Eliminate Allergens in the Bedroom
How to Create an Healthy, Allergy-Free, Eco-Friendly Sleeping Space
A healthy bedroom is an allergy-free, eco-friendly space that ensures a good night's rest.
Do you toss and turn in bed and sleep poorly? You might put it down to stress, but it could be because of unseen allergens and toxins in your bedroom, which can lead to asthma, eczema, depression and migraines. Here’s how to create the ultimate healthy bedroom – an allergy-free, eco-friendly space that will ensure a good night’s rest.
A Peaceful Haven
Use your bedroom as a quiet, healing place to collect your thoughts and meditate. Add flashes of violet with rugs and cushions; this colour is associated with spirituality and calm. Burning incense or essential oils in a diffuser can also aid meditation – frankincense, ylang ylang and narcissus can encourage a meditative state. A dream catcher is a Native American symbol believed to trap bad dreams so that you only have good ones!
Sleep Well
We spend a third of our lives asleep, so it makes sense to invest in a bed that supports your health. Inferior beds can worsen or lead to orthopaedic problems such as sciatica and arthritis. Mattresses made from Visco-elastic foam are ideal for back problems as they mould to the shape of your body, eliminating pressure points, which can cause pain. The mattress, which is hypoallergenic, was originally developed for NASA astronauts undergoing the high pressure of G-force testing. Tempur has a good range.
Go Organic
If you have allergies such as eczema, go for organic bedding. Our skin absorbs many of the substances which come into contact with it, including pesticides and chemicals from clothing and bedding. Organic cotton is made without synthetic fertilisers, pesticides or bleaches.
Eco-Friendly Furniture
The Forest Stewardship Council sets standards for forest certification and can advise you on where you can buy furniture made from renewable sources. Recycled Lamps and Salt Crystal Lamps release negative ions into the air and help relaxation and breathing. Try Nigel’s Eco Store.
Feng Shui Your Bedroom
Feng Shui expert Sarah Shurety suggests hanging a tiny crystal from a silver threat, near the door, to slow down chi that can make you restless. Have some inspiring bed linen – red helps to boost energy and passion levels. Plants absorb stress, freshen the atmosphere and move chi upwards, to prevent stagnation. Keep a calming camomile plant by your bed to help you sleep.
Electric Bedroom
Electricity upsets the body’s natural state. There are two kinds of radiation: low-frequency electrical fields from cables and more dangerous magnetic fields emitted from electrical appliances. Electrical stress can cause headaches, insomnia, fatigue and epilepsy. Alan Berman, author of The Healthy Home Handbook, advises having minimal electrical equipment in the bedroom, and avoiding placing your bed against walls with incoming electricity supplies.
Lull yourself to sleep with natural products such as Origins sleep range. Take a warm, not hot, bath with a few drops of lavender essential oil to relax you or try Neal’s Yard Remedies Calm Spritzer. Get into habit of going to bed at a similar time each night to help your body get into a routine.
Resources:
- The Healthy Home Handbook by Alan Berman (Frances Lincoln Publishers, 2002)
- Feng Shui for Your Home: An Illustrated Guide to Creating a Harmonious, Happy and Prosperous Living Environment by Sarah Shurety (Rider & Co, 1997)
