Eco-Friendly Sleep Can Actually Make Your Life Better

Eco-Friendly sleep refers to sleeping in a greener or environmentally-friendly bedroom.

Eco-friendly sleep offers numerous benefits. Most notably, it improves your sleep quality and duration. It’s also a perfect way to help foster environmental sustainability.

Now that you’re acquainted with what eco-friendly sleep is as well as its benefits, your next question is probably how to become an eco-friendly sleeper. Well, you’re in luck, as that’s what this article is all about.

Outlined below are the top ways to become an eco-friendly sleeper.

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1.     Try CBD Oil

Cannabidiol (CBD) oil is oil derived from cannabis, used to manage a variety of ailments. The oil combats insomnia in three ways.

First, CBD oil packs powerful sedating properties that allow it to reduce your sleep onset time. Also, cannabidiol oil reduces the time spent in the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep phase. REM sleep is the sleep phase marked by elevated brain activity and rapid eye movements within the sockets. According to sleep experts, much of the dreaming takes place during REM sleep. The logic is that reducing the time taken during REM sleep makes you dreamless, which translates to more restful sleep.

Lastly, CBD combats insomnia by managing some of the condition’s causes, like pain and anxiety.

The best part about CBD oil is that there are several ways to consume the compound. You can smoke dried cannabis flowers, apply CBD topicals, ingesting CBD edibles, or inhale CBD edible products. Feel free to learn more about the benefits of vaping CBD e-juice for sleep.

2.     Switch to Natural Sleep Supplements

Antidepressants are the widely recommended drugs for treating sleep disorders like insomnia. Common antidepressants include trazodone (Desyrel), triazolam (Halcion), and temazepam (Restoril).

These drugs are somewhat effective at fighting insomnia. However, they tend to leave a user nursing a host of side effects like fatigue and drowsiness. The tendency of most conventional antidepressants to interact with brain receptors also exposes the user to risks of addiction and dependency. That’s the reason many sleep experts now recommend switching to natural sleep supplements.

We’ve already highlighted the effectiveness of one natural supplement – cannabidiol oil – in combating insomnia. Other natural sleep supplements you might consider include ginkgo Biloba, valerian root, and lavender.

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3.     Add Plants to Your Bedroom

Houseplants are excellent at purifying the air. They provide a solid medium for oxygen-carbon dioxide exchange.

Indoor plants also absorb harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like ammonia and benzene from the ambient air.

Certain houseplants have also been shown to fight radiation emitted by electronic devices like laptops and smartphones. Examples of such plants include cactus, aloe vera, snake plant, sunflower, asparagus, and spider plant.

Of course, standard bedroom manners dictate that all electronic gadgets must be kept as far from the bedroom as possible. But if you must sleep with your laptop or smartphone in the same room, then you should consider investing in any of these air-purifying, radiation-absorbing plants.

4.     Switch to an Organic Mattress

If you examine the make-up of your synthetic mattress carefully, you’ll discover that the mattress contains lots of harmful materials.

Some of these materials are non-biodegradable, which makes them potentially toxic to the environment. In some cases, your synthetic material could also contain compounds that might be hazardous to your health.

For instance, foam mattresses generally contain naphthalene, isocyanates, and benzene. Latex mattresses also tend to contain volatile organic compounds and allergens.

The good news is that you don’t have to subject yourself to these harmful toxins. Not when you can switch to organic mattresses.

Most organic mattresses are made from natural, eco-friendly cotton, wool, hemp, coconut husk, and bamboo. Besides being free from synthetic compounds, organic mattresses are also made from biodegradable materials. Plus, most of them are designed to offer maximum comfort and breathability.

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5.     Consider Non-toxic Paints

Much like synthetic mattresses, most synthetic paints contain volatile organic compounds. Prolonged exposure to these compounds may lead to several health concerns, including cancer, kidney failure, and liver damage.

You can avoid the long-term health implications of these compounds by opting for non-toxic paints. Non-toxic paints contain natural minerals and other organic components like milk protein, mineral oils, and plant-based pigments.

As you replace toxic paints with organic ones, remember to also pick appropriate colors. Lighter shades of green and blue are said to improve the sleeping experience compared to brighter shades of red and yellow.

6.     Opt For Organic Bedding

Discarding your synthetic mattress for an organic one is an excellent idea. But it defies logic when you sleep on an eco-friendly mattress but continue to cover yourself with synthetic bedding.

So, the next time you go shopping for bedding, prioritize eco-friendly bedding over those made from synthetic materials. That applies to bed sheets, bed covers, blankets, pillows, pillowcases, and quilts.

Watch out for bedding made from a polyester blend or foam pillows, particularly those that contain polyurethane.

Sleeping under bedding made from polyurethane may increase your risks of developing long-term chronic illness. Worse yet, the process involved in manufacturing polyurethane involves the emission of carbon dioxide.

Polyester isn’t safe either. The production of this material can lead to widespread air and water contamination.

Instead of bedding made from polyester and polyurethane, opt for those made from natural materials like cotton, wool, bamboo, linen, silk, or lyocell.

7.     Invest In Green Furniture

The first implication of “green furniture” is furniture that doesn’t use wood. Making a switch from wooden furniture to non-wooden ones translates to fewer trees felled, which is a noble way to conserve the environment.

However, the concept of green furniture goes beyond not having wooden furniture in your bedroom. It also entails going for wooden furniture whose manufacturing processes had the least impact on the environment.

For instance, you should avoid wooden furniture that’s been treated with potentially toxic pesticides. While the intention may have been noble, the chemicals used in treating this furniture may pose a greater risk to you and the environment.

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Summary

Sleeping in a green bedroom offers numerous benefits, both to you and the environment. If you’ve never considered eco-friendly sleeping before, now is the time to give it some serious thought.

Top Photo by Kinga Cichewicz on Unsplash.