Like diet and exercise, sleep plays a crucial role in good health and well-being. After all, sleep is when your body works to support healthy brain function and repair itself. Conversely, poor sleeping habits hurt your health, disrupting your ability to concentrate, think, and process information. It may even increase the risk of ailments like diabetes, heart attack, and stroke.
However, getting a good night’s sleep can be challenging—factors such as light, noise, and temperature may interfere with your ability to rest well.
This is where blackout curtains come in. Read on to learn more about them and how they help improve your sleep.
What Are Blackout Curtains?
Blackout curtains are fabric drapes made with thick, bulky material that are designed to block sunlight and artificial light from external sources. Unlike regular blinds and curtains, blackout curtains do not contain any gaps that light can infiltrate through. As such, they are ideal for individuals struggling with sleep issues like insomnia.
Increase Melatonin Production
Melatonin is a hormone the body produces in response to darkness. It helps regulate your circadian rhythm and sleep-wake cycle, which can influence several bodily functions such as digestion and hormone release.
However, exposure to light—including blue light emitted by your phones, tablets, and laptops—can inhibit melatonin production, disrupting sleep patterns.
Therefore, blackout curtains are beneficial. They can completely block out external light sources such as car headlights, streetlights, and early morning sunlight, creating a dark environment that boosts melatonin production, allowing you to fall more deeply into sleep.
Completely Blocks Out Light
The key function of blackout curtains is to block out light completely. As such, they are the ideal choice for individuals sensitive to light or live in busy or brightly-lit neighbourhoods.
They are also perfect for shift workers with irregular sleep schedules and young children who nap during the day. By drawing the blackout curtains, the room can mimic a dark nighttime environment during the day that is comfortable to sleep in.
Reduce External Noise
On top of blocking out light, blackout curtains have noise-reduction properties.
These curtains, which are made with thick, dense fabric, act as a sound barrier by absorbing and dampening noise. When your sleep is disrupted by construction, traffic, or noisy neighbours, you can simply draw the curtains for a quiet, peaceful sleep environment.
The combination of light-blocking and noise-reducing properties makes it easier for you to fall asleep so that you can wake up the next morning feeling more refreshed.
Regulate Temperature
Extreme temperatures often cause discomfort, making falling and staying asleep difficult.
Blackout curtains are excellent at regulating temperature to create a more comfortable environment: their thick fabric helps block out heat during hot afternoons and retains warmth during chilly nights. Hence, they can contribute to deeper and more restful sleep while lowering energy costs that would otherwise be spent on air conditioning.
Conclusion
Blackout curtains have numerous benefits and are immensely helpful in improving your sleep patterns. They help boost melatonin production, block out light and noise, and regulate temperature, thus supporting your physical health and well-being.
If you are interested in blackout curtains in Singapore, check us out at the Furnishing Shop. We also offer window blinds, including perforated and blackout roller blinds.