Sleep is the second most important thing we do; only breathing is more important than sleep. This should already be enough as an incentive to put a higher priority on your sleep. After all, it is an activity we all spend around one third of our lives on. But there is more: While asleep, we are unconscious and can’t damage anything or spend money, which makes it even a very cheap activity. Lastly, poor sleep is a productivity killer, whereas good sleep is a productivity booster.
Framing sleep in this manner helps to understand why investments in your sleep environment is both necessary, cheap and even profitable at the same time. You have to ask yourself:
- How much does a bad day because of poor sleep cost me and how many of these days do I have throughout the year?
- How much money is a good night’s sleep worth to me and is $1 per hour of sleep okay as a price?
While this one dollar sounds like a negligible number, if you add up all the hours of sleep and consider that you can use the same sleep environment for five years, you will get to the impressive number of more than $14,000. Few bedrooms cost as much all included.
But don’t worry, sleep is even much cheaper than $1 per hour of sleep. You can get a very decent sleep environment for a a fraction of that number. In fact, a good sleep environment can cost less than $1 per night, since most tricks to improve the sleep environment are very cheap. Only a few items like the mattress or your partner cost more.
Most items cost a few dollars and can be used for years. Some are even for free or almost for free, like losing some weight to give your body some breathing space during sleep. Even if not everything makes a difference, while most have only a small contribution, if you add them all up, your sleep with be vastly different and improved than before.
Here’s the list with items to improve your sleep environment (to be continued):
| Item | Benefit | Price per year (apprx.) |
| Lavender Oil Spray | A few drops on the pillow help with relaxation | $10 |
| Moisturizer With Magnesium | Magnesium helps loweing cortisol and moisuturizing before sleep creates a sleep ritual | $10 |
| Dimmed Lights | Bright light is influencing the circadian rhythm; the lighting before sleep should be as dimmed as possible | $10 |
| Daylight Alarm Clock | Alarm clocks with both sund and light of the correct wave length improve the waking process in the morning. | $10 |
| Blue Light Filter Glasses | Blue light triggers the circadian rhythm and can lead to insomnia | $10 |
| Weight Blanket | Helps creating a cozy feeling in bed; especially during winter season | $10 |
| Bamboo Sheets | Bamboo sheets have a cooling effect which supports the body to release excess heat during sleep | $10 |
| Sleep Mask | Blacks out the light, which is the brain’s main zeitgeber; too much light can distort the circadian rhythm | $10 |
| Night Guard | Prevents teeth grinding during sleep and helps against snoring | $25 |
| Humidifier | Increases humidity for better breathing during sleep | $25 |
| Dehumidifier | While some sleep well with higher humidity, others need dry air to sleep | $25 |
| Blanket | The blanket should be adapted to the season; in summer barely one and in winter enough of one | $25 |
| Pillow | A good pillow increases comfort and supports a good lying position | $25 |
| Pyjiamas | Compfy pyjiamas are essential for good sleep and help aborb sweat during sleep | $25 |
| Black Our Curtains | Even moonkight from outside can have an influence on the circadian rhythm | $25 |
| Sleep Tracker | Many fitness/health devices have a sleep tracking function; they are not perfect, but can help detect adverse sleep patterns | $50 |
| Air Conditioning | The sleep environment should always be cool so the body can release excess heat during sleep | $50 |
| Daylight Glasses | Wearing daylight glasses in the morning help waking up and stabilize the circadian rhythm | $50 |
| Mouth Tape | Mouth tape is a harmless way to prevent snoring or even sleeping with an open mouth | $100 |
| Quality Mattress | Supports the sleep position and helps moving during sleep to prevent adverse sleeping positions | $100 |
| Mattress Cooling System | Protects the body from overheating at night and keeping it at basal temperature | $1000 |