Do you find it difficult to fall asleep? Too much light is one of the main influences affecting our ability to drift off.
The good news is that there are window-covering solutions out there that can help. Your first thought might be to head straight for a blackout blind, but have you ever heard of room darkening blinds?
No?
Well, let’s fill you in!
What Are Room Darkening Blinds?
The terms room darkening blinds and blackout blinds are often used interchangeably, but this is incorrect.
In the world of blinds, there are two different grades of light-blocking fabric. Where blackout blinds block out up to 99% of the light streaming in through your windows, room darkening blinds filter 95% of it.
Room darkening blinds are more subtle than blackout blinds, and might be the window dressing for you if you don’t need immediate, stark darkness. They dramatically reduce the light levels coming into a space from sources such as streetlights, early summer sunrises and full moons without the complete transformation to pitch black, meaning you can still navigate the space you’re in with ease.
Because our internal body clock is directly influenced by daylight, high light levels on the run-up to bedtime and during the night can make it difficult to get that much-needed shut-eye. Room darkening blinds are perfectly designed for bedrooms because the darkness levels they create enable our bodies to relax, melatonin to develop and sleep to come naturally when we want it to.
Room darkening blinds also work beautifully in home offices and workspaces to reduce glare on screens, and even in lounges and sitting rooms if you love to settle into a movie in the evenings.
How Do Room Darkening Blinds Work?
The multi-layer design of room darkening blinds is an innovative solution to light pollution in the home and has taken the window treatment world by storm.
The room-darkening technology of these blinds filters just enough light out to ensure a good night’s sleep without the extreme of blackout blinds. Coming in a variety of different styles and designs, room darkening blinds are made-to-measure to fit your windows, avoiding the halo of light that often surrounds a blind that has been mismeasured.
What Are The Benefits Of Room Darkening Blinds?
Like darkness but struggle with the pitch-black? Kids afraid of the dark? Need to be able to get up and around your room with ease throughout the night? Room darkening blinds might be the perfect solution.
Reduce Glare
There’s nothing more irritating than light bouncing off of your screen when you’re in the middle of a movie or a Zoom meeting. Room darkening blinds deal with that pesky glare by shading your room with a perfect fit and looking stylish at the same time.
Promote Sleep
Our bodies’ circadian rhythm depends on the sun’s lowering nearing bedtime. That makes it really tricky for us to get enough sleep if it’s too bright outside for our melatonin reflex to kick in and get us feeling sleepy. Kids can’t settle? Partner working night shifts? Fix the sleep issue with room darkening blinds.
Protect From UV
The layers of room darkening fabric within the blinds reflect damaging UV rays, sending them away from the belongings inside your home. This means that items prone to fading or becoming brittle stay attractive and durable for longer.
Enhance Privacy
Unlike some window coverings that let outsiders see shadows moving through inside spaces, room darkening blinds block light from coming out as well as light from getting in, meaning your home remains private and your belongings remain safe from view.
Save On Energy Bills
Room darkening blinds prevent the scorching sun from turning your house into a sauna in the summer, and hold the heat in in the winter, so you won’t be reaching for the thermostat so often and will save money.
How Much Do Room Darkening Blinds Cost?
How much you need to fork out for room darkening blinds very much depends on the size of the window and the style of the blind.
For a small window, you can expect to pay around £80-£100 for the supply and fit of a new room darkening blind, rising to over £200 for larger windows.
At Just Blinds, we always recommend approaching your preferred supplier and installer so that they can measure up and give you a better idea of overall costs.
Do I Have Options? (colour, material, motorised, etc)
You bet!
Room darkening blinds come in a huge range of block colours and cool patterns; there’s something for everyone. They are child-safe by design and can be easily motorised for accessible luxury in your home.
Struggling to decide how to dress a Velux window? Have huge conservatory windows that let too much light in? Room darkening blinds can make a tremendous difference in any space.
Room Darkening Blinds For A Great Night’s Sleep
As well as providing the utmost privacy and helping to reduce the dreaded energy bills, room darkening blinds at their core are a troubled sleeper’s dream. (No pun intended).
Without cutting the glow of light out completely, room darkening blinds make your room just dark enough that your body can regulate to meet those sleepy needs after a long day. A worthy investment for city dwellers facing bright street lights, families with young children and anyone who struggles switching off in the evening, room darkening blinds allow you to wind down for a peaceful night.
Need to read more about the benefits of room darkening blinds? Head to our room darkening blind page for all the information.
