Chronic sleep deprivation is a major issue in the western world. Professor Matthew Walker, Director of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley, says sleep deprivation affects “every aspect of our biology” and is widespread in modern society. Luckily help is at hand, and we can improve the time and quality of our sleep through employing the ancient Chinese practice of feng shui.

Feng shui is about creating an intimate relationship with our living space. It allows us to understand and work with the invisible energetic chi flowing in constant motion throughout our homes, and gives us the tools to create environmental balance. If the energy of a space feels too hot, we need to cool it down. If it feels too sharp, we need to soften it up. And if we feel that the energy is moving too fast, we need to slow it down.

We want our bedroom to embrace us in an enveloping hug when we walk into it, and to be a space that nourishes and replenishes our body, mind, and spirit. Bedrooms symbolize our most vulnerable and intimate selves. An ideal bedroom is a sanctuary; a safe space to explore our intimate relationships and enjoy good-quality, restorative sleep.

To achieve this, we firstly need to tackle the clutter. Clutter drags us down and reduces our ability to sleep well, and clutter in our bedrooms – especially the stuff under our beds – can impact our health. We spend one third of our day in direct contact with where we sleep. During sleep we are deeply relaxed and therefore more susceptible to absorbing the heavy energies of our clutter.

Clutter is emotional. Ask yourself why you’re keeping something you don’t love, and choose to only keep belongings that make your heart sing, you use, or you absolutely need e.g. things you are required to own such as insurance documents. Pick up each item in your bedroom and ask yourself:

Do I love it?
Does it make me feel good?
Do I use it?
Do I need to keep it for a specific reason? 

Keep the area under your bed empty, or use it to store clean towels and bed linen. Work-related files are best kept out of the bedroom. If you absolutely have to work in the bedroom, buy a screen and use it to shield your work before bed. If the last thing you see before sleep is a pile of unfinished jobs and a long to-do list it will create unnecessary stress in your sleeping patterns and a tendency towards anxious dreams. It is best to take the same action with domestic-related work – often the bedroom becomes the designated ironing room and the unfinished laundry pile becomes the last scene before retiring.

Invite an honest friend over to help you clear out your wardrobe, and give away clothes that only look good on another version of you. Get rid of anything that doesn’t make you feel good when you put it on, or anything that doesn’t fit you now. The quickest way to lose weight is to fully accept yourself in the moment exactly as you are and wear clothes that reflect that. If you have clothes that need attention (such as shirts with missing buttons), put them to one side with a timescale: if they’re not fixed in three weeks, then they need to go.

Bonus video: Here are 3 tips from Davina about how to boost your health with Feng Shui!

Electrical equipment in the bedroom can cause mayhem with our sleep patterns. Items such as electric alarm clocks, electric blankets, radios, TVs, hairdryers, hair straighteners, cassette players etc. emit an electromagnetic frequency (EMF) which is out of alignment with our natural electromagnetic rhythms. Turning the item off is not enough as the current emitting the EMFs will still be present; you need to actually unplug the item from the wall or better still use it elsewhere in the house. Falling asleep to the TV or radio is another feng shui no-go. You go through a state of hypnotic trance when falling asleep. This phase is very conducive to being programmed, so if you have the TV or radio playing you are indiscriminately programming your unconscious mind with whatever you’re listening to!

If you must use your mobile phone as an alarm clock it is better placed on the floor rather than on a bedside cabinet next to your head where it’s radioactive signals will interfere with your brainwaves all night. It is preferable to use a battery alarm or old-fashioned wind up clock if you can.

If it’s safe to do so, keep your window open a little overnight and let the fresh air clear out the toxins your body releases during sleep. To encourage healthy sleep use natural fiber bedding - cotton, silk, linen, or hemp. Manmade fibres create static electricity, which can interfere with your natural sleep patterns.

Bedrooms are best sited towards the back of the house where it tends to be quieter and you’ll naturally sleep better. The position of your bed is one of the main factors that can affect your energy and quality of sleep. Ideally, your feet will not directly face the open door of the bedroom as this position causes a subtle drain of chi energy overnight and a sense of being “one foot out of the door” and therefore never fully at home and never fully rested. If you cannot change the positioning, you can create a solid barrier at the foot of the bed using a piece of furniture such as a chest of drawers or a footboard.

Avoid putting the bed behind the door, as you want to be able to see who is coming in. If you have your bed positioned with the head against a window you tend to feel a subtle sense of vulnerability due to the fragile nature of the glass behind you. If you cannot change the position ensure your bed has a good solid headboard. Headboards should be made of wood, leather, or natural fabrics for optimum support, and should be solid rather than slatted. Keep the area behind the bedroom door clear so it can open freely.

Your bedroom décor should ideally veer towards subtle and sensual rather than bold and brash, as sleep favors smooth patterns and a subdued color scheme. Mirrors activate and energize spaces, so for deep rest avoid sleeping where you can see yourself reflected in one.

Ask yourself who last slept in your bed? Was it a healthy relationship? Is it ongoing? Did it end painfully? The psychic residue of that person will be in the fabric of the bed itself. If your relationship healthy and ongoing – great, leave well alone. If it’s over but still haunting you, clear your bed to reclaim your sleep. It’s simple to do: treat yourself to some new bed linen at a minimum. If a lot of angst has taken place, for example you’ve been through a painful divorce and are still sleeping in the marital bed, seriously consider getting a new bed or at the very least a new mattress. If it is less serious than that, take a baseball bat or rolling pin and simply beat the old negative energies out of the mattress. Turn the mattress over and give everything a good shake. This can be therapeutic on many levels depending on the nature of your old relationship!

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