When I was in my twenties I could fall asleep anywhere – on a mate’s floor, in a bath tub, propped up against the bar in a busy nightclub (true story).
Fast forward a million years and now I only sleep if I’m resting on a mattress handspun from silk and lamb’s wool, while being gently wafted by a large frond.
I’m joking, of course. But truthfully, I can’t sleep unless my bedroom is cool, dark, and quiet, and my bed is super-comfy.
I’m not alone in this either – through my work as a Sleep Science Coach I’ve discovered five sleep saboteurs lurking in the average bedroom that can derail a person’s sleep. And I’m sharing them here for Sleep Awareness Week 2025.
So if you spot any of these in your bedroom and you’re having trouble sleeping, do your sleep a favour and fix them pronto.
5 things in your bedroom that could be sabotaging your sleep
1. Your bedroom wall colour
Most people dismiss bedroom wall colours for sleep as pure hokum. But there’s real science behind which colours help you fall asleep easily versus which colours stimulate your brain and make it harder to drop off.
According to a well-cited study the worst bedroom wall colours for sleep are vibrant yellow and fiery orange because they’re highly energizing. Bright red is also a no-go as it’s associated with anger and could increase your heart rate.
So what are the best bedroom wall colours for sleep? According to Mindfulness app Calm, blue and green promote feelings of tranquility and ease, while light pink invokes feelings of comfort and softness – all perfect for sleep.
3. Your mattress
If you wake up through the night because you have pressure point pain anywhere on your body, then your mattress is likely to be your biggest sleep saboteur.
On average mattresses need replacing every six to eight years so if yours is older or sagging then it’s time to upgrade. Choosing the best mattress for your sleep needs and body weight can make a dramatic difference to how well you sleep.
That’s because a comfy new mattress can lead to longer stretches of restorative sleep and a more peaceful relationship with your bedroom if you’ve previously associated it with poor sleep.
2. The lighting in your bedroom
Remember when we said that blue is the ideal colour for bedroom walls if you want to sleep well but red is a no-no? Well, the opposite is true for your bedroom lighting.
Sunset hues of orange, red and golden yellow are scientifically proven to help you relax faster for sleep. Bright and cool-toned colurs like blue lights and white lights inhibit production of melatonin, the sleep-promoting hormone.
So switch off your main bedroom light and turn on a warm-coloured lamp instead. If you have a smart bulb such as a Philips Hue, skip the whites, blues and purples at night and go for reds and oranges instead.
I love using the sunset function on my sunrise alarm clock at bedtime.
4. The position of your bed
This sleep saboteur is one of the hardest to fix because not all bedroom designs lend themselves to good Feng Shui.
The worst place to position your bed is pointing directly at the door. This is known as the Coffin Position and it can create subconscious anxiety and stress.
You’ll feel on edge and nervous. And it’s because you’re very exposed when sleeping with your feet directly facing your bedroom door.
If you can move your bed, the ideal Feng Shui bedroom setup is to place it against a solid wall (it brings stability to your sleep environment) and diagonally to your bedroom door (the Commanding Position).
Try not to place it beneath a window, and don’t have a mirror directly opposite your bed. According to Feng Shui mirrors are activating and can bounce energy around even at night, making you feel wired.
5. Your bedroom temperature
OK so technically this isn’t a ‘thing’ but room temperature is a sleep saboteur. A 2012 study found that the warmer the room, the harder it is for people to fall asleep and to sleep through the night.
The same study also found a link between warmer rooms and decreased periods of REM sleep, suggesting a poorer quality of sleep if your bedroom is too warm.
Sleeping with a window open (if safe to do so) helps keep your room at a cooler temperature for sleeping (ideally between 60-68°F) whilst circulating oxygen-rich air throughout the night.
Your brain performs better when there’s more oxygen around, so it can work more effectively when you sleep in a room filled with fresh air.
More sleep saboteurs to consider
There are other sleep saboteurs to watch out for too. These include light pollution, whether that’s a streetlamp directly outside your bedroom window or lights from electronic devices in your room.
A simple eye mask is a great fix here, along with blackout curtains or blinds. Also switch off any devices that don’t need to be on standby during the night.
Noise pollution is another sleep saboteur. I have experience of living below noisy neighbours and I had to use a white noise machine in tandem with sleep earbuds to drown them out.
A few members of my sleep team regularly wear noise-masking sleep earbuds to drown out external noise – including snoring partners. The latest breed of sleep earbuds are so slimline and comfy, you can wear them while sleeping on your side for hours at a time.
How to create the perfect bedroom for sleeping
As I mentioned towards the start of this article, a bedroom optimized for sleeping is cool, dark and quiet. If you can’t leave your bedroom winter open at night for safety reasons, consider using a fan.
Use sleep earbuds to mask noise, and an eye mask or blackout blinds if your bedroom is flooded by street light.
You don’t need fancy smart lighting to create the right ambience for sleep either – a bulb with a warm hue and low wattage won’t interfere with your melatonin production, but it will help you unwind faster.
Wash your bed sheets regularly to create a more cozy and inviting sleep space, and check your mattress for signs of sagging and replace it if needed.
Outside of your bedroom environment, try to avoid rich meals an hour before bedtime, limit your use of tech in that window too, ditch caffeine after midday, and always practise good sleep hygiene with a consistent bedtime. Together, these will set you on a path to better sleep.
