Do Blackout Curtains Help With Sleep?
Do you feel like there is too much light in your bedroom at night or in the morning? Too much light in your bedroom could be severely interfering with your sleep. Here’s how blackout curtains can help.
Why does light affect your sleep?
Light is one of the key signals for your circadian rhythm. Your circadian rhythm is essentially your master ‘body clock’ that takes its cues from your general sleeping patterns, light exposure and temperature. This body clock starts facilitating the release of the sleep hormone melatonin about 2 hours before ‘bedtime’.
So, reducing your exposure to light at night time may help signal to your body that it’s time for bed and help you achieve a deeper sleep. This means you should be avoiding exposure to sunlight, reducing your screen time, and dimming the lights or lamps in your bedroom. Unless you live deeply rural, you will also need to find ways to reduce light from cars, streetlights and other homes entering your bedroom. That’s where blackout curtains come in.
What are blackout curtains?
Blackout curtain or lining fabric is made from dense, tightly woven materials that do not allow light through. Because the material is dense, blackout fabrics also have great insulation and noise-cancelling properties.
How blackout curtains help you get a better night’s sleep
When installed correctly, blackout curtains (or blackout curtain lining) almost completely stop external light entering your bedroom, and so contribute to an environment that allows a deeper sleep. They need to full cover the window frame for the blackout effect to work properly, so light doesn’t come through the sides. Blackout fabrics will also help reduce your energy bill and make it easier for you to control the temperature in your bedroom – another crucial factor for your circadian rhythm.
Blackout curtains will drastically improve sleep for night shift workers
If your job or lifestyle mean you need to get your rest during daylight hours, blackout curtains are a fantastic way to reduce light exposure and ‘trick’ your circadian rhythm into producing melatonin.
If you would like to add a blackout lining to your current curtains or book your curtains or blinds in for a maintenance clean, contact the team at Curtain Clean on 0800 579 0501.
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
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4.9% Second half of November
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44.6% 1st December
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17% A week before Christmas
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32.3% Whenever you wish
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.
Do you love the Hamilton Gardens?
Do you love the Hamilton Gardens and want to get involved in fun activities there and/or help make them even better?
The Friends of Hamilton Gardens are the heart and soul, and the hands-on realisation, of the community's support for this incredible place. They play a pivotal role fostering awareness and engagement, activating spaces, and securing funding for ongoing developments.
Each year the Friends host a range of events in the Gardens, including Matariki celebrations, a Scarecrow Festival, the Mansfield Garden Party, a Medieval Fair, plant sales, guest lectures and social gatherings.
Their fundraising efforts have supported most of the current Gardens, plus now the upcoming Medieval, Baroque and Pasifika Gardens, and they've backed school education kits and the publication of Peter Sergel’s book The Time Traveller’s Guide to Hamilton Gardens.
You can find out more and join the Friends of the Hamilton Gardens at the link below.
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