How to get a good nights sleep in the city

Achieving Silence

Being surrounded by the liveliness of a city can mean an increase in noise, whether it’s from traffic or the people in the apartment next door. In order to ensure you remain in a deep sleep throughout the night it’s vital to ensure your bedroom is as quiet as possible. Where soundproofing may seem extreme, there are minimal changes which can help to reduce sound levels. 

Bookshelves can be excellent for absorbing noise that is penetrating through the walls, but for smaller apartments this may not be the ideal solution. Fans or white noise generators are a great alternative measure and are brilliant at minimising disruption from sound in a room. 

For reducing noise levels from the street, hanging heavier curtains will help to dampen the sound, whilst having minimal impact on the overall aesthetic of the room. If structural changes to your property aren’t possible or space is restricted, then investing in a good pair of ear plugs could be the simplest and most efficient noise reducing answer to getting a solid night’s sleep. 

Shut Out The Light

The natural light and dark cycle directly influences sleep, letting the human body know when it’s time to wake up and when it should be sleeping. City central locations tend to have a huge increase in artificial light, which in turn can impact the quality of sleep and prevent falling into a deep sleep. Implementing blackout made to measure blinds for sale at Terrys Fabrics can help to shut out unwanted light during the night, giving you a better quality of sleep. 

For larger rooms with floor to ceiling windows, there is also the option to fit blackout curtains which will also work to reduce light levels, whilst maintaining the desired bedroom aesthetic. For those that are interiors minded, blackout curtains can also be layered, and textiles experimented with, to create a stunning window dressing. 

Stay Cool

Having a lower body temperature can help the body fall asleep, and so it translates that in order to achieve the best possible night’s sleep, room temperature should always be considered. Living in a city can often mean staying in an apartment, and whilst during winter the temperature may be easily regulated, during summer this can become more problematic. 

As heat rises, apartments on the higher end of the spectrum may be subjected to increasing temperatures, and with smaller windows to let heat out naturally, it could be necessary to invest in a cooling system, whether a fan or air conditioning unit. The ideal temperature for a good night’s sleep is 18°C, so popping a thermometer in your room can give early indications as to whether heat could be impacting on sleep quality. 

Sleep Loving Lifestyle 

Everyone loves sleep, but is the day set up to ensure the body loves sleep too? Taking part in regular exercise is essential for achieving a good night’s sleep, and with just 30 minutes of exercise each day helping to greatly increase the duration of sleep, along with reducing stress, it should be a priority as part of a daily schedule. 

Sleep is vital for staying healthy, not only for improving daily functioning and concentration, but also for supporting cardiac health and the immune system. Deep sleep, known as the most restorative stage of the sleep cycle, needs to be achieved in order to have a healthy and beneficial sleep, and by considering each of these factors, you can help your body to achieve this each night, even if you live in a lively neighbourhood. 

Keep up with the top stories from Reader's Digest by subscribing to our weekly newsletter.