One of the most common things that elude most of us is a good night’s sleep, so having the opportunity last week to find out ways to achieve a night of blissful slumber at the Downy Sleep Fest at Penn Station’s Amtrak Station was one I didn’t want to pass up. I had the opportunity to chat with popular interior designer Taniya Nayak about ways to design your space to encourage a good night’s sleep, as well as learn about how Downy and Zzzquil can help us get those elusive zzz’s as well.
Taniya Nayak is a featured designer on HGTV, as well as Food Network’s Restaurant: Impossible, and has her own interior design firm, Taniya Nayak Designs. She had some terrific suggestions to share:
Tips For Getting A Good Night’s Sleep
- Use dimmer lights to achieve an environment to help you relax and fall asleep.
- Remove clutter so you can relax both visually and mentally (and wake up to a clutter free room as well).
- Layer sheets and bedding for both comfort and to help with temperature changes overnight.
- Use soothing colors to decorate the room, such as charcoal greys and soft greens (and keeping any punches of color behind the headboard and out of view while trying to fall asleep).
- Make your guests feel happy and welcome with personal touches in the guest bedroom that will help them relax as well: bottles of water, a simple iPod docking station, and linens washed in Downy Unstopables in Lavender, a scent booster which retains its soothing fragrance for up to 12 weeks after a wash.
P&G is offering a new product to help us fall asleep: non-habit forming ZzzQuil, which can be used sporadically on nights falling asleep seems to be a bit of a challenge. Dr. Joseph Ojile, National Sleep Foundation Board Member, recommends lifestyle changes such as setting up a soothing sleep environment to help with trouble sleeping, but acknowledges that sometimes this may not be enough, and that is when options such as ZzzQuil can help. ZzzQuil contains diphenhydramine and comes as both a liquid and a LiquiCap form.
Downy is helping the cause with lavender-infused products to create a soothing sleep environment. The scent of lavender is well known for it soporific qualities, and Downy Infusions Lavender Serenity fabric softener, as well as Downy Unstopables Lush in-wash scent booster, can work together to create an utterly dreamy sleep area. A plush, lavender-colored, Downy-washed bed was on display, welcoming passersby on their way home after a day’s work. Samples of the incredible smelling Downy products were being passed out to appreciative riders. A “dream” station encouraged many to share their dream on strips of fabric, which were then sewn into a dream quilt, and a photo station allowed visitors to pose for some fun shots they could take home.
Want to learn more? Like Downy and ZzzQuil on facebook, and find Taniya Nayak on Twitter.
This sleep-inducing post is brought to you by HGTV and Downy.
Ha! I now have proof that clutter makes a difference. Hubs just thinks it’s me being OCD.
I love the smell of Downy! There are so many great tips here and I love your little one snoozing on your husband – too cute!
Nope, you are right, and I’ve actually heard it before (from FlyLady)…if you have clutter, your mind is focused on needing to clean it up and you have trouble sleeping!
I love the smell of lavender, but we can’t use it in our house. I miss it! I’ll have to check out zzzquil. Every once in awhile I’m too wound up to fall asleep naturally, and then I’m dead tired the next day because I was wide awake all night. Thanks for sharing that product!
I love the smell of lavender and downy
Ahhh I love her on Restaurant: Impossible!!
Okay I so need to remove clutter in my bedroom. Our room isn’t even that big and it seems to have too much in it! 🙂
Looks like you had fun!
Sometimes I have trouble falling asleep at night. Thanks for these tips.
Wonderful tips! I agree that removing clutter makes a difference. My husband doesn’t seem to agree!
That bed looks so comfortable. Our bedroom has calming purples, no clutter and tons of warm blankets. We also use lavender fabric softener. The scent is amazing. Hubby keeps asking me to buy the zzzQuil, hope it helps him!
I love how your son demo’d the importance of sleep 🙂
I have never had trouble sleeping but for some reason this past week I have! I am going to try this out and see if it helps.
Great tips! The thing standing between me and a good night of sleep is my 9 month old, lol.
Going to have to try some of this Downy. Who knew clutter could cause you to have trouble sleeping.
One thing I cannot live without is SLEEP.
I’ve noticed that when I think I have cutter, my brain is racing!
I need to try the lavender stuff … it’s nearly midnight and I am STILL awake.
I LOVE Taniya! I always tell my husband if we ever win the lottery, I’m hiring her to help decorate our house!
I love watching her on HGTV.
I definitely need to make my room more soothing.. it’s not particularly cluttered, but it doesn’t have anything that promotes relaxation, either.
I love all of that purple!
We have a great mattress – got a $2000 mattress on sale for about $500 a few years ago during Macy’s Memorial Day sale. My sleeping issues have nothing to do with our bed. I wish it was that easy! We use Downy sometimes (when I remember to buy it) and I LOVE those Scentables in the laundry. Snuggling into a fresh-smelling bed makes it much easier to relax and fall asleep!
I feel like I sleep better in a clean room.
Mmm i love the smell of Downy. We have a dim light in the bedroom 🙂
Good Night Sleep? What’s that? I have a husband, a toddler, and an infant in my bed for a good part of the night. The girls will only be in my bed for a few hours but the hubby is still there. I need a bed to myself!
There is seriously nothing better than a good nights sleep. Great tips!
These are all really great tips.
Hubs does not understand my need to remove clutter in order to sleep. Thanks for the validation. LOL
I love Downy. It looks like you had a lot of fun.