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Bedroom Design
Making the bed can be a bone of contention between you and your children or your significant other. Whether you choose to make your bed perfectly every day or couldn’t care less what your sheets look like, the choice is entirely up to you. However, making your bed can have some great benefits that you may have never considered. So, it may be time to stop making excuses and get fluffing those pillows instead!
3 Min Read | By Gemma Curtis
Last Modified 27 September 2024 First Added 6 November 2017
We’ve all heard this saying, but it really does make a difference. No one is expecting you to have a bedroom that looks like a luxury hotel (unless you want it to, of course). The simple acts of straightening out your duvet and tidying your pillows qualifies as making your bed.
Former Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, Admiral Bill McRaven understands and discusses the importance of making your bed in his book, Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life & Maybe the World. Speaking at the University of Texas, Adm. McRaven said:
If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another… Making your bed will reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter, and if by chance you have a miserable day you will come home to a bed that is made.
If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another…
Making your bed will reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter, and if by chance you have a miserable day you will come home to a bed that is made.
So, don’t take for granted the act of bed making. Even the smallest accomplishments are still worth noting!
Related: The Case For Ironing Your Bed Linens
You’ll notice an instant improvement in your bedroom’s appearance when your bed is made. Plus, having a tidy bed will only point out other places in your room that may be lacking finesse. This will spur you on to give the place a good clean and de-clutter if it’s needed.
You probably spend a lot of money on your bedding, duvets, pillows and accessories. Leaving it in a big heap on the bed isn’t doing it any favours. Good Housekeeping’s cleaning lab director, Carolyn Forte says that making your bed keeps your bedding looking newer for longer. Fluffing your pillows and cushions plus straightening out duvets and sheets reduces wrinkles and helps them keep their shape.
A tidy bedroom also affects your mood as it’s a calming and inviting environment. In fact, participants in a National Sleep Foundation poll said they got a good night’s sleep most nights when they made their bed every day.
Furthermore, Health Central says that ‘messy rooms can negatively impact sleep. Clutter and disorder can make falling asleep harder, and it can lead to disturbed or interrupted sleep, as well as daytime sleepiness.’
Need inspiration for how to make your bed? Take a look at this infographic: 7 Simple Ways To Dress A Bed
There are few better feelings in this world than climbing into crisp, clean sheets after a long day at work. But the magic is somewhat lost when you have to wrestle with a ball of duvet trying to find which way is up.
Making your bed in the morning eliminates any chance of this evening struggle and gives you something to look forward to when bedtime comes around. Esquire’s Jolie Kerr says ‘Getting into a well-made bed feels really good. Bearing that in mind can also help you to make the mental switch from viewing making the bed as a chore to thinking of it as a gift you give to yourself.’
Changing your view of bed making will not only improve your mornings but will give you something to look forward to at night, too.
Why not give it a try? Start making your bed every day (if you don’t already.) Check out the video on how to make a bed perfectly below:
See all articles by Gemma Curtis
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