Buildings (Apr 2024)
Beyond Sleep: Investigating User Needs in Today’s Bedrooms
Abstract
This study investigates the current use of bedrooms to fill a knowledge gap in the existing sleep studies literature by focusing on user preferences and their needs. Despite substantial research into the optimal physical conditions for sleep, there remains a gap in understanding how individuals use their bedrooms today. As an initial step to bridge this gap, we employed a mixed-method research approach, integrating quantitative and qualitative data results. A survey including multiple-choice and open-ended questionnaire items was undertaken in Australia with 304 participants. Our research findings indicate that ‘having a separate bedroom in a house’ is the most common arrangement. However, other arrangements, such as living in a bedsit or sharing a bedroom, are indicators of diverse bedroom conditions. In total, 70% of respondents stated that they would like to make changes to their bedrooms for physical, functional, comfort-based, and aesthetic reasons, with comfort ranked as the highest. The majority of respondents stating they would not make any modifications in their bedrooms were found to be owner-occupiers. Mattress quality and privacy emerged as the most significant factors impacting the respondents’ bedroom experience, and female participants were reported to place higher importance on cleanliness compared to male participants. Additionally, preferences for sleeping alone or with a partner were found to shift with age. Based on our findings, we suggest that survey-based sleep studies should evaluate the bedroom arrangements before the individual’s sleep habits. Further studies are needed to understand how privacy needs influence sleep quality. From a built environment viewpoint, this study emphasizes the need to develop bedroom design solutions tailored to optimize bedroom conditions, particularly for rental tenants who often have limited control over the physical conditions of their sleep environment.
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