Your home when healthy, naturally beautiful and harmonious will support you in all aspects of your life. Your bedroom is one of the most important rooms in your home as you spend a long time in it- around 8 hours a day. This can equate to around 20 years of your life!

Your body needs good, healthy sleep to regenerate itself. You can find at times you don’t get adequate sleep for a number of common reasons like:

• when you’re a new parent
• studying
• stressed with issues at work/ life
• shift work for your job
• being on devices late at night
• have been unwell

The environment of your bedroom also plays a massive part in good quality sleep and your health. You can eat well, exercise and meditate but if you then sleep in an unhealthy bedroom it will affect your health and wellbeing. The main thing is that you become aware of this and take steps to control the things you do have control over. I’ve listed the best 12x steps I know of that will help you to achieve this below:

1. Reduce your exposure to electromagnetic radiation fields (EMF) when you sleep

2.  Improve your indoor air quality

3.  Enhance natural light

4.  Reduce clutter

5.  Reduce dust load & allergens

6.  Reduce chemical exposure

7.  Focus on the couple’s relationship

8.  Balance the feminine & masculine energies

9.  Good bed position

10. Use natural materials

11.  Use colour intuitively

12.  Avoid plants in the bedroom

Remember, the 80/20 rule? Pareto’s principle where 80% of your results will come from 20% of your actions, so look for those items that you believe may affect you the most and tweak as best as you can. Work on the others as you have time. Then watch for the amazing results and improved health and wellbeing in your life that follows! If you’d like further advice for your house, have a look at the Healthy Homes Audit.

1. Reduce your exposure to electromagnetic radiation fields (EMF) when you sleep

• Eliminate or reduce any EMFs near/over where you sleep (AC Magnetic, radiofrequency, geopathic stress etc.). These are one of the biggest things you can do to improve your sleep and health.  Early symptoms of being effected by eMF are: headaches, insomnia, brain fog, daytime fatigue, dizziness, restless legs, racing heart, constant flu like symptoms. Caught early they can be reversible but if left, research is indicating that long-term exposure can be irreversible and cause serious health issues (ranging from: cancer, brain tumours, neurobehavioural disorders (autism/ADHD), macular degeneration, childhood leukemia, infertility, neurodegenerative diseases (alzheimers), skin diseases to electrical hypersensitivity). There is a lag time of 25 years for wireless technology which we have not reached, the precautionary principle is worth considering here and reducing exposure where you can, like in your bedroom.
• Don’t have your smart/iphone next to your bed on! (you & your partner are exposed to constant wireless radiation all night). Remove or at least put in ‘airplane’ mode.
• Turn off your router at night to give your body (and your families) a break from unnecessary EMF’s in the house (and locate your router far away from the bedrooms)
• Don’t have any devices that have EMF’s in your room or at least move them away from your bed (ie: digital clocks; wireless devices like baby monitors; ipads etc.)
• Check you don’t have any geopathic stress running through your bed, which weakens your immune system and leads to disease & health issues. Do you sleep better away from your house?
• Check distance to any external sources of EMF’s to your bedroom and reduce exposure where possible (ie: high voltage transmission lines; street power lines; cell phone/tv/ radio towers etc.). Safety standards are well above safe standards for human health in Australia.

2. Improve your indoor air quality

• Indoor air quality is proven to be 5x times worse than outside air
• Improve your indoor air quality by allowing fresh air to circulate daily and flush out accumulated, stagnant air inside your room
• If your room is close to a main road or power lines, you may find that the outside air is more polluted and you need to close them instead and look at air filtration systems
• Keep any a/c unit filters cleaned regularly
• Check your humidity levels are kept under 60% (important for those with respiratory issues & reduces mould growth)
• Clean window coverings regularly to remove dust (allergy sufferers should avoid certain types that collect dust)

3. Enhance natural light

• Open up your room daily to let natural light and energy in
• Avoid using artificial light too late at night, which effects your melatonin production and keeps you awake
• Use ‘blue screen’ apps or glasses at night if using devices (and minimise use where possible)

4. Reduce clutter

• Clutter is stagnant, negative energy and a big energy drain
• Clutter in the bedroom can signify issues in your relationship and in particular areas of your life (relating to a Feng Shui analysis of your house)
• There are many effective methods to clutter clearing- just take little steps to move through it (without added stress) and you will be amazed once cleared what the fresh energy does in this area of your life! Here are 10x steps to reducing clutter.
• Always recycle/ pass on items responsibly and thank them for their use (don’t just do mass throw-outs and create more waste!) 

