Why it’s important to make your bed
Since US Naval Admiral William McRaven’s viral commencement speech, the relationship between making your bed every morning and good mental health has been fixed in the minds of the public. There are thousands of articles about how this small habit can lead to increased mental wellbeing. So popular was the idea that McRaven was offered a book deal to share his wisdom and practical advice to help readers overcome adversity and achieve greatness.
Start your day off right
The most quoted line from McRaven’s speech points out that making your bed as you rise allows you to accomplish something first thing in the morning. This, he says, “Will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another.”
Plenty of psychologists have supported this idea. The mental edge you get from the sense of achievement obtained from completing one small task is invaluable in helping you tackle increasingly difficult, successive tasks. Making your bed is a simple chore that you will always need to do in the morning – giving you the ability to guarantee your day starts off the right way.
There’s also a ritualistic aspect to it. Whether you choose to pull up the blankets and sheets and smooth out the top, or style your cot with scatter cushions and patterned throws, making your bed signals that the day has begun. Which helps you transition mentally from sleep to productivity.
Find peacefulness and productivity
Tucking the sheets is also linked to reducing stress, anxiety and depression. A 2009 study found a direct link between clutter and stress. Women who categorised their homes as being “cluttered” had higher levels of stress hormone in their bodies than those who described their homes as “restful” and “restorative”. Those with higher stress also reported feeling more depressed throughout the day.
A 2011 study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, used fMRI and other physiological measurements to track participants’ ability to focus and process information at work and home. Scientists found that clearing clutter from these environments resulted in better concentration and thinking abilities, while also increasing productivity.
Build healthy habits
As Pulitzer-prize winning author of The Power of Habit and How to Hack It, Charles Duhigg points out, certain “keystone” habits have the ability to trigger other positive behaviours. According to Duhigg, changing a step in a string of unhealthy habits can help to modify your mindset and lead you to building healthier patterns.
The adage “one good choice begets another” comes to mind here. When your bed is neat and tidy, you’ll probably be more inclined for the rest of the room to match it. Picking up one stray sock and placing it in the laundry hamper could lead to sorting through that pile of magazines that’s been growing next to the couch. Slowly but surely, these small individual decisions will create a string of healthy habits and better sleep.
Get it on
If a calmer, cleaner environment, less stress, greater productivity and healthier habits aren’t enough to motivate you to make your bed, results from a 2018 Sleepopolis survey might.
The sleep resource provider found that bed-makers have 50% more sex than their sheet scrunching counterparts and that 42% of bed makers indicated that they would find it a major turn-off if a potential partner left the sheets untucked. The poll also found that respondents who make their beds are more likely to exercise and choose a healthy diet, which means fitter, firmer bodies.
While bed making isn’t going to cure anxiety or depression, or magically declutter your garage, it can help you regain control and give you a sense of accomplishment to kickstart a good day. And even if your day doesn’t go according to plan, as Admiral McRaven pointed out, “You will come home to a bed that is made – that you made – and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.”
