Taking the step forward in a relationship and moving in together can seem daunting!  Many couples put this off until after marriage, while others move in within the first six months of being together.  That pressure should be enough- but many couples are moving in together during the quarantine, so they don’t have to be apart.  If you want to make sure your relationship flourishes, your bedroom must be a safe and comfortable space for the two of you to share.

Here’s how to make your bedroom feel like the best place in your home.

Paint

If you’re moving into your partner’s apartment, and they have lived there for years, it can be hard to push away the feeling that you’re in their home instead of your home.  It is your home, though, and the goal is that you eventually really feel that way.

One of the best ways to make a space feel new to everyone involved is to paint the walls.  Paint makes surfaces feel clean and fresh, and by working together to pick the color, you can make a space for both of you.

If you rent and aren’t allowed to paint, consider temporary wallpaper.  This option is cheap, removable, and if you aren’t happy with the color or pattern, you can pick a different one!

Make A Clear Communication Zone

Talking out your problems instead of bottling them up is an essential part of any relationship.  Together, designate a space in your home where you can sit down and talk out any frustrations.  Quarantine is hard on our minds.  It’s easy to get frustrated, angry, or depressed to the point where any little thing can set us off.

If you need to, set up your room, or bed, as a place that you both agree to be civil and talk things out.  If you stop explaining your worries and communicating, it can seriously harm your relationship.

Clean Out and Declutter

Before you move into the same home, both of you should declutter and purge any belongings you don’t need or want.  Whether you have to Marie Kondo or find it better to get rid of things en masse, take the time you need.  Save what’s important to you, sell or donate the items that aren’t, and throw away anything that isn’t salvageable.

Clutter puts strains on relationships and can cause an imbalance in the use of space.  After you’ve discarded things you don’t need anymore, there will be more room for you to collect new belongings and memories together.

Be Flexible

Living together is the best way to get to know someone else.  Unfortunately, not everything we learn about our partners is something that we love.

Work with your partner to find solutions to any problems that come up.  Do you need a pitch-black room to sleep, but your partner can’t fall asleep without playing mobile games until it knocks them out?  Consider wearing an eye mask, or finding another way to help them sleep.  Your relationship deserves a fighting chance, so put in the work it needs.

Combine Things

Both of you led a life of your own before you started dating, and in that time, you have gathered things that you love.  Don’t let one person’s possessions overpower your bedroom, give yourself the chance to share and get to know each other’s tastes.  If both of you have your bed frame, pick which one goes best with your space, if you both have a dining room table, choose which suits your needs.  This step forward may take some compromise and work, but it’ll be worth it when your whole home is a delightful mix of both of your belongings.

New Mattress

Nobody wants to have to think about what past partners have slept on your mattress before them.  Take this chance to pick out a mattress made with natural materials together.  This step will make sure you’ll both be happy with your new bed.

Now would also be a great time to buy new sheets for the two of you to share, make your bed the comfortable oasis where you deserve to begin and end your days.

Decorate and Accessorize Together

Use your creativity and combine your stylistic tastes!  Put together a bedroom that you both will love to live in, even if you have to make trade-offs.  If you have cross-stitch art you really want on your walls, and your significant other has side tables they love, work together and make them work.

You can shop as a team, online or in-person in a mask, and pick out options for your bedroom that are brand new.  Split the cost of the decorations, and put together anything that needs building, as a team!  The two of you can personalize your room and decorate it as thoroughly as you’d like, as long as you both want the decor how it is.

Try not to let one person’s tastes overpower the entire room, be fair and open to change.

Moving in together may be a massive step for your relationship, but you can break it up into many tiny steps so that neither of you gets overwhelmed.  Your room is a symbol of the lives you’ll be sharing, so take the time to do it as well as you can and get started on the right foot.

Get any possible sleep disorder diagnosed

Unfortunately, if you’ve improved your sleep environment and have been applying positive personal habits and you’re still not seeing results, it could be a sign of a sleep disorder.

A sleep disorder is anything that disrupts your sleep patterns. Some of the most common sleep disorders are sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, bruxism, and a variety of parasomnias.

If you believe that your lack of nightly sleep is due to a sleep disorder, it may be time for you to schedule a sleep study to help diagnose your disorder and show you the best treatment options available to you.

At The Alaska Sleep Clinic, we specialize in diagnosing and treating a myriad of sleep disorders. So if you’re serious about making sleep your priority this year, contact us @ 907-770-9104.

Download Self Referral Form