How To Create A Cozy, Healthy Winter Bedroom
Brrr....winter has us in a death grip here in Canada! It’s when I become a hibernator and to be honest, go to bed early most nights with a good book.
Since we spend so much time indoors, and maybe even extra time in our bedrooms through the cold season, it’s a good idea to make a few tweaks to your bedroom so that it’s warm, cozy and also healthy.
Healthy spaces are important for our overall wellbeing. To me, that means looking holistically at every aspect of our environment.
In a bedroom, that would include the air quality, the materials that we surround ourselves with in bed, and the atmosphere and whether it’s calming or stressful.
First of all, you want good air quality and good quality materials in your bedroom where you’re sucking in air and your body is rejuvenating for eight hours a day. Toxins come from furniture, paint, synthetic bedding and rugs, as well as cleaners can be breathed in and absorbed through our skin.
In addition, you want to make sure that your bedroom is calm, cozy and restful. Don’t have work in the bedroom, or any phones or electronics. You’ll also want to make sure to keep clothing put away in closets and drawers so it’s not visually cluttered and stressful (even subconsciously).
HERE ARE 5 STEPS TO CREATING A HEALTHY BEDROOM
Clean the air.
Having an essential oil misting diffuser in your bedroom purifies the air and also adds a bid of humidity, which we often need in our heated-dry-air-winter-homes. If you use lavender it’s also calming to your nervous system before bed.
I also like to have plants in the bedroom - I find they help me connect visually with nature and are calming, plus they also clean the air (here are my top 10 favourite houseplants that are easy to care for and air purifying).
Make an organic, cozy bed.
You may not be able to switch out your whole mattress or pillows for organic ones, but you can change out what you put on top of them so that your bed is much healthier to sleep in. Invest in organic cotton or hemp pillow protectors and mattress protector and opt for 100% cotton, linen or hemp sheets and duvet cover. And here’s a guide to making up your bed so it’s beautiful and inviting.
Declutter your space.
Remove all things not related to the bedroom, including papers, work, electronics, kids’ toys and stuff from pockets that should be put away.
Get in the habit of putting all of your clothes away in your closets and drawers, instead of laying on benches, chairs and floors in your bedroom. Have a laundry basket in your bedroom for dirty clothes, and hang lots of hooks on walls and backs of doors so that it’s easy to hang up jeans and sweaters.
Create a spot for everything.
Make sure to have a drawer or a pretty basket on a dresser in which you can store stuff from when you empty your pockets, your jewelry, and things like your handcream. I also like to keep a little bowl on my nightstand to corral my reading glasses and lipbalm in one neat spot. Keeping things neat and having homes for them is the best way to keep daily clutter under control.
Decorate for calm and rest.
Consider painting your room an off-white or other light, soothing colour (here’s a guide on how to choose the right off-white). Take down any decor or wall hangings that are not soothing or make you happy. Keep your decor minimal but use artwork in muted colours and maybe paint out dark old wood furniture to a soothing light shade. Add a soft comfy rugs to your bedroom and add a soft throw to the end of the bed. All of these things will help you slow down and relax at the end of the day.
