Is It Bad To Sleep In Front Of A Mirror? (The Truth Revealed)
It has been theorized and debated that placing a mirror in front of your bed is bad luck and has the ability to be a portal into another dimension. I can’t really speak for the validity of this debate or claim, but there are some practical reasons why it is a bad idea to sleep in front of a mirror or to have a mirror in front of your bed.
Be that as it may, I found it to be incredibly fascinating to learn about where these ideas or beliefs stem from.
This, it turns out, is a concept derived from the ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui. If you’re in the home and decor space, you will be all too familiar with this term. But, for the sake of your convenience, here’s a quick look into Feng Shui.
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What Is Feng Shui?
As previously mentioned, it is an ancient Chinese art or practice that encourages you to arrange and design your home in a way that creates balance and regulates your energy with the surrounding environment and air.
The basic rules of Feng Shui can be summarized as follows:
- Be tidy and organized.
- Understand and know your colors.
- Separate rest and work areas.
- Use the Bagua Map (space division) correctly and accurately.
- Keep beds away from the windows.
Following these 5 basic rules is said to promote a space that is relaxing, comforting, practical and energy-regulating.
This should drastically improve your sleep, mood, and energy levels within a room.
But, What Does Feng Shui Say About Mirrors?
According to experts in Feng Shui practices, it is advisable to avoid the placement of mirrors anywhere above your head.
There is a practical reason for this.
The art of Feng Shui prioritizes the regulation of personal energy and the way in which it interacts with the environment.
Placing mirrors above your head exposes you to the possibility of harm. Imagine if it were to fall on you or others. It could be extremely dangerous.
To inspire a safe and secure environment, Feng Shui experts recommend removing any furniture that may hang directly over your bed, posing a risk to your health and safety.
It is also said that mirrors have the innate ability to reflect and activate the predominant energy within a room at any given time.
If there is a source of chaotic or distracting energy in your room, a mirror has the ability to draw your energy away from tranquility and peace and toward that negative energy instead.
Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Put A Mirror Facing Your Bed
1. It is distracting
The distracting nature of mirrors shifts your focus to the reflection of things around you instead of on you.
When sleeping, it is advisable to have nothing in your line of sight that stimulates you. Seeing a reflection of yourself moving around isn’t really conducive to a good sleeping environment.
What you need is darkness and a lack of movement to ensure that you can easily fall asleep and remain asleep.
Also, if your sleep is interrupted at night, you want minimize the type of distractions or stimulations that grabs your attention.
Having a mirror that reflects movement poses the risk of distracting you enough to remain awake.
2. It may reflect light from lamps or sunlight toward your eyes
As we are aware, mirrors have the ability to reflect light. But, it also has the ability to reflect light to a specific location. Additionally, the light that is reflected can appear brighter and more intense because of the mirror itself.
Imagine trying to get a good night sleep but your lamp is shining light into your mirror that reflects a brighter light into your eyes.
We know that darkness is needed to regulate our circadian rhythm at night.
Unnecessary exposure to light will affect our circadian rhythm which will affect our hormones.
Not only will we struggle to fall asleep but we will face difficulties with remaining asleep. This will affect our energy and mood levels the next day.
The same could be said for sunlight.
If sunlight enters your room freely but it’s reflected onto you early in the morning when you haven’t had a good night sleep, it’s going to wake you up.
In general, rooms are brighter when they possess mirrors.
Keep that in mind before you decide to sleep in front of a mirror.
This alone is enough of a reason for me not to place a mirror in front of my bed. I’m extremely sensitive to light and this would definitely mess with my routine, especially as the seasons change.
3. It can contribute to nightmares
It may seem funny to say but imagine waking up in the middle of the night, dazed and depleted, only to catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror swaying from side to side.
I don’t know about you but I would end up having nightmares about myself after that.
I think the issue is that we are not fully alert or aware when we are sleepy. So, even looking at ourselves in a drowsy or diminished state could trigger our brains to have scary dreams.
Another reason why placing a mirror in front of your bed can cause nightmares is because you may mistake the reflection of something in your room as dangerous.
I remember waking up one night and panicking because I thought that I had seen a dark figure sitting at my desk.
As soon as I grabbed my phone and lit up the room, I realized that I placed my jacket around the chair in such a way that it looked as if someone was sitting and watching me with the lights off.
Because I gave myself a fright, I ended up having a nightmare that very same night.
For this reason, it is bad to sleep in front of a mirror.
4. Mirrors amplify sound
Believe it or not, mirrors don’t just reflect light but sound as well.
If there is some kind of disturbance or sound that is in direct line with a mirror, it will bounce off the mirror and be reflected in the space that is in front of it.
Also, mirrors are known to create an echo and depending on the thickness of the glass, the frequency of sound that is reflected will vary.
Normal sounds that may not have been loud enough to disturb or prevent you from sleeping may end up amplified if they are reflected off a mirror that is placed in front of your bed.
So, once again, it is a bad idea to sleep in front of a mirror.
5. It is impractical
Sleep aside, how often do you get ready or dressed on your bed?
I mostly look into a mirror when I’m getting changed or stepping out of the house.
Personally, I prefer to have the freedom to move around and try different outfits on without messing with my bed.
If your room is small and the distance between the bed and a mirror is short, it’s impractical and uncomfortable to dress and check your appearance in that place.
It would be more practical and comfortable to place a mirror in your room against a wall that is not obscured by anything in front of it.
How To Test If A Mirror Is Disturbing You
On the off chance that you are still not convinced that placing a mirror in front of your bed is a bad idea, place a cover over the mirror and observe your sleep patterns over the next couple of nights.
If nothing changes, then you have no issues with sleeping infront of a mirror.
However, if you find that you are able to sleep faster, earlier and longer, then you should remove the mirror that is in front of your bed.
If you are someone who believes that mirrors are a portal to another realm, then it might be best for you to avoid placing a mirror in front of your bed.
Alternatively, find a fashionable cover that can be used on the mirror at night.
Final Thoughts
Considering all this information and my issues with sleep, I feel like it is bad to sleep in front of a mirror.
There are many other places that would be ideal for a mirror.
If you have limited wall space in your bedroom, why don’t you consider placing a mirror inside one of your cupboard doors? This way, it is concealed but easily accessible when you are getting dressed for the day.
With that being said, I hope you found this article interesting and fun to read. If so, I highly recommend that you check out some of these articles below:
1. How to cover the mirror in a bedroom?
