Why You Shouldn't Place a Bed Under a Window

bed placed under a window

The Spruce / Letícia Almeida 

A good night's sleep is crucial to good health: It is during the overnight hours that the body regenerates and prepares you for the next day. That's why it is so important that your bed provides strong support and protection—and why a good, solid headboard is so highly recommended in feng shui design.

In addition to a good headboard, it's best to have a solid wall, not a window, behind your bed. When you sleep under a window, your personal energy weakens over time, as it has neither proper support nor protection. If this arrangement is not possible, there are some simple solutions for correcting the problem of a bed under a window.

Placing a Bed Near a Window: Bad Feng Shui

In good feng shui design, the head of the bed is never placed directly under, parallel to, or directly across the room from a window. Sleeping with direct exposure to a window can create a number of practical problems that can lead to poor sleep, decreased vitality, and potential health issues:

  • Noise from outdoors can lead to stress and anger, and thus negative chi, or energy.
  • Pollution from the outdoor air can be unhealthy and disrupt sleep.

The ideal placement for a bed is with the head up against a windowless wall, to provide solid backing, and as far as possible from both windows and doors. The bed also should not be aligned with a door, particularly the bedroom door (as opposed to a closet door or bathroom door). If it's simply not possible to place your bed anywhere besides under a window, you can minimize the negative effects of a less-than-ideal placement by using a headboard and window coverings. 

Using a Headboard

If you have to sleep under a window, a strong and solid headboard is non-negotiable in good feng shui design. The best headboard for feng shui is made of solid wood or upholstery (and also solid), is tall but not disproportionately tall for the bed, is attached to the bed (rather than the wall), and has rounded sides and corners (no sharp edges).

One of the central feng shui concepts is to protect and shelter the bed as if by a mountain: A solid wall serves as a mountain symbol, as does a good headboard.

Adding Window Coverings

Good window coverings for feng shui may include room-darkening shades to block light, but shades should be paired with fabric drapes or curtains for softness and a sense of flow and movement. Preferred materials are wood or other natural materials for shades or blinds. For curtains and drapes, choose natural fabrics, such as cotton, linen, or silk. It's best if drapes or curtains are heavy so that when you close them at night you create a feeling of a solid wall behind you.

Fun Fact

The dark void of an uncovered window at night creates an imbalance of Yin energy in the bedroom. This can allow desirable chi in the room to escape through the window at night. An uncovered window also lets in noise and light that can disrupt sleep and promote negative emotions and chi.

Cover your windows only at night. During the day, it's fine to open the drapes and shades and let in nourishing sunlight and air as well as the flow of chi. However, if you want to take a nap during the day, close the window, shades, and drapes to ensure restful sleep without the disruptive forces of energy flow, light, and noise.