Bedroom Design Hacks To Help Teens & Tweens Get A Better Night’s Sleep

**Collaborative post**

I think it’s fair to say that every parent wants their kids to have a good night’s sleep. Things certainly get easier when they grow out of the baby phase, but teens in tween still have the quirks when it comes to sleep. You might be surprised to learn that bedroom design actually has quite a big impact as to how your child sleeps, so let’s understand what changes you can make to ensure a good night’s sleep for your children and the whole family. 

The lighting 

Our lighting choices will always influence our quality of sleep. It is best practice to install thick eyelet curtains or block out curtains in your child’s room, as that way you can control exactly how much light comes in. When you want light, simply open them up. When you want darkness, there will not be even a glimmer of light that will penetrate these efficient curtains. Now because it’s your child’s room, you may want to choose block out curtains that are a bit more exciting than your standard white or beige variety. Opt for a bright colour or see if you can find a style with a fun print for pattern.

Better storage options

Your teen or tween is not going to sleep on my mind when they have all the stimuli surrounding them. If you can get in the habit of encouraging your child to pack away their things each night so that their room is clear, then they might be more susceptible to relaxation and ultimately go to sleep easier. Sleep cues are a big thing for babies but they really do apply for older children and even adults, and clearing away one activity for the next phase of the night is a very clear sleep cue that will have big results.

Screen-free zone

Whenever there are screens around there is a direct correlation to disturbed sleep. Can’t you say the same for yourself? Try to make your child’s bedroom a screen-free zone, and instead have those devices in your living spaces in the house. A Digital detox can have fantastic results so maybe this is something that could work for your family. The bedroom should be about sleep and relaxation. The chances are your child will not see it that way if this is where they spend most of the time on their phone. 

Rather than simply saying no screens are allowed in the room, try and create an environment that doesn’t need them by encouraging an alternative. You might be able to find an edgy little bookshelf, some tables and chairs, and even an arts and craft area. This is going to hopefully encourage your child to participate in these sorts of activities before bed and have a better chance of good sleep without those pesky screens around.

Integrate a sound system

Every child should have music in their life and you can actually use this to your advantage when it comes to their sleep. A sound system or even just a stereo with an AUX cord may encourage them to listen to music before bed. You can even teach them how to create sleep playlists on Spotify that will help them unwind after a day of school and allow them to reflect. Sure, this idea does have the potential to massively backfire and rile them up before bed with some harder and faster music. Although it is more likely that they will choose some background music and create another sleep cue for themselves in their own room.

Position in bed correctly

Perhaps the one thing keeping a child from better sleep is the literal position in which they sleep. Make an effort to be in their room in the evening when the chatter and noises of the house are in full swing, and see if this is hindering them from getting to bed early. You may be able to position their bed in a part of the room further from sound and even less light-filled. This should also lead to a teen and tween having a big say in how their room is organised as they have to be in step with that flow so that works for them. A wandering mind can be distracted by just about anything so even lying down on the bed to take a look around at what you can work with to design a low sensory space that is more suitable to sleep

We hope that some of these insights will bring your household more sleep, more often. Like anything, you can only try so don’t shy away from experimentation and even get the other members in your household to optimise their own rooms so that your teen or tween doesn’t feel like they’re the only ones undergoing change.