Bedroom Window Treatments for Sleep in Summer Light

Texas summer mornings start early, and the light that wakes you rarely comes through the middle of the window. It slips in along the edges, over the top and under the bottom bar, long before you're ready to be up.

Why Summer Mornings Are the Problem

Your body clock takes its cues from light and dark. The Sleep Foundation explains that when darkness falls, the brain produces melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy. Light at the wrong hour pushes the other way. A bedroom that lets in a bright stripe at dawn can end your night earlier than your alarm would.

North Texas makes this worse in summer. The sun comes up early and low, and a bedroom with east or south glass takes it straight in. Newer homes often have big, tall bedroom windows too, which means a lot of glass to cover and a lot of edge to leak.

Where the Light Actually Gets In

Most people shop for fabric first. In a bedroom, start with the gaps.

• The sides. A custom shade is built slightly narrower than the opening so it never rubs the frame. That clearance is a thin vertical line of light.
• The top. An open roller leaves a gap between the roll and the wall or frame.
• The bottom. If the bar doesn't land on the sill, or the sill isn't level, daylight shows underneath.
• Around the frame. A shade mounted outside the opening can throw a glow around its own outline.

We went deep on this in our post on room-darkening vs blackout shades. The short version is that any roller or Roman shade leaks at the edges unless it has side channels.

Room-Darkening or Blackout for Sleep

Room-darkening fabric cuts a large share of the light and leaves the room dim, with a soft glow in bright sun. Blackout fabric blocks light through the cloth itself. Both are honest, useful choices, and they aren't the same thing.

For most people, room-darkening with well-fitted edges is plenty. If you sleep during the day, share a room with a light sleeper, or notice every sliver of light, blackout fabric with side channels is the better fit. Color matters less than the weave, so a pale blackout shade can be just as dark as a charcoal one.

Closing the Edges

There are two good ways to deal with the gaps, and they work well together.

The first is hardware. Side channels are slim tracks that hold the edges of the fabric, and a closed headbox covers the top. Both need some depth in the window frame, which Sheila checks at the measure before anything is ordered.

The second is layering. A drapery panel hung wider than the window, and stacked well clear of the glass, covers the edges and the top no matter how the shade fits. It also softens the room and adds a second layer against the heat. Our post on layering drapery over shades shows how to do it without making the room feel heavy.

What About Shutters in a Bedroom

Plantation shutters make a handsome bedroom and give good control of daytime light and privacy. Closed, they cut direct sun a lot. They are still louvered panels, though, so a little light shows between the louvers and around the frame. If you want a fully dark room, pair them with a shade or drapery. If a dim room is fine, they do the job well.

Cordless, Motorized and Kids' Rooms

A bedroom is where cords cause the most worry, because beds and cribs sit near windows. Cordless lifts remove the problem, and a battery motor lets you raise a tall shade from the pillow. If you'd like it to open a little before your alarm, a motor can do that on a schedule. Browse the options on our custom shades page.

How to Decide

Start with how you sleep. If the early sun is the trouble, choose room-darkening fabric and side channels. If light of any kind wakes you, go blackout. Then add a drapery panel if you want the edges fully covered.

The easiest way to get it right is to see it in the room. Sheila can stand in your bedroom, check the frame depth and show you fabric against your own morning light. That's part of the free in-home consultation. Blinds and shades usually take 2 to 3 weeks from order to installation, and the exact timing is confirmed the day you order. Ask for a consultation and she'll take a look.