According to Feng Shui & Co, the direction of the compass promotes the quality of sleep. But which position is the right one & how effective is it?
In Eastern teachings such as Feng Shui, the position of the bed plays a major role – magnetic forces are said to influence the quality of sleep. But is that really true?
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That’s what science says
Studies on this topic are rare: in 1987 a scientist examined whether the orientation of the bed (north-south or east-west) noticeably affects sleep.
- And actually a difference was noticeable: In the east-west direction, the deep sleep phase lasted a few minutes longer.
- However, this hardly has any effect in everyday life – other factors such as the mood of the test subjects could also play a role.
A clear result looks different. According to the current state of research, you’d better try other things like keeping an environment as quiet as possible or the right mattress.
All of these things seem to have a greater impact on the quality of sleep than the orientation of the bed.
Note: If you are interested, you can find the study on the subject here .
Experiment with the direction you sleep
However, it certainly doesn’t hurt to change the position of your bed if the quality of your sleep is poor.
Even if a noticeable influence of magnetic fields seems unlikely, the right alignment can have other positive effects.
Some common tips are:
- Do not place your bed directly between the door and window to minimize draft. Many people react sensitively to this, especially in old age.
- One theory is that you should point your head away from the door when you sleep. This is the only way for a “threat” to get into the bedroom.
- It is best to choose the direction of sleep so that as little light as possible disturbs sleep. The darker the environment, the greater the release of sleep-inducing hormones.
Your personal needs matter more than studies
Regardless of any theories, you can tailor your bed to suit your personal needs:
- If you want to feel additional security, then position the bed as close as possible to a wall.
- If you feel constricted, make sure you have a free end of the bed so that you have “air to breathe”.
- With loud water pipes it is worthwhile to change the direction of sleep so that the noises are no longer disturbing.
Which of these points really improves your needs is up to you. If you are dissatisfied with the quality of your sleep, then it is best to try some of these tips.
Further help with aligning the bed
The following tips may not have anything to do with the quality of sleep itself, but they should not be forgotten when moving the bed:
- Avoid sharp edges (bedside cabinets, furniture, the bed itself). This not only disturbs when you get up, but can also affect the subconscious.
- The same goes for heavy picture frames, lamps, or other wall decorations. None of this should hang over you when you sleep because it looks threatening.
- Mirrors or pictures can change the atmosphere of a room – even to the negative. If you have trouble sleeping, you can try changing the decoration.
So you notice that the right direction of sleep is not an easy thing – even Feng Shui, advice on the Internet & scientific studies are not reliable help here.
So always pay attention to the signals from your body and try different sleeping directions and bed positions. This is the golden way to sleep better.
I created Sleep Knowledge to share my interests and experiences on healthy sleeping with others. On this page I am therefore dealing with interesting questions about the optimal night’s sleep & everything else that goes with it.
