We all know how essential a good night’s sleep is for our overall health and well-being. However, there are so many factors, including light, that can disrupt our sleep patterns and affect the quality of our rest – and while some of us may be especially sensitive, it’ll affect us all to some degree.
Blackout curtains from suppliers like Woodyatt Curtains can be a wonderful solution to this issue. By blocking out as much light as possible, they help to create an optimised environment to sleep and rest in – let’s explore how they can help.
We need darkness to sleep
As humans, we need a dark environment in order to sleep properly. This isn’t just a preference thing, there’s a scientific explanation to back it up – let’s go through it quickly.
Our bodies have something called a circadian rhythm; based on a (nearly) 24-hour cycle, our bodies give out different chemicals to either make us more alert or more sleepy, based on a number of different stimuli – one of the main stimuli is light.
When exposed to light in the morning, we produce something called cortisol; it’s a chemical that perks us up, our own built-in coffee. Then, as the evening sets in and the sunlight starts to dim, cortisol secretion starts to slow down, and our bodies produce something called melatonin – the ‘sleepy chemical’.
However, with so many artificial lights in our lives that extend well into the evening, many of us have issues producing melatonin. Blackout curtains are an important step in creating a dark environment that facilitates a healthy circadian rhythm, allowing us to function properly and rest up when we need.
It needs to be totally dark
Our eyes, even when closed, are incredibly sensitive to light – even a tiny bit coming around the edge of the curtain can be enough to wake some people up. This can affect the quality of your rest, especially if it’s an issue that persists over a long period of time.
As a result, the complete light blockage provided by blackout curtains can significantly improve your sleep quality. By eliminating external sources of light, blackout curtains help you achieve a deeper, more restful sleep, which when combined with other healthy lifestyle choices should allow you to wake up feeling refreshed and energised in the morning.
Reducing noise
We don’t just need a dark environment to sleep in, it needs to be quiet. Luckily, in addition to blocking out light, blackout curtains also often have excellent noise-reduction properties. The thicker fabrics of blackout curtains, especially if you go with a lined option, can absorb and dampen outside noises like traffic, sirens, or the neighbours mowing the lawn, creating a quieter and more peaceful sleeping environment.
If you don’t currently have blackout curtains and often feel like you could be more rested or struggle with sleep, then they’re definitely something to look into. This is especially important if you work late shifts or frequently need to sleep during the daytime – we need a dark environment to sleep in, there’s no way around it.
