A report from US News & World Report offers tips to make a bedroom a perfect environment for sleep by making it uncluttered, dark, cool, and quiet.
Having a super-cluttered bedroom may affect how well you sleep, suggests a recent study led by clinical psychologist Pamela Thacher. While the research, presented at the 2015 SLEEP conference held in Seattle in June, focused on people who consider themselves hoarders, the findings may apply to anyone who sleeps in cramped, chaotic surroundings.
“It seemed like even people without hoarding disorder had what we call a dose response – meaning that the more clutter you had, the more likely you were to have a sleep disorder,” says Thacher, an associate professor of psychology at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York.
Because the bedroom is a private space, it’s easier to let disorder grow. Bedrooms are often the biggest problem for hoarders, Thacher says, although living rooms and kitchens can hold “wicked” clutter as well. It’s not ideal for anyone to sleep where they don’t even have a clear path to the bedroom door.
