We all appreciate the importance of a good night’s sleep. Getting enough rest can make us happier, more energetic, and more productive. Unfortunately, not getting enough can have the opposite effect. One way to increase your chances of sleeping peacefully is fit your bedroom windows with the right curtains. Here are a few ideas, to consider.
Blackout curtains
For a lot of people, darkness is necessary for a good night’s sleep. The trouble is, the sun doesn’t always work to our schedule! Particularly during the summer, the sun rises early and stays up until late in the evening. This becomes even trickier if you happen to work in a job that requires night shifts.
If light disturbs your sleep, it might be worth investing in some blackout curtains. These will allow you to reduce the amount of light coming through your windows at any time of day. It’s a simple solution but it could make all the difference to your night’s sleep.
Removable decals
Removable decals are sheets of dark coloured film which stick temporarily to your windows. They’re a great alternative to blackout curtains, allowing you to manually adjusting the light in your room. Decals give you the freedom to let the sun in whenever you want. This is especially useful during the summer when the evenings are longer. As a bonus, you also get to keep your normal curtains in place!
Noise reduction
Whilst it’s difficult to fully soundproof a room, some curtains can reduce outside noise. Thick, soft materials are generally better at absorbing sound than more lightweight fabrics. If you only need to reduce the sound slightly, thick velvet curtains are a good option.
If you need to block out a greater level of noise, you may require a more bespoke fabric. If this is the case, you could consider getting your curtains specially made. Just make sure to do your research first. Read customer reviews online and if possible, visit a showroom to test out the curtains before you buy.
Canopies and dividers
If you share a bed with your partner, you may find that differing schedules are disruptive to your sleep. Perhaps one of you starts work earlier than the other? Or maybe one of you tends to come to bed later? Do you routinely get woken up by them switching on the light when you’re trying to sleep? If this is the case, then you could benefit from canopy or divider curtains.
Canopy curtains are suspended from the ceiling and hang down on all four sides of your bed. This creates a barrier between you and the rest of the room. With the right canopies, your partner should be able to switch on the light whilst keeping the bed area relatively dark. This will allow you to continue sleeping while they go about their business.
Believe it or not, you can take this idea a step further with ‘divider’ curtains. Divider curtains are fitted down the centre of your bed. This creates two separate sections – one for you and one for your partner. Whilst this may seem a little extreme, it could be useful when one of you wants to stay up reading!
[Photo by unsplash]