Inside a Sleep Researcher’s Bedroom: How I Sleep and Why

Your sleep environment should be dark to help signal to the body that it is time to sleep. If there is light coming into the space, blackout curtains or an eye mask may help with dimming or eliminating unwanted light. 

The bedroom should be a quiet space. Loud and startling noises may cause more awake periods during the night. White noise machines or fans can help to cover or drown out extraneous sounds. 

The sleep environment should only be used for sleep (and intimacy). This means that it should not be used for reading, writing, working, worrying, etc. Keeping the sleep environment a single-purpose space helps to maintain a strong association between the bed and going to sleep. In other words, when you get into bed, it should signal to your body that it is time to go to sleep.