It is recommended to sleep with black drapes, especially people with sleeping habits.

Black curtains are an ideal choice because they can block most of the light from entering your bedroom.

They are great at tricking the mind into thinking it is night; it is, therefore, easier to sleep peacefully.

Blackout Curtains: Do They Help?

According to Forbes, too much light causes some people to have sleep difficulties. Light does not just distract you from sleeping; it alters the chemical processes in your body.

Darkness is essential in producing the hormone melatonin, which regulates your daily rhythm.

Blackout curtains minimize the health risks that people who work overnight face due to inconsistent sleeping habits.

Research by Oxford University links light at night to obesity in humans inferred from a trend of women who have light in their bedroom having a bigger waistline.

Therefore, Blackout curtains will protect you from health complications by creating the ultimate sleeping environment.

What Are Blackout Curtains?

Blackout curtains live up to their name blackout as they check light from passing through. Some blackout curtains block all the light from passing, while others allow some light to pass.

The choice of blackout curtains depends on the person’s preference of total light blockage or having some light passing.

Do Blackout Curtains Make the Room Hotter?

Most people find blackout curtains sleek and appealing but what’s little known is that they are pivotal in lowering room temperatures.

Summers have changed, lasting more extended periods and temperatures rising due to increased global warming.

In response, more efforts have been made to fabricate blackout curtains with a heat reflective material.

The material used to make these curtains blocks most of the heat and light it receives, scaling down the heat emission into the room.

Blackout curtains are made using several layers of fabric that serve to check light, noise, and heat.

The visible layer is designed to direct heat back to its source.

Also, it is designed to face outwards, and its reflective property is evident during the day as less heat is acquired through absorption.

As a result, heat emission is reduced, resulting in lower room temperatures.

Can You See through Blackout Curtains at Night?

Blackout curtains allow one to see through from the inside in the daytime as much as they can from the outside at night.

The curtains that block much light allow you to see absolutely nothing, while those that allow some light permits you to see vague images.

Blackout curtains are intended to block 99% of light. The thick woven material enables the blackout curtains to block out much light.

This property ensures that an observer from the outside cannot see through even under enough light inside the house.

Therefore, black curtains provide enough privacy, especially from stalkers.

Is Blackout Fabric Toxic?

The processes under which blackout fabrics are manufactured determine if they contain some toxins.

The industry has invented and adopted techniques aimed at producing non-toxic fabrics.

Nevertheless, some manufacturers still use chemicals containing volatile organic compounds, affecting some people when inhaled.

If you smell some chemicals on opening a pack of blackout curtains, you should refrain from using them immediately.

Blackout fabrics with a chemical smell are fabricated using these volatile organic compounds.

However, the fabrics contain low amounts of VOCs and are not detrimental to your health unless you are allergic to some types.

Their smell is not a concern as it usually fades gradually, though it might persist when the curtain is set up.

Alternatively, you can get rid of these chemicals by washing them immediately after purchasing them.

You should wash carefully and thoroughly to ensure that no chemicals are present anymore.

When shopping for blackout curtains, ensure you buy curtains manufactured using triple-weave technology.

Triple-weave technology does use organic compounds; therefore, the fabric is non-toxic and contains no chemical smell.

You should also check the description for any mention of volatile organic compounds before buying a curtain.

What Are Blackout Curtains Used for?

Blackout curtains are not just limited to barring light from penetrating into our house but rather have a wide range of uses and areas of application.

Bedrooms

They are used to keep out light and noise from our bedrooms. Practically, the light in our bedroom originates from outside, with daytime light primarily coming from the sun.

In residential areas with street lights, the rooms tend to receive a lot of light during the night.

Individuals with overnight shifts and children often have trouble sleeping in rooms with too much light—people experiencing summer with 24 hours of daytime use blackout curtains to distinguish between day and night.

Movie Home Theatres

They are also used in movie home theaters to provide the ideal lighting conditions, especially during the day.

Watching the TV during the day is far from entertaining if the TV is reflecting away natural light.

Blackout curtains cause total darkness in theatre rooms, creating ideal conditions for experiencing a top-notch viewing experience.

Some curtains go a step further, even blocking noise from entering the room.

Hospitals

Blackout curtains are used in the medical field to block light from entering the hospital wards. The curtains are also handy in offering some privacy to the patients.

Patients usually sleep during the day to get much sleep which is essential for faster recovery.

These drapes come in handy in creating convenient conditions for patients to have a sound sleep.

Photography

Blackout curtains have reduced the inconveniences that photographers had to overcome in finding the perfect location for a dark photo-shoot.

Photographers turn any room into a darkroom using these curtains.

Nursery

Children are extremely sensitive to many things, and thus light greatly affect them. Blackout curtains can remedy the sleeping habits of children who sleep during the day.

