Standards for a Healthy Bedroom

A person's physical and mental health is directly related to the place in which they live. The appropriate dimensions of the various parts of a dwelling, on one hand, bring about a person's psychological calm and make the dwelling environment pleasant, and on the other hand, minimize the likelihood of accidents. Regarding the dimensions and design of a suitable bedroom, there are guidelines, some of which are as follows:

1/ The minimum bedroom area per person should be 6.5 square meters, and for each additional person 4.6 square meters should be added to the room's area.

2/ The suitable distance between beds is at least 1.5 meters.

3/ To ensure comfort during sleep, the length of the bed should be 25 centimeters longer than the person's height.

4/ There should be at least 60 centimeters of free space around the bed.

5/ To provide suitable natural light, the area of the windows should be 15-20 percent (at least 10%) of the room's floor area. In cold regions, because there is less sunlight, it is better for the window to start from near the ceiling so that the maximum amount of sunlight shines into the room, but in warm regions, to prevent excessive entry of rays into the room, it is better to install an awning above the windows.

7/ Bedroom lighting should be of the semi-indirect type; in this method, matte globes whose upper part is open are installed over the light source. The open part of the globe faces the ceiling, and 60-90 percent of the light shines upward. This lighting method does not cause eye fatigue and discomfort. The suitable lighting level of a bedroom should be 50-100 lux.

8/ Natural ventilation of the room is possible with a proper design of the windows; for this purpose, at least 45 percent of the window surface should be openable. It is better for the window to open and close on a horizontal axis. The area and size of the ventilation vent should be 100 square millimeters per cubic meter of the room.

9/ The room's doors should be placed where the usable space of the room is greater. Usually doors should open inward. The minimum door opening from the inside is 55 centimeters, and the minimum height of the door opening is 185 centimeters. (A height of 195-200 centimeters is suitable.)

10/ The desirability of temperature and humidity at home depends on people's sex, age, activity, and various other factors. Taking all the influencing factors into account, a temperature range of 18-21 degrees Celsius and a relative-humidity range of 30-50 percent are recommended as the best temperature and humidity. The upper end of the given range (a temperature of 21 degrees) is more pleasant for the elderly, and the lower end (a temperature of 18 degrees) for children and adolescents.

11/ The maximum permissible noise in a bedroom is 45 decibels.

12/ In the bedroom it is better to use white, cream, yellow, and light pink colors for the walls, and white or cream colors for the ceiling.

13/ The number of bedrooms in a dwelling should be proportionate to the number of occupants.