Rise and Shine
With spring coming closer every day we’re seeing more sun for longer—and that includes in our bedrooms. While this is perfect during the day, at night it becomes more problematic to try and sleep properly when your room resembles more of a well-lit photography studio than a dark, brooding bedroom Batman would love. That’s why window coverings like room darkening blinds are so important. They can help you get the rest you deserve.
Options for making your room darker: Room Darkening Blinds
When we have a lot of ambient light in the place we sleep, it messes up our circadian rhythm, i.e. our biological clock.
Room darkening blinds keep your circadian rhythm regular by blocking out the light that otherwise would be causing you to have a worse quality sleep. Plus, they’re not only great for darkening a room, but also blocking out heat as well to keep you comfortable and your room cool.
Roman blinds are a popular choice to dark a room, but there are other options as well. For example, blinds that sit within the window frame that provide better coverage to block out more light.
The Well Dressed Window offers custom blinds and curtains to suit your needs, including darkening your bedroom.
Blackout Curtains
Sure, curtains do block some light, but they’re not always enough. Blackout curtains are specially designed to block out the maximum amount of light.
Don’t fret about ruining your perfect interior design either. While there are many types of blackout curtains that are, well, black, there are also plenty that come in a variety of designs. So you can rest easy (literally) that your curtains not only compliment your room but also help you sleep better.
Proper Curtain Rods
While curtains are great for blocking out most light you’re still going to be running into light issues if your curtains don’t effectively touch the wall around the window.
To resolve this issue, just replace your straight curtain rods with curved ones that wrap back to the wall. That way you can pull your curtains right up against the wall and block side lighting from irritating you at night.
Turn Off (or Cover) as Many Electronics as Possible
No matter what colour it is, flashing lights can make it difficult to sleep. Even constant ones like those from computer and phone chargers, power bars, and printers can make it difficult to sleep if they’re bright enough.
The obvious solution is to just turn them off or unplug them, but that not always possible. So what do you do then? The next best option is to cover them up with a thick cloth, electronic or gaffers tape.
If possible, you can always move them to another room before bed so whatever you’re working on can still continue or be saved, but the annoying lighting is no longer in your face during bedtime.
If none of the above options work, you can always rearrange your room, or even just your bed, so the lighting is no longer bothering you. A sleep mask could also help as a last resort too. For dealing with light from a doorframe, consider getting a small matt to lean up against the bottom to darken a room. While dealing with light during the evening is irritating, there are still plenty of ways to address the issue and secure a good night’s sleep.