Who doesn‘t love having a little green inside their bedroom? There’s good reason for that. Indoor plants and natural colors and textures don’t just look beautiful and chic. They boost relaxation, too.
In fact, having more bits of nature inside your bedroom may significantly boost your ability to sleep and recover. That’s right: get ready for lots of sweet, natural dreams.
The benefits of nature aren’t big news anymore. It’s well known that spending time outside amongst the trees reduces blood pressure and cortisol levels—while lending your mood a major boost.
This is because the prefrontal cortex, which is the area of the brain responsible for incessant thinking, decreases its activity when you’re out in nature. That type of repetitive, swirling thinking often increases stress and anxiety. When you interrupt that cycle, your mental health and pre-sleep routine both benefit.
These effects persist when we bring a little nature indoors. Adding more natural materials into your decor can improve productivity, improve mental clarity, increase feelings of satisfaction and help you decompress and relax more deeply—not to mention it helps with emotional regulation (which means you’ll likely be in a more balanced headspace come bedtime).
Why is bringing nature indoors so powerful?
The materials we surround ourselves with matter.
We tend to sleep better when swaddled in natural materials like cotton. We breathe better when surrounded by houseplants. NASA recommends lots of plants near our beds to cleanse and filter the air for improved respiration. And the stress-reducing benefits of natural materials retain their effectiveness when brought inside. That’s why so many spas model themselves as some sort of modern oasis.
In fact, spas aren’t the only businesses employing nature design to improve their customers’ moods. It’s catching on in other areas of hospitality. Hip coffee shops across the globe are decorated with a blend of industrial and natural materials. Certain restaurants are bringing in more of a nature vibe to improve the dining experience.
Even hotels like Westin are starting to bring more natural features and colors into guests’ rooms so as to boost their sense of pleasure and relaxation. They are even installing lighting features to mimic the sunlight at various times of day to support circadian balance!
What does all of this mean for you?
Nature-inspired decor really works. If you’re stressed or tossing and turning, consider bringing a little more wood, earthy tones and natural light patterns into your home. You’ll be amazed at what a difference it makes—in your sleep quality, in your outlook, in your entire life.
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