5 tips for creating a sleep-friendly bedroom We all know someone who can fall asleep easily, maybe even fall asleep stood up.

However, for some of us getting that perfect night’s rest takes a lot more effort.

  While it’s true that limiting your exposure to the artificial light of TV and mobile phones can go a long way towards helping you nod off, there often other factors at play.

Here we look at a few ways how switching up your bedroom can end your insomnia and better recharge your batteries for the morning.

1 – Let your bedroom serve its purpose Your brain should be trained to associate your bedroom with sleep.

But far too often we confuse our brain by carrying out activities that should happen in another room.

By introducing a TV into your bedroom or a laptop to do your work from bed you teach your brain that being in your bedroom doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to sleep soon – which means you’ll find it more difficult to switch off.

2 - Invest in a good mattressOne of the primary reasons for a bad night’s sleep can be an uncomfortable mattress.

A mattress that is out of shape and lumpy is going to cause you problems when it comes to getting a good night’s rest.

  In fact in studies conducted on behalf of Oklahoma State University around 55% of participants reported better sleep quality after switching to a new mattress for a month.

3 – Keep your colour scheme simpleChoosing the right colour pallet for your bedroom is very important.

  In fact a study by Travelodge found that those who slept in a blue bedroom were likely to get around 7-8 hours of sleep every night – an optimum amount.

They say that this could be due to the associations of cool tones like blue with calmness which may help lower the heart rate and blood pressure.

  After blues, yellows, greens and silver colours were the next best, while colours like purple, brown and grey had a negative impact on sleep.

4 – Install blinds or curtains and keep them shutThere’s significant evidence to show that not only does sleeping in a dark room improve your sleep but it may also lower the risk of health conditions like obesity, diabetes and breast cancer which can be exacerbated by disruption to our circadian rhythm – our biological clock.

Keep your blinds or curtains closed in the evening and open them up first thing in the morning to kick start your day.

5 – Keep it quiet For some of us the biggest disruption to our sleep is noise.

If you are a light sleeper then traffic noise, a partner snoring, dogs barking, cats howling and TV’s blaring are likely to have you tossing and turning.

Some of these problems can be easily solved, for instance by leaving a radio on for your dog on a low volume so that they don’t feel alone.

For traffic noise you might want to invest in double glazing to reduce the noise.

As a last resort you could always try sleeping with ear plugs in - silicone gel plugs are a nice alternative to standard foam ear plugs if you find those uncomfortable.

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