The bedside table is an essential item in the bedroom. Not only will it give your look a complete look but also act as a place you can conveniently place some of the things you may need through the night.
What you place on the bedside table can differ for both men and women because they have different preferences.
So, what should be on the bedside table for men and for women?
Whether for men or women, every bedside table should have the following items: a lamp, a smartphone holder, tissue box, an alarm clock, a good book, a journal, and a pen. Other items you may want to place on your bedside table would be some essential oils, a glass of water, and an eye mask.
When you place the right things on your bedside table, you are guaranteed to have a good night’s sleep knowing that anything you might need through the night is at arm’s length.
Instead of leaving the space empty and under-utilized, you can make it a catch-all for everything you need.
This article lists some of the things that should be placed on the bedside for men and women.
Things You Should Have On Your Bedside
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These things will help you go back to sleep almost immediately and keep you refreshed through the night.
The quality of sleep you get determines your productivity for the next day. Let’s discuss some of these items.
1. A glass of water
Some nights are unusually warmer than others, and you may end up sweating quite a lot. You’ll need some water to keep hydrated so that you can sleep better.
Also, imagine sleeping through several hours without refreshing your body.
A glass of water will remind you to drink some when you are out on those sleep breaks we all have. Some people avoid drinking water at night so that they won’t have to wake up to go to the restroom in the odd hours of the night.
But water does well to the body, and so you must have some near you.
2. A good book
Reading is an engaging activity for the brain and can trigger sleep pretty fast.
This is because the brain is tired from a long day’s activity and so bringing in another strenuous activity makes it too tired and goes to sleep.
If your nights are often full of turning and churning between your blankets without much sleep, keep a book on your bedside table and pick it up when you turn and wake up.
If you are well awake to read it through, you’ll gain the knowledge in the book, but it will also trigger your brain to ask for some rest.
3. A Journal or Notebook
In the silence of the night, you’re likely to get some million-dollars ideas, and you’ll need to note them before they fly away. If you have been stuck at something and have been thinking of a solution, you may get some ideas at night and need to note them down.
It’s also therapeutic to write down all the thoughts you have in your mind at night, especially if you are facing a challenge or anxious about the following day.
A notebook or a journal provides an avenue for you to vent or express your feelings without restraint.
4. Alarm Clock
I know we are in the age where the phone has taken over most necessary activities and, in this case, doubles up as an alarm clock.
However, it’s important to have a real alarm clock on your nightstand and leave your phone in a separate room.
Experts recommend that you turn off screens at least 30 minutes before you get to bed so that your eyes can wear off the effect of the blue phone light and get to sleep faster.
You don’t want to open your eyes to that blue light when the alarm calls. So, you can have a manual alarm clock instead.
5. A Lamp
A bedside table is not complete without a lamp. Imagine when you have to get up at night to get something, but you have to walk in the darkness all the way to where the socket is.
A lamp makes it convenient for you as you can turn the light on by just stretching your arm.
If you don’t have a lamp, then ensure you have a flashlight instead. If there’s not much space for it on the bedside table, you can place it in the bedside drawer where you can reach it easily.
This will ensure you don’t stumble into things in case you have to move around the room to get something.
6. A box of tissue
Tissues come in handy, especially on nights when you have a runny nose. It will be easy for you to reach out to one and relieve your nose without going all the way to the bathroom.
Also, you can have them in case of some irritation during the night.
If you feel like the box of tissue will take up too much space on your bedside table, you can squeeze them in the drawer where you can reach them easily.
This depends on what else you’d like to place on your bedside table.
7. Moisturizer
The moisturizer plays an important role in keeping your skin moisturized through the night. You can also have some for the lips and apply it as you go to sleep.
It will do a good job of keeping your lips moisturized and preventing them from cracking.
You don’t have to place it on the bedside table if you have already placed other things on it.
But you can slide it into the drawer for convenience when you need it at night.
8. Eye mask
This is not compulsory, especially if you can sleep well even when the lights are on.
However, if you always get distracted by light, you can have a mask near you on the bedside table where you can reach it when you need it.
A mask will allow you to sleep through the night without any distraction as you sleep.
9. Smartphone holder
At times it is difficult to leave your smartphone in a different room because you may miss an important call, especially when it is about your family.
A smartphone holder plays an important role in keeping your smartphone safe as you sleep.
What Are You Likely to Find on a Man’s Bedside Table And Not On A Woman’s Bedside Table?
A man’s bedside table may carry a lot of things that most matter to him. In most cases, a man’s bedside table is cluttered and disorganized.
For example, you may find an old watch he was trying to fix, bet slips, lost lottery tickets, a list of the day’s football fixtures, etc. This means that these things matter to him, and he wants to wake up to them.
Women are mostly organized and do prefer to have the bedside table less cluttered. However, you are likely to find their favorite skincare products like moisturizers on the bedside table.
Those that love music will have their headphones near you.
