Why you should never put your bed directly adjacent to the door – according to sleep experts

Creating the right sleep environment is crucial to getting a good night's rest, but experts have revealed that it involves more than monitoring your coffee intake. Your interior design choices may be stopping you from sleeping better. 

While finding the best mattress is a great place to begin, experts suggest that the placement of your bed may be significantly impacting your sleeping pattern. And the biggest mistake people make is positioning their bed directly adjacent to their door.

Why you should never position your bed directly opposite the door

'One factor to consider when deciding on the position of your bed, is where it is located in connection to the door,' says Alison Jones, Sleep Expert at leading mattress brand, Sealy.

According to Feng Shui, the optimum way to position a bed is using the principle of the 'commanding position', whereby the door is in sight of you when you are lying in bed, but you are not directly in line with, in front of, or adjacent to the door,' she explains. 

The practice of Feng Shui is based on the idea that energy flows through the doors and windows of a room; therefore, it is important that your bed sits off this path. This will promote a feeling of safety and security and promote a good night's sleep. 

A recent study* that surveyed the sleeping habits of 1000 Americans similarly reinforced Alison's teachings. Sharing her bedroom ideas, Sleep expert and writer Christine Lapp revealed that having your bed 'pushed up against a sidewall with the door parallel to the end of the furnishing' is the worst position for a good night's rest.  

'According to our respondents, if you want to stack the odds in your favor, the following steps are the overall key to great rest. Set your bed up in such a way that the TV is at your feet (or move the TV out of your bedroom completely), and have a window and door on either side of the bed, respectively,' she says. 

How else can your window affect your sleep?  

As Alison and Christine suggest, the position of your bed in relation to your door and window affects your sense of safety and security. However, the window's influence stretches beyond Feng Shui teaching. 

'Having your bed facing a window can hinder sleeping conditions, depending on how and when light enters the room,' Alison adds.

What if it's not possible to rearrange? 

Changing your main bedroom ideas to fulfill this teaching isn't always easy. However, Alison explains that you can still make smaller changes that will promote the same effect. 

'You can correct the bed position by using a mirror. Simply place a mirror so that when you're in bed, you can see the reflection of the door,' she says. And, if you can't avoid facing a window with direct sunlight, the expert suggests investing in blackout curtains that will block out light and heat in the mornings. 

These expert-approved bed ideas will improve your sleeping habits this 2022, and the change is simple. We're rearranging right away. 

*Survey conducted by Sleep Junkie