Health and Biohabitability
Healthy Bedroom Design
Optimizing rest by creating spaces that influence sleep quality and well-being
Sleep is vital for our survival. When we sleep, our body regenerates and recovers the energy lost during daytime activity. However, for sleep to be effective, we must ensure conditions of well-being influenced by various environmental factors. Healthy bedroom design that promotes deep rest is essential to ensure restorative sleep that contributes to improving our quality of life.
While experts have not managed to decipher the reason why we sleep, it does seem clear that there is a close relationship between the sleep process and our physical and psychological health. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) insists that sleeping is not a pleasure but a necessity—a time of rest that allows our organism to function optimally.
What is healthy sleep?
While we sleep, our body goes through different phases, starting with light sleep, moving through deep sleep, and reaching the REM phase. Successfully moving through these phases several times throughout the night ensures that our body functions correctly.
This process is influenced by both the number of hours slept and their quality. Considering that the WHO establishes a minimum of 6 hours of sleep, with 8 being recommended, we can conclude that we spend a third of our life sleeping and, therefore, at least a third of our life takes place in the bedroom.
In this regard, healthy bedroom design will be based on several key factors that will ensure our rest and well-being:
– First, it will be necessary to have a healthy space with a healthy indoor environment, free of noise, with the possibility of controlling both natural and artificial lighting, and free of toxins or allergens, as well as free of electromagnetic fields that alter our organism.
– Second, we must ensure that the structure and elements that make up the resting surface—the bed— on which we rest has specific conditions of ergonomics and materials to minimally interfere with the natural physiology of our organism.
– Finally, we will consider the composition and quality of the fabrics that make up the bed linens on which we rest, as well as the blankets or duvets with which we cover ourselves.
The following article has been divided according to these three chapters that affect sleep quality and people’s well-being: the environment of a healthy bedroom, the structure and components of the bed, and its fabrics:
1 BEDROOM INDOOR ENVIRONMENT
2 STRUCTURE AND ELEMENTS THAT MAKE UP THE BED
3 COMPOSITION OF BED LINEN FABRIC
THE INDOOR ENVIRONMENT OF A BEDROOM
A large part of our life takes place in this interior space we call the bedroom. Therefore, quality sleep is directly related to hygrothermal, lighting, and sound conditions, or even other factors that can directly affect our emotional state, such as the smells or colors that compose it.
The factors that define the quality of a bedroom are closely related to the factors that define the quality of a home’s indoor environment. However, there are some peculiarities regarding light, noise, or the ideal temperature and humidity that promote deep rest and are especially important in the resting space.
To ensure environmental quality in a bedroom, we must optimize the following factors: maintain adequate temperature and humidity, ensure air quality, reduce noise, achieve total lighting control, ensure the absence of electromagnetic fields, and use natural materials free of toxins and contaminants both in construction and finishes as well as in ecological furniture. Let us examine each factor in detail:
1 Adequate temperature for HEALTHY BEDROOM DESIGN
While we sleep, our body experiences a slight drop in temperature. This occurs because our organism places thermoregulatory functions that allow us to control our body temperature in second place.
The inability of internal regulation makes our body temperature more susceptible to ambient temperature, making it one of the most significant factors regarding sleep quality.
Considering that body temperature drops during the night, the comfort temperature of our bedroom is around 18 degrees, creating a cool environment that, in addition to favoring the regulation that the body does not do by itself, also promotes deep breathing.
Although the average is 18 degrees, comfort temperature is very relative and can vary from one individual to another. Therefore, there is a comfort range that extends between 15.6 and 19.4 degrees. [4]
When the temperature of our bedroom does not adjust to comfort conditions, there will be either a sensation of cold or excess heat that will, to some extent, produce sleep disturbance.
If our bedroom is too warm, it will not only affect sleep onset due to the sensation of discomfort, but will also reduce the time we spend in REM phase, preventing proper body recovery and negatively affecting the immune system. Additionally, sleep is more likely to be interrupted and we will experience a greater sensation of fatigue.
On the other hand, although exposure to cold is not considered as harmful as excess heat, it is true that it can also cause discomfort, affect the REM phase, and be associated with blood pressure problems.
Lowering the thermostat at night, closing blinds during the day to avoid heat accumulation in the bedroom in summer, and keeping them raised in winter to maximize sunlight are small actions that can help us optimize the temperature of our room.
2 Ideal humidity for sleeping
Humidity is the second factor that influences achieving a healthy indoor environment in a bedroom. In fact, to have effective temperature control and achieve a cool environment, adequate humidity control is necessary.
The established values for ideal average relative humidity range between 40% and 60%.
It has been shown that spaces where humidity is above 40% improve sleep quality, promoting deep rest and reducing apnea.
However, this humidity should not exceed values above 60%, as adverse effects can occur.
Excess humidity produces fatigue, which makes it difficult to fall asleep, but also favors the appearance of unhealthy domestic microorganisms that promote mold and dampness that directly affect our health.
