- Organize your sleep products for a better night's sleep.bed room image by Stephen Orsillo from Fotolia.com
Whether you're just settling in for an evening of reading in bed or tossing and turning from not being able to sleep, you're probably surrounded by sleep products ranging from medication to bed accessories. Creating a sense of organization of all of your sleep paraphernalia may help put your mind at ease and add more comfort to your eight (or four, 10, 15) hours of sleep per night. With just a couple of aids from around the house or a quick trip to the hardware store, you can organize your sleep products for a better night's sleep. - If your closets are a jumble of flat and fitted sheets, pillowcases and shams, control the clutter with a simple organization idea. After you've washed a set of sheets you won't be using for a while, prepare the bedding for folding in a wide, open space, such as your living room floor. Separate one pillowcase or sham from the pile, then lay out the flat sheet, fitted sheet and pillow accessories on top of each other. Once everything is flat and smoothed out, fold the set together in on itself, forming a small pile. Squeeze any air or lumps out of the bedding, then slip the entire pile into the pillowcase. This will keep all items in the set together and controlled instead of having edges flopped down over your closet shelves or getting tangled together with parts of other sets. You'll be able to easily grab a set in its pillowcase sack and get on with making the bed.
- With a few quick supplies from around the house, you can go from shoebox to sleepbox in a couple of minutes. After airing out an unused shoebox (the larger, the better), remove the lid and cover the box's outside and inside with glue and wrapping paper that matches your bedroom decor or has a night theme, such as stars and moons. While the wrap is drying, cut the shoebox's lid to make pieces that will bisect the inside of the box, forming compartments. Cover these pieces with the same wrap and after drying, press them firmly into the box, leaving a larger compartment on one end. The box may be filled with bedtime related products, including your current novel, remote controls, sleeping pills, a bottle of water, flashlight and a sleeping mask.
- If you struggle with falling or staying asleep, you may rely on a sleep aid to get you through the night. Whether prescription or over the counter, sleep aids come in pill bottles, boxes and canisters, which may collect around your bedside table. In just minutes, you can create an organization system for your medicine, where you'll have it within reach without the need to turn on a light. All you need are a few plastic containers you won't be using again (one for each medicine and one for each person who sleeps in the room), glow tape (available at hardware stores and theater supply companies) and markers. Each plastic container gets the glow tape treatment--strips of glow tape are wound around the entire sides and bottom of the container. Label each side of the container with the name of the medicine, such as "Advil PM" and, optionally, the name of the person the medicine belongs to. This labeling will glow in the darkness so you'll be able to just reach over, sort through the containers and select the correct one, even if you're drowsy in the dark.
