"Go clean your room!"

Photo by suzettesuzette

If I heard it once, I heard it one million times. "Go clean your room!"

My mother had a knack for knowing when I had hidden something under my bed or stuffed an armload in a dresser drawer. In the ultimate game of hide and seek, I'd hide my stash and she'd find it.

Every time.

But the older I get--and the more I love homemaking--I realize there was a method to her madness. Whether or not she realized it, a clean room is essential to good rest. And good rest, as we know from our doctors, improves our health and lessens our stress. Meaning a clean room is a healthy choice, right? Here are three things to avoid in your bedroom:

1. Clutter. It makes us feel crowded. And feeling crowded doesn't help when trying to sleep.

2. Televisions. Not only does the noise itself keep us awake, but the lights from the TV mess with our natural sleep patterns and can keep us tossing for hours.

3. Eating in bed. Unless it's Mother's Day, don't do it. Crumbs in the covers are not advantageous. (Unless, of course, you are an ant.)

Now. Go clean your room!