is the norm instead of organic, simple ingredients. When researching organic alternatives, consider ingredients in the mattress and the brand’s transparency.
Here are a few brands I trust:
If purchasing a new mattress is out of the question, don’t fret. I understand that this is not in everyone’s budget. Ranging in price from $800 to $4,000, they aren’t exactly affordable. Remember to do what you can and consider a mattress topper instead. This helps ensure you are another layer away from the mattress and protects from spills.
If the price of a mattress topper is still out of the question, that’s okay, too. Add it to your list of eventual goals, and keep moving forward. Organic sheets and bedding are a great alternative that is even more affordable while still helping to protect you and your family from the chemicals in conventional mattresses.
My favorite brands are:
All incredible quality and affordable pricing! Plus, with Amazon’s return policy, you can try them out for 30 days and return them if you don’t love the set.
Bonus tip
There’s always a bonus tip! I know I said 3 simple ways to make your bedroom healthier, but let’s make it 4!
Air quality
Like the rest of your home, consider the air quality in your bedroom. Are you opening windows often? If not, an air purifier might be a good idea. I love using a diffuser in our room for relaxation, which helps, but a purifier helps to reduce dust particles and germs from circulating in your room.
And if an air purifier isn’t in your budget, that’s okay! Plants are nature’s air purifiers. Choose a few that make you happy and place them around your room.
Here are some excellent options:
Final thoughts
I hope today’s post encouraged you to look at your bedroom and make changes. It doesn’t have to be anything dramatic. Just a few simple shifts can help create a healthier bedroom where you can sleep deeper and wake up refreshed and ready to take on another day!
Thank you so much for being here today! Please remember to pin this post to your favorite board on Pinterest, and let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
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