However, in many cases, due to improper and excessive use of heating or air conditioning systems, which promote the reduction of ambient relative humidity, the humidity in our homes tends to be excessively dry, with values that in many cases are below 20%.
Excessively low humidity values lead to the loss of protection of our mucous membranes, which lose their natural barrier, exposing our organism to the entry of viruses and bacteria.
To avoid dryness problems and ensure that the room’s humidity is adequate, it is necessary to guarantee proper ventilation through healthy bedroom design.
3 Adequate ventilation for HEALTHY BEDROOM DESIGN
Ensuring proper ventilation and constant air renewal in the bedroom is essential to achieve adequate air quality, as well as natural regulation of the relative humidity of the indoor environment.
Advances in energy efficiency and increasingly demanding new construction regulations regarding building airtightness with the aim of reducing temperature exchange with the outside and reducing energy consumption entail the need to ensure mechanical renewal of indoor air.
While in new-build buildings, air renewal is ensured by mechanical means, in older buildings air renewal is often insufficient and its quality can be diminished simply by the CO2 emissions from the people who live in them.
In addition to CO2 accumulation, air pollutants can come from both outside and inside the home:
Indoor environment pollutants in our homes are determined by CO2 accumulations generated by the users themselves; by excess humidity that favors the appearance of mold; or by construction materials, finishes, and furniture that may incorporate toxins.
Also, cleaning products or gases derived from combustion (such as carbon monoxide) produced in fireplaces, stoves, or kitchens can be toxic, so it is important to be aware of their use both in the bedroom and in the rest of the home and always ensure proper ventilation in spaces where combustion occurs and therefore oxygen consumption.
At the same time, air pollution can originate from agents coming from outside, such as harmful emissions from the ground itself like radon, or derived from combustion and industrial processes near our home, such as smoke, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, or hydrocarbons (PAH). [6]
Air quality meters
The level of CO2 concentration is considered one of the main indicators of air quality in a home, since whenever it is occupied it will accumulate CO2 emitted by the users themselves. Measuring whether this CO2 is extracted and renewed with fresh air from outside gives us clues to know if the rest of the pollutants have also been extracted.
For this reason, the most recent version of the Technical Building Code (CTE), in its Basic Document HS Health, HS-3 Indoor Air Quality, establishes that homes must have a ventilation system that guarantees minimum ventilation flows and favors an average annual CO2 concentration below 800 ppm. [7]
Having a CO2 detector, whose use has spread following the COVID-19 pandemic, will help us easily detect when indoor air is stale. While the balanced use between natural ventilation systems through operable enclosures and mechanical ventilation systems through automated CO2 or pressure sensors will allow us to guarantee adequate air renewal.
In old homes where there is no choice but to ventilate manually, and especially in the case of bedrooms where we will spend several hours without ventilation control, it is possible to leave a window slightly open, either in the room itself or in a room near where we sleep.
When outdoor pollution worsens the air quality of our home
There is an exception, and that is homes located in areas of high outdoor pollution, such as a building located on a high-traffic street or near an industry.
In these cases, it would be advisable to carry out two interventions: first, achieve total airtightness of the home, preventing air exchange with the outside through joints or leaks; and second, install a mechanical air renewal system that guarantees its filtration before it enters the home.
4 Impact of noise on sleep quality
Healthy bedroom design provides acoustic levels that guarantee deep rest.
Exposure to excessively intense or continuous noise has been shown to alter our sleep and, in turn, have short- and long-term effects on our health.
Noise during the night can result in fragmented sleep that promotes irritability, drowsiness, and psychological discomfort. Likewise, prolonged exposure is related to high blood pressure, cardiovascular risk, and weakening of the immune system, which remains on constant alert.
Considering that around 55% of the world’s population lives in cities, it is very common that when we sleep, we have to coexist with traffic noise, crowds of people, street activities, neighbors, or even airplanes.
In the case of people living in smaller or rural towns, noise produced by neighbors, weather phenomena, pets, industries and transportation, or generated by appliances in our own home must also be considered.
If we do not live in a quiet area and cannot locate the bedroom away from acoustic emissions that disturb our sleep, the solution involves carrying out a complete soundproofing intervention of the bedroom, considering whether the noise emission sources are airborne (such as those from the street itself) or impact (such as noise generated by the movement of a neighbor’s chair or the vibration of a refrigerator or washing machine).
To protect ourselves from external noise, a very important factor is having good window insulation to avoid acoustic bridges, as well as thermal bridges, obtaining good acoustic insulation and at the same time greater thermal control of the room.
Another solution is the use of dampening surfaces, which are thick, dense, or undulating materials, such as curtains or rugs, that favor dampening of noise generated by neighbors or other external aggressions.
Regarding noise produced by appliances or air conditioning systems in our home, we should try to choose those that are as quiet as possible. There are increasingly more appliances with silent systems or programs that allow them to be started automatically during hours that do not interrupt rest.
Additionally, to avoid sleep fragmentation, it is advisable that unnecessary alarms and notifications from these appliances and mobile devices be deactivated.
