Getting a better night’s sleep sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it? With today’s “rise and grind” mentality, sleep gets squeezed between late nights with Netflix and early mornings at the gym, but the health benefits to a better night’s sleep might just get you under the covers earlier tonight. A better night’s sleep can:

• Improve your memory
• Extend your life expectancy
• Lower your stress levels
• Improve your concentration (meaning your performance at work and school improves, and you become less likely to get in an accident as a driver)
• Reduce symptoms of depression

A good night’s sleep can drastically change your quality of life and it all starts in your bedroom. A comfortable bed, a relaxing environment, and the right bedroom care will have you dozing off peacefully in no time. Here’s what you need to know about your bedroom.

Dark and Quiet

Keeping your bedroom dark and quiet at night is a great first step toward improving your night’s sleep. A calm, comfortable environment will give you an undisturbed night of rest. Blackout shades will keep out that early morning sun and streetlights, but they also mean that during the day, you have to choose between very dark and very bright. You can also use privacy film decals that you can roll onto your windows to dim the light entering your bedroom.

Ban Electronics

Using your smartphone as an alarm clock? It’s time to get an old-fashioned wake up call, because keeping electronics in your bedroom exposes you to the light they emit. Whether it’s just the ongoing light emitted by your phone’s clock or light activity from your notifications, light exposure “lights up” your brain, too. Keep your smartphones, laptops, and any other electronics that can emit light outside your bedroom.

Quality Linens

Comfy linens are key to dozing off quickly at night. There are three materials you should look for when you’re buying linens:

Linen – Lending its name to your sheets and other household fabrics, linen is a fabric made from flax plants. They’re cool sheets for the warm weather and 100 percent linen sheets are easy to wash and care for.

Cotton – Organic cotton is an environmentally friendly linen option that’s also incredibly comfortable. More on cotton choices later on, but keep in mind that you always want 100 percent cotton.

Bamboo – If you always wind up feeling hot, bamboo sheets can help. They feel cool and smooth, made from bamboo pulp.

Choose Your Duvet

When it comes to choosing a duvet you’ve probably heard a lot about thread count. Thread count refers to how many threads there are per square inch in your duvet and higher thread counts are supposed to mean higher quality, more comfortable duvets. However, some companies have started inflating thread counts by using multiple fibers in the same thread. Generally, look for a thread count between 200 and 400, but a far more important indicator of comfort is the material. Not only do you want 100 percent cotton, Egyptian, Pima, and Supima cotton are better quality fibers. Egyptian cotton is the highest quality cotton in the world, followed closely by Pima, which is grown in the United States and a few other places, and sometimes sold as Supima.

With these tips in mind, you should be in for a great night’s sleep.