A lot goes on in the bedroom from day to day, but the main event is the good ole catching of Zs. While a lucky few can drift off easily, whether the bedroom is uber bright or a blackout, the rest of us need complete darkness to get a good night’s kip, ideally with dim lighting surrounding us beforehand, to wind down properly. 

So, how can you manipulate your bedroom lighting scheme, to keep stimulating lighting to a minimum, and soft, ambient lighting to the max? And, once your indoor lights are out, how can you keep outdoor light from seeping in, unwanted? Well, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide below that tells you exactly how to do it. 

Adapt Your Bedroom Lighting Scheme 

When you’re not curled up and snoring, you may be taking on tasks that do require adequate lighting — make-up, hair, dressing, studying, knitting, etc., hence why overhead lighting is still a common feature of the bedroom. The benefit of ceiling lights is that they offer widespread illumination, which allows general tasks to get done, wherever in the room they may take place. However, because they’re overseeing multiple tasks, they’re often quite bright, or at least brighter than is ideal for evening lighting. If bright ceiling lighting is the sole source of lighting you rely on, for both activity and relaxation, your mind and body won’t be able to differentiate between the two states, keeping you buzzed at bedtime. 

Our suggestion would be to cut out the ceiling lights during periods of relaxation, and stick to other sources instead — floor lamps, wall lights and bedside table lamps, to be specific. The latter two, or even just the bedside lamp, will be sufficient enough if you’re reading or doing a crossword, but floor lamps may provide a little more support if you’re doing something more taxing. These are all great sources of ambient lighting, providing they’re powered by the correct kind of bulbs (avoid the dazzlers!), and they offer the support your eyes will need for reading — no more, no less. 

If you do wish to keep your ceiling light on, or if it’s the only light source your bedroom can accommodate, you could consider adding a dimmer switch, or choosing a diffused ceiling pendant or shade, to limit the glare. 

Think About Your Bedside Table Lights 

As we’ve already stressed, bright light is the enemy when it comes to sleep. And it’s not just the bright light from above, it’s a bright light from anywhere and everywhere, including your bedside table. Phones, alarm clocks, your phone as your alarm clocks, all of these devices you keep at arms-length emit blue light, which messes with your body’s rhythms and throws the getting-ready-to-sleep process off course. To avoid this, it’d be best not to look at your phone a few hours before sleep, or to keep the screen as dim as possible. Failing that, you should banish your phone from the bedroom altogether, go old school and invest in an analogue alarm clock so you still wake up in time for work. 

In terms of lighting fixtures, make sure that those on your bedside table are covered by lamp shades. Lampshades should be equal to your eye level when sitting up in bed. 

For some bedside light inspiration, take a look at our collection of table lamps. You’ll notice that a fair few of these fixtures have exposed bulbs, but we use dimmed, LED bulbs, which are kinder on the eyes. If you do want that extra protection, our elegant white soft fabric table lamp is a great choice. 

Consider Wall Lighting 

Wall lights are another feature you could bring into the mix. They offer added ambience, a pleasing aesthetic, and some supporting background lights if the lighting from your bedside lamp just doesn’t quite cut it. Take a look at our collection here for design inspiration. Wall lights also mean more space on your bedside table for a lovely pile of books!

Choose The Best Bulbs For Bedroom Lights 

As you begin to implement your updated bedroom lighting scheme, you’ll be wondering what type of bulb to use for each fixture. The bulb’s colour and intensity can dictate the quality of your sleep, so you need to be mindful when making these decisions. 

The suggested lumens for bedroom lighting ranges between 2,200 and 3,000 lumens, but it depends on the kind of ambience you’d like, and what you get up to before you sleep. Commit to some trial-and-error for a while before you establish the best fit here — it’ll be well worth it in the end. 

Limit Light From The Outdoors 

You may have nailed your post-sleep lighting setup, but this is a whole lot less useful if the room is then brightened by blaring lights from the outside, once you’ve switched your lights off. Maybe you find comfort in the glow of streetlights filtering through your blinds, but it’s more likely you find it annoying. You could invest in blackout blinds or shades for a sturdy barrier against external light, but this would eliminate the natural light you need access to in the morning, to reset your system and transition into wakefulness. 

To remedy this, you could either choose blinds that let in the morning sun and surrender to some nighttime brightness (you could wear an eye mask and/or buy some curtains!), or use smart controls to raise your blackout blinds before you wake up. 

Whatever your approach, it’s important to have control over the outside’s input of light into your bedroom, to product your body’s rhythms and facilitate a good night’s sleep. Combining this with an expert post-sleep bedroom lighting scheme, you’ll be sound asleep every night, counting sheep into the billions. 

Now you know how to master the perfect bedroom lighting scheme for a good night’s sleep, all you need is the lighting fixtures to do so. Take a look at houseof.com for inspiration. We have an extensive range of ceiling lights, wall lights, floor lamps and table lamps, the perfect additions to your modern bedrooms.