Good quality sleep is important for overall health and wellbeing. During sleep, your body and mind undergo crucial processes for recovery and maintenance. This is when your brain holds memories, processes information from the day and flushes out toxins. Your body also repairs cells and tissues, regulates hormones and strengthens the immune system while you sleep. Poor quality sleep can impair cognitive functions like concentration and problem-solving, increasing your risk of chronic diseases.
This makes having good sleeping quarters in your home very beneficial, so that you can rest your head when you’re feeling tired and need that energy boost. The usual place is the bedroom, which you can turn into your own small space that is perfect for a slumber during the day or overnight. However, there’s an underrated place to sleep during the day and that’s the conservatory. It can provide you with several health benefits, mainly due to the closer connection you’ll feel to nature.
In this guide, we will explore how you can optimise sleeping in your conservatory during the day or night so that you can get the sleep you need to maximise your energy. Continue reading to find out more about how you can improve your conservatory sleep.
Conservatory Sleep Optimisation
Temperature Control
Optimising a conservatory for sleep means mastering temperature control, which is the most critical factor for year-round comfort. Due to it being a glass-heavy structure, it often leads to overheating in the summer and excessive heat loss in the winter, making it a challenging environment for a good night’s rest. The most effective long-term solution is to enhance the room’s insulation with modern systems like the C.H.R.I.S System by CI Group. This conservatory conversion will keep it cool in the summer and warm in the winter. This is because it’s made from true aluminium foil, thermal wadding membrane and vapour control membrane.
Installing an air conditioning unit or a ceiling fan also provides a quick and powerful fix for warmer months, while underfloor heating can keep the space cosy in the winter. Integrating these with a smart thermostat is a great way to automate temperature control, so you don’t have to get out of bed if you’re feeling too comfy.
Light Management
How you manage light is also important for sleep. The most straightforward and essential tool for achieving optimal lighting is the installation of high-quality blackout blinds or curtains. Unlike standard window treatments, these are designed to fit against the window frames. They eliminate light leakage and create the dark environment necessary for quality sleep. Motorised blinds offer an effective solution, as they allow you to control the room’s light with the touch of a button. External shutters serve a dual purpose by completely blocking out light while also adding an extra layer of insulation.
In the hours before bed, warmer hues of light like yellows and oranges, are preferable to cooler light as it’s better for regulating our sleep and wakefulness. When designing your conservatory for sleep, you should focus on getting warmer hues of lighting so you can better doze off when they turn off, as opposed to blue lights. This is why many people choose not to use their mobile device before they get into their bedding.
Noise Reduction
Reducing noise will help you get to sleep quicker in your conservatory and keep you asleep for longer. Due to the high proportion of glass, conservatories are naturally prone to sound pollution from outside. This can disrupt sleep and leave you feeling groggy when you wake up. Double-glazed windows can help with this, as the sealed gap of air between the two panes of glass acts as a highly effective sound barrier, significantly reducing the amount of noise that can penetrate the room and provide a quieter space for rest.
Hard surfaces like glass, tile or wood floors cause sound to bounce around and echo, amplifying any noise that does get inside. Introducing soft materials like thick curtains or plush rugs can dampen these echoes. This acoustic absorption makes the room feel much quieter, which is perfect for sleeping and reaching the deep state of dreaming.
Furniture and Decor Improvements
Your home decor should focus on soothing tones like soft blues, greens or warm neutrals as they can make you feel more relaxed, so you’ll be in the perfect state for sleeping. Breathable fabrics for your bedding is a good idea, as this will regulate body temperature throughout the night, ensuring comfort and uninterrupted sleep.
Creating distinct zones in your conservatory can also be beneficial. You might use one part of the room to study and then the other as a bedroom, so you’ll want to separate these to give the best chance of sleeping better. When your sleeping space is cornered off from the rest of the world, it gives you a feeling of privacy which can make you feel perfect for resting.
Final Thoughts
Finding the right balance for your conservatory to help you sleep can be a struggle, as you need to ensure that the temperature, light and noise are all at the optimal level to give yourself a space for relaxation. Insulation is very effective for this, as it can help to keep your conservatory a balanced temperature so you won’t be tossing and turning from it being too hot or cold. The space also needs to support your body’s essential need for REM sleep, so you should create a room that makes you feel relaxed right from the minute your head hits the pillow.