Creating the Ultimate Sleep Sanctuary

with sea and sky, and these links can help relax us and encourage sleep. Greens are strongly associated with the natural world, so painting a bedroom in green tones can remind us of how we might feel while walking through woodland or lying in a grassy meadow. Green combines perfectly with wood which has a hugely positive impact on our emotional state. According to observations made in research, touching a wooden surface gives people a feeling of safety and being close to nature, serving to bring down our stress levels so incorporate wood where you can - wooden panelling, wooden bed or bedside tables or custom wooden headboard. Raw unfinished wood gives a more natural look and creates a visual impact.

Botanical patterns are another great way to bring nature into the bedroom. Fabrics and wallpapers with floral or jungle-inspired designs serve to ‘bring the outside in’ and calm us down. Add natural elements to your bedside table like greenery or pebbles and shells. A nightstand vignette could then evoke memories of a pleasant and relaxing time in nature, easing the mind into sleep. Scent is an often-overlooked element of home decor, but home fragrance can have a big effect on the way your home makes you feel. Again, nature offers us scents like lavender that transport and soothe us.

and elevate your feet to knee height. One of the key benefits of adjustable electric beds is how they can provide pain relief from chronic conditions such as arthritis and sciatica, helping to drastically improve the quality of life of patients suffering from these conditions. Since users can alter the position of an electric bed to the angle that suits them best, they can lie down and sleep in a position that takes pressure away from painful areas. Giving painful areas the chance to rest during the night has the knock-on effect of reducing pain and improving mobility upon waking. If you need the bed for a medical reason, you can claim back the VAT - a benefit a lot of people are unaware of.

Adjustable beds combat snoring problems by raising the top half of the bed, which keeps the airways open more fully. Snoring occurs when the soft tissues of the throat sag as a person fall asleep, causing loud rumbling sounds. Sleeping with the top half of the bed raised helps to fight the effects of gravity so that the tissues of the throat don’t droop down, blocking the airways.

4Create a wind down ritual either sweating or shivering. One solution is a multi-tog duvet to transition from one season to the next. These clever duvet sets include one very light tog duvet and one medium tog duvet, with snap buttons on the corners so that you can combine them to create one heavy tog duvet. Natural bedding fabrics like cotton and bamboo help regulate your temperature as they are more breathable than synthetics. I can personally vouch for Jo Browne’s bamboo range which makes getting out of bed even tougher but they are luxuriously soft and hypoallergenic which is great for sensitive Irish skin and are perfect if you overheat at night.

6Get fussy with your pillows

The right pillow can make or break your sleep quality so figure out what is hampering your sleep and look for a pillow that addresses those issues. If it’s heat thats bothering you, a cooling pillow may help. Specifically designed with breathable components a cooling pillow can reduce sweating, overheating, and the general discomfort that comes from being too hot due to warmer temperatures or hormonal changes due to menopause. A cooling pillow can help counter hot flushes that cause sleep interruptions and help you avoid daytime fatigue.

When you think of natural, earthy design you think of organic flowing lines. This should be the same when designing your biophilic bedroom. Think curved headboards, organic shapes for light fittings and lots of natural fabrics (cotton, linen, wool) with throws and cushions. 3

Invest in a quality mattress

Investing in a high-quality mattress is a solid investment given that we spend a third of our lives asleep which equates to 26 years for the average person. Look for 100% organic materials and certified natural fibres. Check out www.naturalsleep. ie for Irish mattresses that are chemical free and non-toxic, hypo-allergenic and resistant to mould, mildew and dust mites as well as being durable and long lasting. They are the only fully certified, organic, natural mattresses available in Ireland.

Natural Sleep, based in Limerick, also offer an adjustable bed option (www. adjustablebedspecialist.ie) that looks like a normal bed, but allows you - with the touch of a button - to adjust the headrest of your bed from flat into sitting position or anywhere in between that suits your needs. The adjustable frame has a five-part moving action which allows you to sit up in the bed

Your wind-down routine can be as simple or as complex as you want. Closing the curtains, dimming the light, spraying some pillow spray, lighting some candles, some breath work, a gentle stretching routine, a gratitude journal - choose what works for you. I love the candle, pillow mist, massage oil and roll-on aromatherapy essential oils from Wicklow-based www. sleepalchemists.com who offer curated gift boxes all delivered with a hand written note and a QR code with a yoga nidra meditation - sheer bliss. The key to success is repeating your sleep ritual each night, making it part of your daily routine. Inhaling essential oils stimulates the olfactory system, the part of the brain connected to scent. As the molecules reach the brain they affect the limbic system which is linked to emotions, your heart rate, blood pressure, stress, anxiety and hormone balance. A spa-like treatment you can incorporate into your bedtime self-care routine. I’m never without mine.

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If you want a 100% natural option, check out Irish company www.woolow.com. Each Woolow pillow is crafted from carefully selected natural wool and covered in 300 thread Fairtrade cotton to ensure you get the most comfortable rest and the most refreshing sleep every night. All of their pillows are hypoallergenic, temperature regulating and naturally supportive.

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Invest in seasonal bedding

Switching to a thinner duvet for summer is essential to ensure a comfortable and restful sleep. Our unpredictable summer weather in Ireland can often leave us in a predicament over what to do about bedding in the warmer months. Overnight temperatures can go from sweltering one night to chilly the next, leaving us tossing and turning and waking up

A breath of fresh air

Better air quality improves our overall health, and in the bedroom it’s especially important for a good night’s sleep. Introduce purifying plants which are known for their nighttime oxygen production or bacteria-removing properties (mother-inlaw’s tongue and English ivy are good for this). If you live in an area where outside air quality is satisfactory, you should also start the day by throwing open the windows to let the breeze in. Bringing in plants directly connects you to nature, adds visual texture and are therapeutic to look at. Check out evergreen moss art handcrafted with real preserved mosses and plants by Dublinbased Ninfa Studio, www.ninfastudio.com

Where to Shop

Self.ly Interior Design based in Ennis, Co. Clare is focused on wellness interior design, creating spaces that enhance our wellbeing. Interior Designer, Deirdre Coleman, is passionate about designing for the wellness of her clients and focuses on delivering restorative spaces that positively impact on health and wellbeing.

With an interest in designing for wellness, Deirdre is putting her considerable wealth of experience in self-care, health and wellbeing to design homes that make people feel their best selves.

Self.ly Interior Design offers one hour online design consultations, room designs and full house designs customised to your needs. We also offer property staging and showhouse design focused on wellbeing and hybrid working.

For more information and design inspiration, follow us on Instagram: @Self_ly Tel: 086 3868058 Email: selflydesign@gmail.com