You can stop clutching your pearls. We don't mean those sorts of bedroom things. We mean the regular, prosaic household advice moms have been giving their children since time immemorial.

If your mom wasn't the advice-giving type, or she was, and you weren't listening, or if you didn't have a mom around to give advice of any kind, don't worry. We have put together a list of the top five pieces of sage advice your mom (likely) never gave you about your bedroom. 

What you do with this advice is up to you. 

Because unlike your mom, we won't be checking up on you.

Advice #1: Everything Collects Dust

Your mom may have encouraged you to dust your bedroom regularly. If so, she did well.

What she may not have told you is that everything in your room can collect dust — not just the flat, hard surfaces. While it's crucial to routinely run a cloth over your dresser, bedside table, TV, and other pieces of large furniture, you should also make time for the fans, baseboards, windowsills, and Venetian blinds. Fabrics and cloth items, such as throw pillows, plushies, and curtains, also collect dust and must be cleaned regularly. 

When it comes to dusting, the danger in overlooking certain items (or ignoring the chore completely) can be a serious one. Dust isn't just something that can make you sneeze. It can also make you sick.

And moms hate when we're sick.

Advice #2: Rest Is Best

During our childhood and young adult years, our bedrooms served more as rumpus rooms. We slept in them, yes, but we also played hard, hung out, studied, watched TV, and were sent there by Mom to cool off after getting in trouble. Whether we shared with a sibling or had complete privacy, our bedrooms were scenes of both rest and activity, peace and ruckus, sleep, and silliness. 

Now that we've grown up, however, things have changed. At least they should have.

Unless you live in a studio apartment, your bedroom should be set aside for one purpose: rest. If at all possible, train yourself to cook in the kitchen, hang out in the living room, exercise outside, and save your bedroom for sleep.

Something about turning in for the night, retiring to your room, softening the lights, and lying down in a comfortable space reserved just for that purpose helps develop the rhythms of rest. 

Advice #3: Silence Isn't Always Golden

Moms love telling kids to quiet down, reminding them that silence is golden. But that isn't always the case. Some people find complete silence eerie.

For those who have problems sleeping when it's too quiet, there are plenty of solutions. You might consider a noise machine, a small fan, a boring audiobook, or a timed relaxation app. You might even consider finding a partner who will sing you to sleep at night (although that seems a bit far-fetched).

The point is this: while mom may have encouraged you to "be quiet and go to sleep," it's okay to ignore the first half of that suggestion if need be.

If so, we'll keep it between us. Mom never needs to know.

Advice #4: Keep It Light

It's difficult to overstate the importance of capitalizing on natural light in homes — especially in bedrooms.

Natural light has multiple measurable health benefits. It increases our Vitamin D intake, wards off seasonal depression, and it even has an impact on the amount of sleep we enjoy at night.

Since mental health and sleep often go hand in hand, it's not surprising that natural light affects both.

A small [study] of office workers revealed that the more natural light exposure they received, the better sleep they experienced.

Since exposure to natural light affects our health, mental health, and sleep, we should organize our space to maximize our exposure.

Not every home or apartment is designed to allow for the same amount of natural light, but whatever space you find yourself in, do what you can not to hinder its free flow into your home. 

To that end, avoid blocking windows with bookcases or other large furniture items. Leave the curtains open, slit the blinds, and don't shut them until darkness would allow people to see into your home. 

Mom may not have found time to advise you on this, what with all the other bits of life advice she sent your way, but we're here to shed some light on this critical topic. (Pun fully intended.)

Advice #5: Mattresses Expire

Perhaps mom didn't get around to telling you that while some household furniture items can last forever, mattresses definitely cannot. 

According to Consumer Reports, even when cared for properly, most mattresses have a lifespan of about ten years.

You've probably logged more than 30,000 hours in your bed, and your mattress has likely  become less comfortable and less supportive. But there's no set formula for determining when you need to replace a mattress. 

Though there isn't a set formula, there are commonsense indicators that your mattress should be replaced. If you're waking up achy and uncomfortable, if you develop sudden allergy-like symptoms when you lie down, or if the mattress has developed noticeable sags and lumps, it's probably time for a new one.

Even without those noticeable problems, if your mattress is more than a decade old, or — as we've found is so often the case — you've had it so long you don't even know how old it is, it's probably time to think about making a change. 

We Can Help

Here at Nest Bedding, we've put together a fantastic team dedicated to helping you get the best night's sleep possible, every time.

If you have questions or comments about anything in this post, or if you would like to hear more about our premium mattresses, feel free to contact us at any time.

Better yet, stop by one of our showrooms. Our friendly-but-non-pushy staff would love to get to know you, hear your story, and recommend the best mattress to suit your particular needs.

We look forward to hearing from you.