Sleep solutions 3 experts reveal the secret to great sleep

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Creating the right, restful environment is almost half the battle to getting the perfect slumber.

Text by Chiquit Torrente

Good quality sleep – the type from which we wake up feeling refreshed and recharged – is important. We know by now, from countless scientific studies, that a deep, restorative sleep is a factor, as equally important as a healthy diet and regular exercise, to optimum physical and mental health. Dr Lim Li Ling, Medical Director of the Singapore Neurology & Sleep Centre, confirms this too in her paper, How To Get A Good Night’s Sleep. Most adults require at least six hours of sleep each night, she says (the range is six to 10 hours), for optimum functioning.

Dr Lim lists several rules to follow in order to get a good sleep – several of these are behavioral, such as going to bed and waking up at the same time, taking caffeine or exercising close to bedtime, and bringing your digital device to bed.

Some of the rules, which Dr Lim indicates as conditioning (training your body’s internal clock to sleep), relate to the environment in which you sleep: activities that you do in the bedroom, for example, can be controlled by the design of the room.

Renowned designer Isabelle Miaja of the Singapore-based Miaja Design Group – she designed the interiors of the celebrated So Sofitel, among other hotels and resorts – says that she doesn’t encourage putting a TV in residential bedrooms (except when the homeowner requests for it) so that the bedroom is exclusively for sleep and sexual activity, which Dr Lim also recommends.

Here are other factors, say Isabelle and other experts, to watch for so that you can create the right, restful bedroom.

Design by Ethereall

A cluttered room isn’t restful; likewise, an inefficient furniture layout will also affect how relaxing your bedroom can be. Isabelle says that a triangular configuration allows you to move freely from bathroom to closet to bed. Make sure that you don’t have little furniture, such as an ottoman, impending this flow of movement too, so that you don’t stumble on something if you need to go to the toilet in the middle of the night. Ultimately, it all boils down to personal preferences. As a guide, use these factors as a checklist so that you see your bedroom as a place of rest. As Dr Lim says, “You need to develop the conditioning whereby you associate the bedroom with sleepiness and sleep, so that you will fall asleep readily when you go to bed”.