Studies revealed that as many as 40%* of us actually worked from our beds! However, this can have a detrimental effect on your productivity – not to mention your posture. Our Sealy UK sleep expert, Alison Jones, shares her essential tips to reclaiming your bedroom for rest and relaxation.
1. Have a tech detox
If technology has taken over your bedroom while you’ve been working from home, now is the time to put it to the side. Not only do laptops, wires, tablets and phones endlessly remind you of work, but the blue light emitted from device screens can suppress our melatonin levels which regulate sleep.
Simply packing away your work-related tech when you finish for the day will help you effectively switch off and focus on getting a restful night’s sleep. And remember, if your devices do remain in your bedroom, make sure to switch them to silent mode.
2. Embrace Feng Shui and de-clutter
We’ve all heard of Feng Shui, the art of promoting good health and wellbeing through the placement of objects and the energy flow through a room – this can apply to your bedroom too. Feng Shui is the notion of Chi energy being able to circulate freely, including under and around the bed in clutter free environment.
Whether you follow Feng Shui or not, one thing’s for sure; creating a clean and tidy environment in your bedroom is a simple way to create a positive, sleep-inducing environment and improve the quality of your sleep.
3. Preserve a ‘sleep sanctuary’
It is really important for your brain to associate bed with sleeping, rather than working. So, stay disciplined and don’t be tempted to climb under the sheets during the day!
Turning your bed into a relaxing ‘sanctuary for sleep’ will help. Think fresh sheets, calming colours and sleep-inducing scents like lavender, sweet marjoram or cedarwood. Airing your room after your working day will also help clear out any fustiness that might have gathered and will help maintain a cool sleeping environment – especially if you’ve had the heating on all day.
4. Set boundaries (and stick to them)
For many of us, the return to the office will be gradually phased, and home working in some capacity is here to stay. Whilst it might not be 100% possible to remove all traces of your day job from your bedroom it’s important to establish strict boundaries between work and leisure, for example sticking to office hours where possible and avoid working into the night.
Similarly, making the conscious decision to stand up and leave your bedroom when you finish working – rather than slumping onto your bed – will help you better define work and relaxation. This does require some discipline, but it is essential if you want to maintain a healthy work-life balance
