While our home as a whole is our little sanctuary, there is no room more important to our rest and relaxation than the bedroom. The average person spends around 3,085 hours in their bedroom every year, so it’s easy to see why we all put so much effort into making them as cosy and comfortable as we possibly can. While every bit of design is important to achieving this, one element of your bedroom that’s particularly important is choosing the right curtains and blinds!
So, how important is it to choose the right curtains for your bedroom and how do you know that you’ve chosen the best ones for you?
Why Are The Right Bedroom Curtains So Important?
We want every part of our bedroom to look great – but choosing the right curtains can really tie the design together as a whole.
The colour, fabric, length and style of your blinds and curtains can transform the feel of your bedroom, as well as making it feel somehow warmer and cosier.
However, that’s not the only reason why you need to think carefully when choosing the right curtains and blinds for your bedroom. The style, colour and fabric of your curtains will also contribute to the amount of natural light being allowed in when your curtains are drawn.
This will have a huge impact on how well your bedroom can fulfil its main function – giving you a place to get a good night’s sleep.
So, how much do curtains contribute to the quality of our sleep at night? They may play a much bigger role than you think!
According to experts at The Sleep Foundation, light exposure stimulates a nerve pathway from the retina of your eye to an area of the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is responsible for the energy maintenance of the body, making it much more difficult to ‘switch off’ for the night if this area of the brain is kept active.
This is why curtains are so useful in allowing us to get to sleep quicker. Even if our bedroom windows allow the glow of street lamps and lights in nearby houses into the room, a pair of good-quality curtains will block these stimuli, giving the hypothalamus the signal that it’s time to shut down for the night.
However, can too little light harm your sleep cycle in the same way that too much light can?
According to experts, light is one of the main cues that our brain uses to control the sleep-wake cycle. This is why we often feel more tired on dark winter mornings than bright summer ones.
Given all this information, how do you go about picking the best curtains for your own bedroom?
Do I Need Blackout Curtains?
Some kinds of blackout curtains may keep out up to 99% of the light which may otherwise be seeping in through your bedroom window.
For many, blackout curtains make it much easier to get to sleep at night by blocking out any unwanted brightness. Some may also contribute to the temperature of your bedroom – blocking out the sunlight will keep your bedroom cool in the summer, while the thickness of the fabric may have thermal qualities which work to retain heat in your bedroom during the winter.
However, that’s not to say that they are perfect for everybody. First of all, many blackout curtains only come in dark, block colours, which might not exactly compliment the rest of your bedroom’s interior design. Their ability to block out sunlight may also be interfering with those all-important light cues that work to get you out of bed in the morning.
Overall, if you really can’t sleep with even the slightest bit of light within your bedroom, then blackout curtains could be helpful to you, but they aren’t strictly necessary in order for you to get a good night’s rest. Blackout curtains may be the most useful to those who find they have to spend much more time sleeping during the day than they do during the night.
What Blinds And Curtains Are Best?
To ensure restful evenings, it’s important to choose the best combination of curtains and blinds for your bedroom.
Start by picking out a high-quality blind. Roller blinds are often popular within bedrooms, as they offer a lot of privacy once they are drawn and can be adjusted to allow however much light you’d like into the room.
However, the most common kind of blinds used in bedrooms are vertical blinds, which are a little more versatile when it comes to letting in varying amounts of light. These blinds can be drawn back entirely to allow a full view of the outside of your window, closed completely for privacy or have the panels rotated 180 degrees in order to let just the right amount of light into the room.
At Newton Blinds, we can tailor our blinds to be exactly what you need for your space, in both functionality and appearance.
As for curtains, we offer a wide range of drapes in a variety of lengths, colours and high-quality fabrics. Our excellent curtains will work well to keep you from tossing and turning at night, but – with such a wide range of styles available – can still be chosen to allow just the right amount of natural light into the room each morning. It’s all about your preference, and we’ll work to make sure we match you with the perfect curtains for your space.