Can choosing which direction to sleep really improve sleep quality? In this article we will see if sleeping with your head to the north – as suggested by a well-known oriental philosophy – can really facilitate falling asleep and improve the quality of rest.
When a hard day’s work ends, everyone’s desire is to go home early, eat a good meal, hurry up with the little evening chores and head straight under the covers to enjoy some well-deserved rest.
But while some manage to sleep as soon as their head touches the pillow, for others being able to fall asleep once in bed is truly an impossible feat.
So instead of sleeping they end up spending whole nights tossing and turning in bed, waiting for their mind to be free from thoughts and for Morpheus to lead them into the magical world of dreams. But alas, it seems that the God of dreams has forgotten about them.
Thus the nights pass, the insomnia increases, and with it the sense of frustration. Here then she really begins to try everything, including changing the position of the bed. North, south, east, west… one will work sooner or later!
In fact, however, those who decide to position the headboard to the north are not completely wrong, because according to Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese art that teaches how to organize the living space, sleeping with your head to the north facilitates falling asleep and improves the quality of sleep. As you already know, little sleep is not healthy.
Head north is important but so is home.
Feng Shui is an ancient oriental art that teaches how to furnish the house, so as to create harmonious environments, capable of transmitting serenity and a certain dose of positive energy.
Think about it, has it ever happened to you to enter a house or an office, perhaps of some friend or relative, and feel a negative or uncomfortable feeling? There are environments or furnishings that with their colors, or even with their atmosphere, are able to convey real emotions, both positive and negative.
Imagine that even in your home there is a corner of the house where you are most at ease, the one you choose to rest, read a good book in peace or simply spend time relaxing.
Here, it is precisely on the link that exists between the environment in which we live and our emotions that Feng Shui is based.
One of the fundamental principles on which this ancient oriental art is based is to create comfortable and harmonious environments, environments capable of recharging our inner energies and positively influencing our daily activities, life, work, travel …
According to Feng Shui, nothing is left to chance, not even the directions you choose to orient the furniture and the house. And certainly Feng Shui certainly could not forget a room as important as the bedroom, an environment in which we spend a large part of our time and not just for sleeping.
The bedroom is the place in the house where we share moments of intimacy with our partner, the room where we rest and take refuge when something out there in the outside world has not gone as we hoped. The bedroom is the most intimate room in the house, the one most corresponding to our ego.
The more the bedroom will be decorated as we like it and the objects we choose as furniture will be in harmony with each other, the more our well-being will grow.
Why orient the head of the bed to the north and what to avoid
Before choosing which direction to position the headboard, again according to Feng Shui, there are other things that should be paid attention to when furnishing the bedroom.
For example, according to this oriental philosophy, too bright colors should be avoided, because they predispose to energy and vitality instead of rest, just as it would be good to avoid hanging mirrors in the room, especially in front of the bed, because the mirrors, by stimulating the energies, they hinder relaxation.
Not to mention the ceiling beams, which absolutely must not cut the bed. So if someone has placed their bed under a beam or shelf, they would do well to remove it or shelter with a canopy. Same thing for the corner furniture. Round bedside tables or in any case with rounded corners are preferred.
Well now that we’ve seen what the colors and decor of the room should be like, it’s time to move on to the bed. According to Feng Shui, the bed should be made of wood, without metal parts and the sheets of pure cotton.
The head of the bed should then be oriented towards the north, especially if you suffer from insomnia or do heavy work from a physical point of view, because this direction favors the recovery of energy and deep relaxation.
Another favorable direction towards which to place the bed is to the East, especially for those who do creative work and have a lively mind, because the direction to the East brings a real breath of energy, perfect to use in the morning.
And who hasn’t positioned the keyboard of the bed to the north or east, what can they do to rest in a quiet way?
Imagine that after reading the article you have most likely been taken by the impulse to run to the room to check the direction of the bed, perhaps wondering if among the mobile phone apps there is one to set the compass.
Before proceeding to any movements, however, ask you to stop and reflect for a moment.
How many people there are in the world who can sleep very well even if unaware of the direction of their bed. Personally, a few who don’t even need a bed to sleep deeply! As soon as she rests her head on the sofa or on her armchair, she falls asleep immediately… lucky her! In fact, those who can sleep without problems have great luck and don’t know it.
This does not mean that those who have insomnia problems must give up. In most cases, just follow a few tips to rediscover the joy of sleeping. Advice that we will see together shortly.
What to do if the head of the bed is not facing north
Who knows if moving the headboard north can really help anyone with insomnia sleep. We must also consider that it is not possible for everyone to change the bedroom furniture to follow the indications of Feng Shui.
But this ancient oriental philosophy is right about one thing, the home environment can affect emotions.
Therefore, if you want to sleep peacefully, try to create a relaxing and comfortable environment, perhaps with the help of soft lights and some essential oils, such as lavender or sweet orange, known for their relaxing properties.
After a light dinner in the 2 hours before bedtime, try to avoid work, discussions, high-volume or activating TV programs (horror, war, etc.) and end your evening with a relaxing herbal tea of Melissa and Passionflower and perhaps with a soothing background music.
Then remember to remove the superfluous and everything that could distract you from sleep.
For example, it may be useful to avoid bringing objects such as PCs, tablets and PDAs into the bedroom. Much better to sleep with the company of a good book.
And if insomnia is a longtime friend, you can try to end the relationship with her by helping yourself with some natural remedies such as Valerian, Escolzia, Hops and Lime, contained in the best natural products to combat insomnia.