Your bedroom should be a calm and peaceful place where you can escape from the daily bustle and pressure of the outside world. But all too often those daily stresses seem to worm their way into the very places that are supposed to be relaxing. Such intrusions can contribute to insomnia, a health issue that, in turn, may lead to other difficulties. Fortunately, with just a few easy changes, you can remove those unwanted distractions from your bedroom, creating a better sleep environment. To combat those late-night problems, remake your bedroom into a safe, peaceful place to relax and sleep. Start with these 10 easy steps:

1. Get that TV out of your bedroom. Move the television out of your bedroom and into a more appropriate place, such as an entertainment center in the family room or living room. Watching TV in bed can inhibit a good night’s sleep.

2. The next thing to do is to move your computer. As with the television, it’s time to find a new home for your computer in a home office or at least in a corner in your family room or den. By doing this, you are removing all the stress and worry of your work from the very place where you should be relaxing and sleeping.

3. Choose appropriate colors for your bedroom. According to color theory, different hues affect people differently. Colors that are cool—those from the left side of the color wheel—are thought to bring a sense of calm. Choose one of these cool colors for your bedroom. Avoid any bright or loud colors that will excite rather than soothe you.

4. It’s important to eliminate any excess noise. Remove noisy electronics such as televisions and stereos from any adjacent rooms. Most modern homes aren’t built with soundproof walls, and the resulting noise that can penetrate your room can keep you up at night.

5. Also important is to block any light coming into the bedroom. You should easily be able to find some window treatments that will block the light. Even when there’s no sun, plenty of light from the outside can find its way into the bedroom, disturbing your sleep patterns. Keeping your bedroom as dark as possible is particularly important for those of you whose work schedules necessitate sleeping during the day.

6. Add a little light to the room. If a little light helps you to sleep more comfortably, then add a couple of nightlights or a dimmer switch to the room, rather than sleeping with a lamp on all the time.

7. Have you checked your pipes? Loud pipes tend to wake everyone in the house when someone makes a late-night trip to the bathroom. Find the cause of any clanging and banging, especially in any bathrooms next to a bedroom.

8. Be sure to seal your windows and doors. Keep drafts and annoying rattles out of the bedroom by making sure all your doors and windows are solid and secure.

9. Clean the air in your bedroom. Place an air purifier or humidifier in your room to keep the air quality at its best. Allergens and excessively dry air in the bedroom will potentially disrupt your sleep, also making your wake-up experience extremely unpleasant. Many of these machines also produce white noise, which will conveniently drown out other distracting sounds.

10. Finally, it’s time to get organized. Organize your closets so that you have a place to put all your clothing and other personal items. A chaotic, messy room can be very stressful. Don’t try to fall asleep when everywhere you look you see shoes and clothes scattered all over the floor. You’ll find that you sleep much better when everything is in its place.

Leon Tuberman has almost 40 years of experience in the home furnishings and interior decorating industry. He operates a popular home furniture store and showroom in the San Fernando Valley. They specialize in Mission style and Arts & Crafts bedroom, living room, dining room furniture. His store offers a line of furniture that not only looks great, but is built using Old World craftsmanship. It doesn’t matter if your looking for oak file cabinets or a handmade solid oak dining room chair, they carry only the best in American made quality furniture at everyday affordable prices.