When you buy a new home, you may expect to find it to be a great place to relax, but many people in Alaska and beyond experience sleep disruption or insomnia. One of the first places to look is at your home: you want to ensure that nothing about the environment itself is making it harder to sleep. Once you’ve made your home a great place to sleep, you eliminate a lot of factors that could be contributing to your insomnia.
Address the Noises of Your Home
Some homes, by virtue of being located in areas with substantial noise pollution or because the home itself has noisy settling sounds or HVAC, are simply more prone to sleep disruptions for noise. If you realize that many of your night wakings are because of sounds, you may consider a sleep soundtrack of soothing waves or a white noise machine, which smooths out the sounds of the night and makes you less likely to jolt awake.
Monitor Air Quality and Humidity
If you have woken up with your mouth dry or have chapped lips often, you might benefit from adding a humidifier to your home. If you have ongoing allergic symptoms, an air purifier could do some good for removing particulates in your sleep space. Either change may be small at first, but it can be enough to keep you snoozing if that was the reason for your sleep disruptions. This can be especially true for those living with pets and who suffer from mild pet dander allergies – you never know if removing a little bit more of this allergen will be the difference that makes your sleep more continuous.
Are You Sleeping on a Comfortable Bed?
Some of us haven’t explored the options for firmer or softer or angled beds in the last few years, and trying a different bed can sometimes change everything when you’re sleeping! Many mattress companies offer a satisfaction-guaranteed free trial, which is a great way to explore a change in mattress style. Check it out to make sure you’re not missing out on your best sleep.
Bonus tip: many people look at their phones while in bed, and the light from these devices can contribute to less-restful nights – consider locating your screens outside the bedroom for at least 30 minutes to an hour before you try to sleep!
Still Unsure? Try Sleep Testing For New Insights
Home environments matter, but often sleep issues are deeper than just changing the external factors. Getting an at-home sleep test or an in-lab sleep test can help you to discover what is really going on when you have a non-restful night. The resulting information can inform whether you need new sleep education materials, a better oxygen flow, or other products that can enhance sleep. You can even speak with Alaska Sleep Clinic specialists over telemedicine to get the consultation you need.
Don’t delay on your best night’s sleep – it can be so helpful to make your days more comfortable and well-rested. Many people find that their whole daytime outlook changes when they are getting the rest they need.