The curtains also ensure that the room is quiet by reflecting away noise.

Cancellation of Noise

Blackout curtains have multiple layers of fabric. These layers lower the noise emerging from the outside, giving you a serene environment.

You may require other noise cancellation techniques in a noisy environment because they filter out around 40% of noise.

Preserving Furniture

Black curtains filter out light responsible for the wearing out and premature aging of furniture and floors.

Consequently, they end up saving you a lot of money that you would have otherwise spent on new furniture.

Are there any downsides to blackout curtains?

Blackout curtains are only efficient in filtering out exterior light, and it is your task to ensure no light comes from inside.

A good quality blackout curtain would be useless if you actively use your phone or laptop at night before retiring to sleep.

It would be ideal to use a dull, energy-saving lamp at night and abstain from using electronics at night.

Blackout curtains permit low light intensity in the morning. During the morning, some natural light in the bedroom would do our bodies a huge favor.

Furthermore, research has shown that individuals who received natural morning light had a balanced circadian rhythm.

The cozy atmosphere created by these curtains might tempt you to sleep for long periods, even ignoring your alarms.

On that account, the first thing you should do when you wake up in the morning is to draw the curtain.

On the other hand, you can purchase an alarm clock that rings and has a light that resembles the sun. Both of these techniques help your body to transit and adjust to daytime.

What Are the Advantages of Having a Dark Bedroom?

Some of the advantages of having a dark bedroom are listed below.

Provides Rest to Your Eyes

During the day, our eyes are constantly working without rest, and consequently, they need to rest at some time.

Sleeping in a dark bedroom would provide sufficient rest to your eyes and shield them from light.

There Are Less Chances of Falling Being Depressed

The relationship between a dark bedroom and depression levels might be strange.

To help us fathom this relationship, Ohio State University carried out research and linked light to cases of an irregular circadian rhythm.

People who have a disturbed circadian rhythm cannot distinguish day from night. As a consequence, a psychological imbalance develops and further leads to depression.

Therefore, a dark room reduces the chances of you falling into depression.

Dark Bedrooms Save You from Type 2 Diabetes

Research shows that people who sleep in rooms that are well lit have insulin resistance and are more likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes.

This is due to light opposing the production of the melatonin hormone.

Insulin resistance affects the cell’s response to hormones and, in turn, the removal of glucose from the bloodstream.

Sleeping in a Dark Bedroom Reduces Obesity Rates

Obesity is directly linked with bad sleeping habits.

Women who lack sufficient sleep can gain up to 55% of their body weight, while children are more affected, gaining 89 % of their weight.

Sleeping in a dark bedroom checks the body from gaining weight.

Sleeping in a Dark Bedroom Causes A Younger Appearance

As previously pointed out, a dark bedroom helps people obtain sufficient sleep. Your body regenerates at a faster rate when you receive enough sleep.

As a result, your body acquires a hormonal balance responsible for faster healing, which derails your body’s aging process.

A Dark Bedroom Is Pacifying

When sleeping, both your body and mind react to light, thereby making it hard to sleep.

A darker bedroom does not reflect light and the mind and body become less active.

What Factors To Consider When Buying Blackout Curtains

Below are some factors that should guide you when shopping for blackout curtains

The Type of the Material

The main thing you should consider when buying a blackout curtain is the quality of the fabric. The blackout fabric should be dense enough such that no light penetrates it.

Some of the densest fabrics are polyester fabrics. You should pick a fabric that meets your preference and has dense layers, and if in doubt, consult with your designer.

Maintenance

Before settling on your preferred blackout curtain, you should consider the maintenance accorded to the specific fabric.

Remember that blackout curtains vary, and thus the fabric directly impacts their maintenance. Dense fabrics are washed by dry cleaning instead of using a washing machine.

The Cost

High-quality blackout curtains tend to be expensive because of the process used to manufacture them.

You should therefore decide if you prioritize quality or budget. Mid-range priced curtains are a better option than cheap ones as they are more durable and made of high-quality material.

Final Thoughts

According to New York Times, enough sleep is required to help you protect your body from health complications such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and depression.

Enough sleep also protects our body from gaining excess weight, which leads to obesity. Deliberate steps such as buying and setting up blackout curtains are essential to protect yourself from these ailments.

Blackout curtains make it easier for people with irregular sleeping habits to sleep comfortably. Rooms with blackout curtains have cooler summers as most heat is reflected away.

When buying blackout curtains, it is crucial to prioritize quality over cost because expensive blackout curtains tend to be of higher quality.

Blackout curtains are worth having as you get to enjoy the maximum benefits brought by them.

Overly, you can get yourself blackout curtains today to enhance the quality of sleep, block unnecessary noise, and regulate your home’s temperatures.