'Tis the season for staying snug and toasty in bed. The more you stay inside, the more you want everything in your house to be warm and cozy. Mugs of hot cocoa and marshmallows by the fireplace are winter essentials but the bedroom must also feel warm, inviting, and cozy for the season.
Below are easy and creative ways to pick the right bedding and accessories to make your bed to be the coziest as it can be in time for winter.
Nothing Else Mattress
Get started by investing in a comfortable and durable mattress that will help you sleep better. Some mattresses respond to body temperature, weight, and shape for personalized comfort and support. On winter nights, you need a mattress that can keep you warm and adapts to a comfortable temperature so you won’t wake up too cold or too hot.
Mattress breathability plays an important role to one's comfort and health during sleep. A warm and humid sleep environment is created as your sleep. If you’re a hot sleeper you perspire quite a bit at night, and your mattress absorbs your body heat and moisture. Which gets trapped and accumulates as your body continues to give off heat. Causing you to sweat at night and eventually break your precious REM sleep. The mattress traps the moisture and builds up until the body temperature rises and disturbs the sleeping pattern.
Choosing a mattress that promotes air flow and allows perspiration to evaporate helps keep the body cool and maintain a comfortable sleep temperature. When the mattress is free from moisture it creates a positive impact on nighttime breathing.
Sleep Under a Cozy Canopy
Canopy beds existed from the need for warmth and privacy in shared rooms without central heating. Its origins can be traced back to China in the 4th century which were made with extravagant brocade silks. When it reached Europe, it was used for privacy reasons to create the impression of “cozy room within a room”. Medieval noble families slept in the great hall of their castle while their servants slept in the hall with them. Canopy curtains went up to create an extra layer of warmth from the drafty cold castles.
Fast forward to the 1890s, lacy canopies was the rage in the Colonial Revival of the 20th century, which lasted up until the 1940s. Canopies are making a comeback in a modern way. Sheer fabrics are used as a decorative accent in lieu of heavy brocade or frilly lace.
Some even went as radical by adding twinkling fairy lights above your bed to inspire a starry night. These tiny lights can trigger dopamine, also known as the brain’s “feel good” chemical. Our bodies have a physiological response from the nervous system that helps make us more alert, more aware, and can bring about feelings of happiness.
Oh, Sheets!
Getting enough sleep is important for your metabolism, concentration, and memory. Invest in durability, style, and comfort. High-quality beddings are expensive for a reason as they help regulate your body temperature while sleeping. Softer fabrics guarantee a more improved and healthier sleep.
Low-quality bedding absorbs the moisture off your body which leads to discomfort and itchiness. Sleep experts recommend fabrics that traps body heat and provide greater insulation for cold nights such as warm fleece, soft flannel or cotton sateen sheets.
The key to getting a good night’s sleep is making sure you are comfortable in your bedroom so you can wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning.
Choose your Blanket
Add texture and warmth with a plush blanket, a plaid flannel for every season, or a chunky DIY cable-knit blanket.
If you are looking for blankets that can help provide a better sleep quality, help with insomnia and anxiety, go for cable-knit blankets. It maintains the breathability and ventilation thanks to the loops on the blanket which allows free airflow. When you wrap it around you, the pressure stimulates calmness and gives you a soothing and comforting hugging feel.
Fleece blankets is another option if you prefer something lightweight and flexible. These are packed with an insulating layer to trap heat without weighing you down.
Plush Cushions
Bring in extra pillows for the colder months. They will make your bed more inviting and snuggle-friendly. You can get pillows that retain heat and feel warm against the face. There are also pillows designed with breathable components to help reduce overheating and sweating.
Add style by choosing colors and patterns that go with your bedroom theme. Use cushion covers so you can change the theme and style for the season, an easy and sustainable way to bring life to your room!
Keep it simple! You don’t need to invest in so many pillows that you can no longer see the bed.
Comfortable Luxury
Keep warm and toasty with a down duvet or a comforter. Get one that is full and puffy to make your bed look more plush. These are one of those things that are sleep game-changers. Down is warm, lofty, and doesn’t restrict movement which makes for a great insulator while sleeping. Throw in a seasonal-themed comforter or opt for a plain duvet cover to go with your sheets.
When you are shopping for a new comforter, go for one size larger than your bed size so there is enough room for two people.
If you are allergic to down, there are a lot of great synthetic options that are feather-free and budget-friendly that’ll give you the big, fluffy comfort you are looking for.
Add a Bedside Rug
Make things kinder for your feet in the morning by adding a fuzzy bedside rug or slip into a pair of fuzzy bedroom slippers. Consider a sheepskin or a textured rug on the side of your bed where you usually get up so you will not wake up with cold feet in the morning. Literally.
Accent the whole cozy bed look with a plushy faux-fur throw, sweater material, or a handmade quilt across the bottom of your bed for extra comfort during cold nights. Winterize your bedroom with these simple tricks and curl up, snuggle under the sheets, and weather the colder nights.