Try One of These Soothing Bedtime Rituals • Brew a cup of herbal tea (try chamomile with honey). • Read something soothing or uplifting, like a few beautiful poems or an inspirational book. • Gradually lower the lights over the last hour before bedtime, ending with just a candle, and then blow it out. • Take a bath with relaxing lavender or rose oil. • Spritz lavender-scented linen spray on your sheets and pillow. • Listen to the same relaxing playlist each night before drifting off.
Choose the Right Sheets Always choose breathable natural fibers, not synthetics, which don’t allow your skin to breathe. Higher thread count doesn’t always mean higher quality, so trust your fingers to determine the feel of the sheets, and read reviews from those who have been living with the sheets for a while to get an idea of how well they hold up. • Linen is cool in summer and can last forever if well cared for. It can feel nubby (even a bit rough) or smooth and quite soft, so try to feel your sheets in person before you buy. • Cotton percale is what you want if you love the feel of “crisp” sheets. This classic fabric is smooth but firm and performs well in warm weather. • Cotton sateen is very soft and smooth, almost silky in feel. It may not be the best choice in hot weather.
If you just don’t have the space. Consider eliminating one or more bedside tables, or using a floating shelf as a table, to make the whole area feel a little roomier. This is another situation where asymmetrical placement may be best, as it’s better to have one side of the bed easier to access and one cramped than to have both cramped, so making the bed becomes virtually an impossible task.
Of course, if you want a more sizable bedside table, you will need at least that much width. Nightstands with storage can range from 18 to 48 inches wide or even more, so it really comes down to how much storage you need. These tables do not need to be the same width, however, so you can use a wide chest of drawers on the wide side and a small table on the other to allow the bed to be placed closer to one wall and save some room.
Clean the Air Allergies or no allergies, we can all benefit from sleeping in a cleaner, healthier bedroom. Here are a few ways to keep the air in your bedroom fresh and pure all year long. • Use an air purifier with a HEPA filter to remove dust, pollen and air pollutants. • Keep a houseplant or two in the bedroom (rubber plants are especially good at cleaning the air). • Make the bedroom a no-shoes zone. • Vacuum and dust weekly (including under the bed), more often if you have allergies. • Open the windows to air out the space for at least 30 minutes each morning. • Choose natural fibers and materials that don’t contain harmful VOCs.
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