I’ve Just Separated from My Spouse and Can’t Sleep at Night. What Should I Do?
Q: Since I’ve been separated, I’m depressed, and I’ve had trouble sleeping.My bed is right in front of the door and a friend told me I should move it.How can that help?
A: Although problems with getting recuperative rest are common during times of stress, the positioning of the bed can influence sleep positively or negatively even if life is going smoothly. While asleep, we are already at our most vulnerable, simply because we are not conscious of things going on around us.
Since it is not uncommon to feel emotionally exposed and at-risk when considering divorce, our sense of vulnerability becomes more intense.It may be the first time in decades that we have lived alone and we tend to be more acutely aware of this in the evenings and when sleeping alone.
It usually doesn’t occur to people that the position of the bed could add yet another layer of tension. However, if the bed is directly in line with the door (so that a person walking straight through the door would run into the bed) we feel more at-risk subconsciously, even if we know rationally that we are in a safe place. So what to do? Your friend was right move your bed if at all possible.
Yes, we want to be able to see the door, but that doesn’t mean we have to sleep in front of it.The ideal bed location would allow for the largest view of the room and a view of the door. That way you have both privacy and security.And while you’re at it, think about removing things like the television, computer, clutter and work-out equipment too! We tend to sleep better when we leave our work, our to-do list and the nightly news out of the bedroom.
