Your bedroom should be your calming sleep sanctuary but in recent years, mine has taken on a few other jobs. It's my storage locker, office, meeting room, testing space... Rather than curling up in a cozy cocoon, sometimes it feels like I'm bedding down in my inbox.
To help transform the space back to its sleep-inducing best, I reached out to feng shui experts Suzanne Roynon and Rosanna Deflorian. I sent them pictures of my room and — once they'd finished screaming, I presume — they pointed out some big problems.
A cluttered room can make you feel wired and on high alert, which is why you might be tense even after winding down. But a few simple fixes can unblock your Qi, reduce stress and help you avoid 3 a.m. wake ups. Here's all you need to do...
3 big feng shui problems that are behind your bad sleep
1. There's clutter everywhere
I'd never go to bed with lights flashing, music blaring, and reading emails like a bedtime story. That would bring all kinds of unwanted energy to my wind-down routine. But it never occurred to me that my room is introducing it's own kind of disruption.
"The room is currently overloaded with 'Yang' (active) energy, when a bedroom needs deep 'Yin' (passive, restful) energy," says Deflorian, Classical Feng Shui expert at More Than Intuition.
"With an overload of possessions in the space, you are constantly overloading your brain with stimuli. These things alone will compromise your sleep quality," explains Roynon, expert at Interiors Therapy.
From pictures to tchotchkes to trinkets, my bedroom space is loaded with things. This sets my brain buzzing at night — just like a pile of unread emails
The fix
Roynon has a simple tip for getting rid of clutter. "Look at each thing from the perspective of ‘do I need it, use it or love it?’ and if the answer is no, let it go," she says.
She describes donating and recycling unnecessary items as giving your your "body and soul some breathing space."
And it's not just the shelves that can benefit from a clear up. "Everything left on the floor should have its own place," says Deflorian. "A clear floor helps the room feel calmer, bigger and easier to move through."
Clearing the shelves might sound like a weekend job (or in the case of my clutter, a weeklong job). But the experts have a quick solution you can do before sleep. And it's for anyone who keeps electronics in the bedroom.
"Put all electronics away at night so the bedroom becomes a sanctuary rather than a space encroached upon by the boss and a variety of deadlines," says Roynon. "Wherever possible put laptop, notebooks etc. away in a drawer, and cover your screen, making sure any standby lights are switched off."
2. The doorway is blocked
When space is limited, any free area becomes a spot for storage. Hence why my bedroom door is laden with bags and jackets.
"The bags, scarves, and clothing hanging on the back of the door are blocking the entrance of Qi," warns Deflorian. "It creates an immediate feeling of congestion right at the entry point of the room."
Qi - pronounced chee - is your core energy and you want it to be flowing like a freshwater stream... not still like a stagnant pond because your door won't open.
"The door is the entrance point for positive energy to flow into and around the room," says Roynon. "If it won’t fully open because it’s blocked by shelves or hanging items, you are reducing the capacity for new energy to reach your space."
The fix
To allow for the uninhibited flow of energy around a room, the feng shui experts advise clearing anything that blocks the doorway.
"Move the hanging clothes and bags into the wardrobe," advises Deflorian.
An open bedroom door also allows for the free movement of fresh air. We recommend sleeping with the bedroom door open (when possible), to allow CO2 and VOCs to escape.
If that's not possible, you can also try bedroom burping. Before bed, leave your window and door wide open for at least 10 minutes to get rid of stale air and let fresh air flow in.
3. There's a picture above the bed
I was expecting the clutter and electronics to catch the eye of the experts. However, I was surprised when Roynon zeroed in on the picture frame above my bed.
"We’d always encourage avoiding anything above the head at night," she says. "Overbed shelves and bridging units can cause aches in the head, neck, shoulders and back because the body responds to the perceived downward pressure."
What's more, it can lead to nighttime anxiety.
"Your subconscious mind thinks it will fall down on you in the night," warns Roynon. "Migraines and failing to properly switch off at night are also factors when anything is positioned over the head of a sleeper."
The fix
Taking down any pictures or shelves above the bed lifts the pressure and weight, for a 5 minute fix.
And the experts recommend filling the space behind you with something more welcoming.
"A good headboard creates a sense of support, protection and stability, which is very important while we sleep," says Deflorian. She also advises having a solid wall at the head of the bed (so no walls with windows or doors.)
This is one area I'm already doing well in, thanks to my upholstered bed frame from Simba.
"You have a comfortable, solid headboard which is quite high and will give your subconscious a bit of relief because it will feel supported and protected from attacks from behind," congratulates Roynon.
More feng shui solutions for better sleep
You don't have to be a clutter bug like me to introduce unwelcome energy into your room. The experts advise following these tips to avoid common feng shui faux pas.
- Have your bed looking toward the door, not pointing at it: 'Coffin position', when your bed directly faces the door, drains your energy. With 'command position' your bed can see the door but doesn't point at it.
- Cover mirrors: Mirrors in the bedroom are a big no in feng shui, as they're said to detach the soul and attract wandering spirits. They can also make you jittery, if you catch an unexpected reflection at night.
- Replace photos: Roynon says the only pictures in the bedroom should be of people you don't mind seeing you naked.
- Remove dried flowers: These convey 'dead energy'.
- Use neutral tones: Decorate with subtle, neutral tones to create a sense of balance and avoid overstimulating the space.
Our favorite feng shui friendly bedroom storage solutions
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