Transform Your Bedroom for a Great Night’s Sleep

Do you struggle to some catch shut-eye? Beyond counting sheep or working your way through “War and Peace,” here are some things you can try to encourage zzzz’s.

1. Skip the bold wall colors
Soft, muted colors on the walls and floors help create a relaxing environment in your bedroom. Keep the bold carpets and wild walls for the rest of your home.

2. Design for sleep
Condition your mind to relax in your bedroom by making it a single-purpose area. That means moving the desk, lounge chair, or even treadmill out of the room. Trying to read in bed can send mixed signals to your brain as well.

3. Embrace the darkness
Does outside light invade your sleep sanctuary? Black-out curtains can keep your bedroom pitch black, which helps cue your body that it’s time to sleep.

4. Banish screens
Keep distractions to a minimum by leaving phones, tablets and laptops outside your bedroom. And if you truly can’t think of dozing off without a nightly dose of Jimmy Kimmel, keep your TV in a place where it can be hidden when you turn it off, like in an armoire with doors.

5. Install dimmers
Dimming your bedroom lights about an hour before you hit the hay helps lure your brain into sleep mode.

Article originally appeared on RE/MAX.