In the event that these measures are not possible, we can resort to earplugs or background sounds. In fact, there are a couple of sounds known as white noise or pink noise that help mask noises we cannot control in our bedroom environment and promote falling asleep. [8]
5 Bedroom lighting to achieve well-being
Light and sleep quality maintain a very important link. For this reason, lighting regulation in healthy bedroom design will be essential for our well-being.
People have a biological clock that has adapted to sunlight patterns, synchronizing with sunrise and sunset. Thus, our body distinguishes between staying active while there is light and resting when it begins to get dark.
However, electricity generated by fossil or nuclear sources allows us to have light during nighttime hours, generating very significant light pollution that is harmful to our health, since this constant exposure to light has effects on the functioning of our biological clock, sleep cycles, and melatonin production.
The internal clock responsible for coordinating all the processes of our body is what is known as the circadian rhythm. Prolonged exposure to light during dusk alters our circadian rhythm and is related to worsening metabolism and cardiovascular problems.
High exposure to artificial light during the hours before falling asleep can interrupt sleep cycles, resulting in fragmented sleep that will not allow our body to have the necessary time to go through all the deeper and more restorative sleep stages.
The more altered the sleep cycle is, the more likely melatonin production is also altered. Melatonin is a hormone produced by our body naturally that begins in response to darkness and helps us fall asleep. If there is exposure to light at inappropriate hours, this production stops, making sleep difficult and altering the circadian rhythm. [9]
Configuring our bedroom to be as dark as possible during the night, using blackout curtains that prevent street light from entering, is a measure we can take to promote quality sleep. Also, using not very intense and warm lights will promote healthy bedroom design.
Blue light
It should be noted that there are many types of light and not all have the same effect. Within the visible light spectra, we find blue light emitted by screens and mobile devices which, due to the high exposure time to it, has the greatest impact on the circadian rhythm.
Adequate exposure to blue light emitted by the sun during the day helps the body maintain the circadian rhythm aligned with the environment. However, mobile devices, omnipresent in our society, are the main emitters of this type of light and their improper excessive use, especially during the hours before going to bed, has very negative impacts on our health.
Excessive exposure to blue light deceives the body, making it believe it should remain alert and deactivates melatonin production. [10]
The main emitters of blue light are fluorescent lights, LED lights, mobile phones, televisions, computer screens, electronic tablets, and video game consoles.
While, to achieve healthy rest, device use should be reduced to a minimum, especially before going to sleep, there are also simple methods to reduce the impact of this exposure, such as using glasses with a filter that reduces blue light, activating the night mode that many devices offer, or dimming screen brightness.
6 Impact of electromagnetic fields (EMF) on sleep quality
The nervous system and the various chemical processes that occur in our organism produce small electrical currents. This charge from the body itself interacts with the electrical and magnetic charges of the terrestrial environment, both natural and artificial.
While our organism has evolved thanks to natural electromagnetic fields, this is not the case with artificial electromagnetic fields that have developed in recent centuries extremely rapidly, practically without regulation and without studies to support their harmlessness.
The WHO considers electromagnetic fields (EMF) an “emerging risk” and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies them as possible carcinogens if significant exposure to these sources accumulates. [11]
Today, we are exposed to a large amount of electrical and magnetic radiation.
These can come from emissions outside the home, such as those emitted by mobile phone antennas, radars, telecommunications networks, or nearby high-voltage lines, or from sources inside the home, such as those from wireless networks of all kinds: Wi-Fi, mobile phones or cordless phones, direct radiation generated by microwaves or induction cooktops, or some appliances, especially those that are beginning to be connected according to the so-called Internet of Things.
Bedrooms are spaces where the body rests and recovers, regenerates cells, and carries out biological processes that prepare it for the new day, and any minimal alteration can interfere with the natural regeneration of our organism.
To reduce this exposure, we will consider two factors.
First, the design of the electrical installation in our home, which should primarily be carried out in a star distribution design that allows reducing the power of each circuit so that the generated magnetic fields are smaller.
Additionally, regarding wiring, it should be avoided in any long-stay area such as bed headboards and, as far as possible, be carried out using halogen-free filaments.
If we cannot modify the home’s installation, we can always install an automatic electrical disconnector, known as a bioswitch. This is a device installed in the home’s main panel that can detect when there is no demand for electrical supply, disconnecting the 230V voltage and leaving a minimum direct current voltage that allows detecting when alternating supply is needed again, eliminating any type of electrical field during rest hours.
Undoubtedly, one of the best recommendations for reducing electrical and electromagnetic fields during rest hours is achieving healthy habits of reducing exposure during the night, such as disconnecting the Wi-Fi network, switching cordless phones to ECO mode so they only emit electromagnetic waves when in use, or leaving the mobile phone in airplane mode charging outside the room and away from rest areas.
To evaluate exposure to electromagnetic fields in our home, it is possible to carry out a field impact study with a biohabitability expert, in which case it is always advisable to follow the reference values of the Baubiologie measurement standard for rest spaces. [12]