In which direction should we sleep?

You’ve rethought your bedroom decor, invested in a springy mattress, bought a stylish bed and even chosen some air-purifying houseplants… but you’re still not sleeping well! There’s nothing worse than lying awake at night when you know you should be blissfully snoozing – especially when you’ve already taken steps to improve your sleeping environment. However, did you know that changing your sleeping direction could make the difference between a poor night’s sleep and a good one?

Here, we’ve taken inspiration from the ancient Chinese art of feng shui and the Indian practice of vastu shastra to explain how switching up your sleeping direction could improve the quality of your sleep.

What is feng shui?

The art of feng shui was developed over 3,000 years ago in ancient China. It follows the principles of arranging furniture and objects in your home to create a space that’s balanced, harmonious and at-one with nature. According to feng shui, changing the orientation of the furniture in your home can help with the flow of positive energy (referred to as ‘chi’) and bring health and prosperity to your life!

In terms of sleeping direction, the art of feng shui suggests that your bed should be placed in a position called the ‘commanding position.’ This means that when you’re sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard, you should be able to see the bedroom door, without being directly in-line with it. This position is supposed to make you feel more stable, balanced and secure – all good things for a sound night’s sleep.

What is Vastu Shastra?

Slightly different to feng shui, Vastu Shastra is a traditional Indian system of architecture based on the principles of Hinduism – it literally translates to the ‘science of architecture’. Practitioners of Vastu Shastra see buildings as living organisms that should be built in harmony with the energy of the universe.

Followers of the practice also believe that the human body has poles, similar to the north and south poles of the Earth. Because of this, the art of Vastu Shastra suggests that your sleeping direction should be in line with the magnetic pull of the Earth in order to maximise positive energy and good sleeping patterns.

Does your sleeping direction really matter?

In a word, yes! According to the ancient practices of feng shui and Vastu Shastra, changing the direction of your head while sleeping can have a huge impact on the quality of your sleep and the flow of positive energy in your home and life. And who doesn't want that?

As we spend roughly a third of our time in the land of nod, ensuring we’re sleeping in the correct direction is an important consideration. Changing the position of your bed in order to adjust your sleeping direction will not only make your bedroom feel fresher and more inviting, but it can also be conducive to a top-quality night of deep sleep, which will ensure that you wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

Which is the best direction to sleep in?

Looking to sleep soundly through the night? Allow us to walk you through the best sleeping directions according to the ancient practice of Vastu Shastra.

Sleeping facing north

If you live in the northern hemisphere and are a follower of vastu shastra, sleeping with your head facing north is a big no-no! As Vastu practitioners believe our bodies are magnetic, sleeping with our heads facing towards the positively charged north pole has the effect of two magnets repelling each other. They believe that this ultra-negative energy creates tension which can cause a restless night’s sleep, headaches, high blood pressure and other health problems.

Sleeping facing south

Does your headboard face south? Then, according to Vastu Shastra, you’re in for a blissful night of sound snoozing! Vastu practitioners believe that sleeping with your head facing south, and your feet facing north, is a particularly favourable sleeping direction. This means that the energy within your body is perfectly aligned with that of the Earth.

Even outside of Vastu Shastra beliefs, many scientists have proclaimed sleeping with your head toward the south and feet toward the north as the best direction for sleep. They suggest facing south promotes better quality sleep as it lowers blood pressure and induces longer sleep overall as you are in line with the Earth’s electromagnetic field.

Sleeping facing east

According to the art of Vastu Shastra, sleeping facing east is another top-quality sleep direction. Vastu devotees say that east is the direction of the rising sun, therefore dozing with your head facing east is good for meditation and other spiritual activities! They also say that sleeping east is excellent for those who fancy boosting their memory and concentration levels as you harness the power of the sun.

Sleeping facing west

Got your eye on a promotion at work, or fancy a career in the limelight? Vastu Shastra practitioners say that those who sleep facing west are often ambitious and driven – but that sleeping in this direction is not always conducive to a restful and sound night’s sleep. If your headboard is currently pointing west, it might be worth trying a southerly or easterly direction. In fact, this mantra goes as far to suggest that to sleep facing west can increase bad dreams and nightmares. 

Which direction should your head face when sleeping?

While we’d love to dig a little deeper into this, the fact is you can’t control what way you face throughout the night like you can with your whole body – you’re asleep! Instead, we’d recommend investing in a top quality pillow to support your neck and spine to ensure your body remains in natural alignment for a restful sleep.

Our Elite Gel Memory Pillow is well worth your investment. With cooling technology at its core, the pad below the head provides immediate cooling while the gel beaded memory foam works to further keep your head cool throughout the night. The Elite pillow also features 3D mesh fabric to enhance airflow and state of the art memory foam to ensure your head, neck, shoulders and spine maintain their correct position throughout the night.

How else can you prepare your bedroom for sleep?

Other than sleeping direction, there are many ways according to the principles of Eastern medicine, all of which centre around the promotion of good energy.

Position your bed correctly for good chi

The teachings of feng shui suggest sleepers should always position their beds against a wall for good good chi (positive energy). However, there are some stipulations as to which wall and why! Ideally, your bed should be placed against the wall opposite the doorway of your room, but not directly opposite the door. It should also not be positioned beneath a window. As previously mentioned, being able to see your doorway from your bed places you in a “command position”, leaving you feeling secure, empowered and in control before getting ready to sleep.

Remove electronics from the bedroom

Both feng shui and Vastu Shastra practitioners preach against the negative connotations and effects of electromagnetic fields. By this line of thought then, it’s argued that electronics should be kept out of the bedroom for better chi. In fact, even in Western thought circles, removing electronics from our sleeping spaces is considered healthy sleep hygiene to encourage better rest free from distraction and blue light.

Keep your space clutter freef

Nothing messes with your chi quite like clutter, so be sure to tidy away odds and sods in your bedroom to allow more positive energy to fill your space. Invest in a stylish chest of drawers to store away your clothes or a sturdy bedside table to hide your personal items away. 

If you really want to level up your storage game and get your chi flowing however, look no further than one of our stunning ottoman storage beds. Not only are these bed frames practical with their discreet under-bed storage, but they also look incredible and come in a range of coloured fabric options, as well in natural oak and contemporary high gloss designs. Take a look at our complete selection of ottoman beds or learn more about these fabulous storage bed frames in our comprehensive Ottoman Beds Guide.

Our Savoy Grey Upholstered Ottoman Storage Bed is sure to tidy up your space and have you snoozing away in no time.

Switch up your sleep direction with a new headboard

Now you’ve rearranged your bedroom and decided on the perfect position for your bed, why not add a beautiful headboard for the ultimate restful night’s sleep?