You might not have connected the dots between the piles of clothes you’re yet to put away and waking up at 3 a.m. However, a messy bedroom full of clutter can increase your nighttime anxiety, which is a common cause of unwelcome wakeups.
And I should know. For months, I’ve been waking up at 3 a.m. due to a combination of hormone fluctuations and debilitating nighttime anxiety. But until now, I hadn’t paused to consider how a house move and subsequent renovation had impacted my sleep.
However, with my bedroom currently looking more like a storage unit than a place of relaxation, I ask Dr. Joshua Roland, MD, FAASM, a board-certified sleep doctor, exactly how all that clutter could be stressing out my already-frazzled nervous system and what that means for my sleep.
Key takeaways
- Multiple studies have linked clutter with increased stress and anxiety
- Stress causes a higher base level of cortisol, which can lead to 3 a.m awakenings
- Sleep deprivation decreases motivation and makes tidying up even harder, cementing the negative cycle
- Starting by decluttering areas closest to your bed will gradually define your bedroom as a place for rest and improve sleep
How a messy bedroom affects sleep quality
As I’m midway through a house renovation, I’m currently stepping over unpacked boxes of belongings and piles of clothes yet to find a home before climbing into bed. And all that visual stimulation could be affecting my ability to both fall and stay asleep.
A messy or cluttered bedroom can subtly keep the brain in a more alert state instead of allowing it to relax
Dr. Joshua Roland, MD, FAASM, a board-certified sleep doctor
“A messy or cluttered bedroom can subtly keep the brain in a more alert state instead of allowing it to relax,” explains Dr. Roland, Medical Director at Dreem Health. “When the space around you feels visually busy or unfinished, your mind tends to keep processing it as something that needs attention, even if you’re not consciously thinking about it.”
By that rationale, even though I’m not actively thinking about the blind I still need to put up, the fact that I’m stepping over it to get into bed is a reminder of a pressing task at precisely the wrong time.
“That low-level mental stimulation can make it harder to wind down at night, fall asleep quickly, or stay asleep,” says the sleep expert. “Clutter can also make the bedroom feel less like a calm, restorative environment, which weakens the mental association between the bed and sleep.”
The link between bedroom clutter and nighttime anxiety
While I don’t think my floordrobe alone is waking me up at 3 a.m., it’s certainly adding to my nighttime anxiety — and that’s the root cause of my sleep disturbances.
“It’s reasonable to consider clutter as one contributing factor, especially for people who are already prone to stress or an overactive mind,” reflects Dr. Roland when I ask him if my cluttered bedroom could be contributing to my nighttime awakenings.
“A cluttered space can increase background anxiety because it signals unfinished tasks or a lack of control over the environment,” he explains. “That tension can carry into sleep and may lead to lighter sleep or nighttime awakenings.”
A cluttered space can increase background anxiety because it signals unfinished tasks or a lack of control over the environment
Dr. Joshua Roland, MD, FAASM, a board-certified sleep doctor
While clutter is rarely the sole reason someone wakes up at night, sensitive sleepers (like myself) might find that mess and disorganization can add to the mental arousal that disrupts sleep, says Dr. Roland.
That’s because levels of cortisol (the ‘stress’ hormone) naturally begin to rise at around 3 a.m., before reaching a peak shortly after waking up. This is called your Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) and it helps us feel rested and alert upon waking.
However, as someone with anxiety, my baseline level of cortisol is already elevated — and my messy bedroom contributes to that.
That means when cortisol levels start to pick up in the early hours of the morning, they quickly rise to high levels, and that's usually enough to wake me up.
Prolonged sleep deprivation makes tidying up harder
Why don’t I just tidy up? First, you might be underestimating the mess.
When someone is sleep deprived, even small tasks like organizing a nightstand or clearing a chair can feel mentally overwhelming
Dr. Joshua Roland, MD, FAASM, a board-certified sleep doctor
Second, bedroom clutter leads to increased sleep disturbances, which leads to sleep deprivation. And once you’re operating on less sleep than you need, breaking the negative cycle of mess and fatigue becomes harder.
“Breaking the cycle can be difficult because poor sleep reduces motivation, focus, and decision-making, which are exactly the skills needed to tackle clutter,” says Dr. Roland, which immediately makes me feel much better.
“When someone is sleep deprived, even small tasks like organizing a nightstand or clearing a chair can feel mentally overwhelming. That means the clutter stays, the sleep environment doesn’t improve, and the pattern continues.”
3 ways to optimize sleep environment for better rest
When your bedroom reaches a certain level of disorganization, tidying it in one go feels overwhelming. However, making gradual tweaks can have a big impact.
“The key is usually starting very small, so it doesn’t require a lot of energy, gradually improving the environment rather than trying to overhaul the entire room at once,” advises Dr. Roland. Here’s where to start:
1. Make your bed
Although it's a small task, making your bed first thing in the morning helps take a sense of accomplishment through your day. Then, when bedtime rolls around, your bed is ready for you to climb straight into — no stress-inducing tidying required.
2. Clear clutter from your nightstand
Your nightstand is likely the last thing you look at and the first thing you see in the morning, so only items helpful to those two tasks require a spot on it. That might be a book, bedside lamp, or your glasses.
Gather and remove anything that reminds you of your to-do list or signals unfinished business, and curate a calming area instead.
3. Put your clothes away
Draped over the back of a chair. Kicked into a pile on the floor. Folded and placed in front of the wardrobe. If you're anything like me, that's just some of the places where the bulk of your clothes live on any given day.
Putting your clothes away — whether that's in the laundry basket, ready for donation or simply moved from outside the wardrobe to inside — will create a semblance of calm, reduce stress and set the scene for sleep.