5. Reduce dust load & allergens

• Use good, natural low-toxic housekeeping methods that reduce your dust load and enhance good health in your bedroom (esp. if you have allergies)
• Use a HEPA filter on your vacuum cleaner, without one 80% of the dust is recirculated in your room and now air born (very important for respiratory issues)
• Do not let pets sleep on your bed (or in the room if you can!) as they not only can trigger allergies but bring in dust, toxins, allergens from wherever the pet has been outside into your bed (Cats like to sleep in geopathic stress too- be mindful of where they sleep in your house)
• Replace your mattress every 10 years and pillows every 2 years 

6. Reduce chemical exposure

• Do not use (or store) scented candles, reed sticks, air fresheners or incense, which use synthetic fragrances (chemicals) in a bedroom, which is a smaller, more concentrated room. A lot of these chemicals that are breathed in are known carcinogens and endocrine disrupters, which play havoc with your body and health.
• Use natural beeswax candles and/or therapeutic grade essential oils (I use doTerra oils). Play around with scents that stimulate relaxation, romance and rejuvenation in a bedroom. Some people may find no scents are better for them too and reduce headaches when this is cut out. 

7. Focus on the couple’s relationship

• Enhance the focus of your relationship with your partner in a bedroom (not the family or kids!) with inspiring artwork, photos and décor that can be seen from the bed
• Focus on what brings good, happy memories for you both and eliminate any items that bring negative emotions (ie: items given to you that you don’t like, make you sad/ guilty or other negative emotion etc.)

8. Balance the feminine & masculine energies

• Balance out the feminine (left-hand side) and masculine (right-hand side) energies in your bedroom and ensure one side is not stronger or dominating the other
• Consider who sleeps where, what each side has on it and how they can be better balanced to create a more harmonious bedroom
• Ensure there are ‘even’ numbers or pairs of items in the room to emphasise this balance (ie: pair of candles; cushions, chairs etc.)
• Contain the energy in the room at night by ensuring doors are closed and cover any ‘energy’ gaps out of the room (ie: soft curtains over openings).

9. Good bed position

• Ensure a good bed position which has a solid wall behind the bed (no open windows over) and a view to the door so that you can see who comes into the room (enhances a subconscious feeling of safety & protection)
• Do not have your bed in the ‘death position’ where you bed is lined up to the door and your feet point at it or directly opposite the entry (makes it difficult to relax and sleep)
• Do not sleep under beams or have items hanging over your head
• Do not have mirrors generally in the bedroom, especially ones you can see from your bed when sleeping
• Not have clutter under it and be strong, supportive and raised off the ground so that air can circulate.
• Have a beautiful view to look out on, especially views to nature and the outdoors

10.  Use natural materials 

• Use natural, low-toxic and breathable materials close to your body when you sleep as these will have the most contact with your skin (ie: sleepwear; sheets; doona; pillows; mattress protector). Your skin is your largest organ and chemicals are absorbed straight into your blood system within 20 seconds.
• Prioritise materials like: organic cotton; linen; hemp; bamboo and/or jute fabrics (over synthetic, man-made materials). These materials will bring a more positive energy to you.  This is further enhanced if the item has been handmade and brings the artisan’s energy into it also.
• Avoid flooring made from synthetic & off gassing materials in the room (like vinyl & plastics) and opt instead for: timber, tiles, bamboo, cork, jute etc.

11.  Use colour intuitively

• Colour is a subjective, personal experience and you should always use colours that work best to uplift you
• Colour is energy and each colour has its own vibrational frequency (‘red’ has a slow frequency through to ‘purple’ a fast frequency- think of your ‘chakra’ energy system!)
• Colours you are drawn too can often be linked to your ‘Chakra’ system and you may need balance in that area and/or use it deliberately to bring on certain qualities (i.e.: ‘deep blue’ for authority and communication relates to your ‘throat’ chakra). Be aware of this and use colours carefully as emotions can change! More info on Colour Therapy here.
• Use colour in the bedroom to suit what you (and your partner) want to do in the bedroom (again relates to balancing the masculine/ feminine energies). Have you ever walked into a bedroom where its all pink, pretty and floral!?
• Be aware that astrological (Western, Chinese, Indian etc.)  and Feng Shui influences can all have an affect on the energy in a bedroom (to fully work this area you will need do a Feng Shui analysis to work with the specific energies of the room)
• To spice things up: use accents of reds, oranges, burgundy, pinks, metallics in the décor (ie: candles, cushions, throws); romantic/ life drawing artworks; have natural blends of massage oils on hand; flowing lines and textures; inviting bed linen and create a warm ambience in the room
• To focus on relaxation and rest: use soft; calm colours and tones of blue, white, grey and relaxed textures in neutral colours.
• For a more grounded and earthy bedroom: use more natural, earthy materials (like natural clay renders); colours like yellows and burnt orange tones; rougher and more handmade items and textures and ornaments like earthen pottery, ethnic rugs, and tapestries.

12.  Avoid plants in the bedroom

• Plants are actually not good in a bedroom as they emit carbon dioxide when you sleep and should be avoided here (use elsewhere in the house instead!)
• Plants also effect the humidity levels (through the leaves & soil) in a room
• You need approx. 2-3 plants per meter (squared) to actually impact on improved indoor air quality so you should use plants mainly for improved aesthetic and/or psychological purposes

Image Source:  http://homedesignminimalist1234.blogspot.com.au/2016/08/this-article-rustic-bedroom-decor-ideas.html