IKEA shares the six essentials for a good night’s sleep

Turn your bedroom into a serene sanctuary with expert insights from IKEA. Visit the IKEA Design Forum at the PTSB Ideal Home Show to see stunning roomsets and speak to the team.

Temperature

The best temperature for sleep can vary – most adults find their perfect temperature is 18.3 degrees Celsius. Bedding materials makes a massive difference when it comes to your sleep temperature, as does the composition and TOG of duvets. Being too hot or too cold is a big reason why people wake up on the wrong side of the bed.

Comfort

A supportive mattress is the most important element, of course, but you also need the perfect pillow, a cosy duvet, soft sheets and more. Choosing the correct mattress and mattress toppers have a massive impact on your sleep.

Did you know that depending on your sleeping position you need a different type of pillow? Side, back or stomach, each sleep position calls for a different kind of pillow, from ergonomic or memory foam to firm or feather. It’s important to find the best pillow for your sleepy head based on how you snooze.

Lighting

When it’s time to close your eyes, many experts recommend that you sleep in as dark a room as possible. Too much exposure to light before or during sleep – whether coming in from an outdoor streetlight or the sun, your mobile phone or the overhead light you forgot to turn off – can crush your sweet dreams. A pitch-dark room may not always be possible, but our blackout curtains and blinds can help in creating snooze-inducing darkness.

Even if you’re fortunate enough to be able to fall asleep just about anywhere, too much light can be negatively impacting your sleep. Both natural and artificial light can influence your circadian rhythm—your body’s 24-hour cycle of activity and rest.

Blackout curtains are a dreamer’s best friend. You can easily block out the moonlight, the sunlight, the streetlights, and your neighbour’s elaborate Christmas lights. They’re also a lovely way to style up your bedroom with a blast of solid colour or a fun pattern.

The colour lighting you use in the hours leading up to sleep can promote more restful nights. It’s generally recommended to avoid bright lights before bed, opting instead for warmer light, including red and amber-coloured light. Light bulbs that give off a soft yellow or orange cast as opposed to a bright white light promote calm and relaxation.

Consider investing in dimmable lamps and lighting that you can begin slowly dimming after the sun goes down, or in the hours leading up to bedtime. You can also reduce the total number of lights on in your house or use lower intensity light sources in the evening.

Sound

Your bedroom should be an oasis of quiet calm for the best sleep possible. If you need complete silence to achieve blissful sleep, we have sound-blocking and dampening solutions to help you keep things quiet. Sound absorbers work best when used with other home furnishings that impact how much sound is in a room. For example, if you’re wondering how to block out traffic noise in a bedroom, sound-absorbing curtains are among the most effective solutions. However, if it’s the sound of someone else walking around the house, having a rug underfoot when they step out of bed may solve your snoozing woes!

Shop all noise reducing products

Air quality

Your sleep quantity and quality can be greatly compromised by both indoor air pollution and outdoor pollutants that have crept inside. If your sleep is suffering from sneezing nights or you’re waking up feeling congested, consider two solutions that can improve the quality of the air in your bedroom (or any room) without busting your budget – bedroom air purifiers and plants!

Air purifiers reduce indoor air pollutants such as pollen during the spring and summer months. Using them in your bedroom whilst you sleep, helps you breathe a little easier through the night. Plants are nature’s air purifiers. They can help remove mould spores and other toxins that may disturb your beauty sleep. They can also have a general soothing effect and, in addition to improving your sleep, are a wonderful way to style up your sleep sanctuary. 

Declutter

Want to sleep better every night? Put everything in its rightful place and keep the clutter out of sight. Getting organised is essential for great sleep, because when your room’s a mess, your sleep will be, too. From under bed storage, bins and baskets to chests of drawers, wardrobes and bedside tables, find affordable bedroom storage solutions for your space and style.

Hide your clutter to seek better sleep

The less visible clothing and clutter you have, the more likely you are to sleep well and feel good when you wake up. Take advantage of the hidden storage space beneath your bed to neatly store extra pillows or off-season clothes, keeping them out of sight but accessible.

Calming bedroom colours for everything you can see

In addition to the lack of clutter itself being calming, you can also opt for calm bedroom colours for paint, duvets, pillows and more. Some hues to consider include pastel pink, soft shades of blue and green, classic white and beige, barely-there grey, plum and peach.

Browse our bedroom gallery for additional tranquil bedroom ideas. Visit the IKEA Design Forum at the PTSB Ideal Home Show to see stunning roomsets and speak to the team.

The PTSB Ideal Home Show runs from 18^th to 20^th October in the RDS Dublin.

Plan your visit and register for your free tickets HERE!