After tossing and turning, you finally fall asleep. Then, what feels like mere moments later, you’re woken up by a crying toddler, a partner who snores, a dog that needs a potty break …. or just your own brain choosing now as the most opportune time to solve the world’s problems. In light of Better Sleep Month, here’s a slew of effective products and some expert advice to help ensure you get as many quality zzzz’s as you can, despite the interruptions.
Reverie Luxe Performance Bed Sheets
$120 and up from Reverie.com
Amazing sheets can do a world of good — think about how well you sleep when you’re at a fine hotel. These Luxe Performance Sheets from Reverie are made from some otherworldly fabric (called RevTek™ cool knit) that feels so silky and slippery soft that merely climbing into bed is a treat. They help you maintain a comfortable temperature while you sleep — great for sweaty sleepers — and the stretchy, elasticized ends make the sheets a breeze to put on and they really stay put. Available in four colors.
$60 and up from Sonnobed.com
Having a comfortable place to (literally) lay your head is crucial to a good night’s sleep. From pillows that are fluffy as a cloud to flat as a pancake, we all have our preferences. The American-made Sonno Pillows are customizable so you can make your pillow juuuuust right. The pillow arrives poofy as can be and you simply unzip and remove as much hypoallergenic microfiber as you see fit.
Rowenta Intense Aqua Control Humidifier
Price: $91.81 at Amazon.com
Moist air can help relieve congestion and even snoring, so if your partner sounds like a lawn mower when they sleep, try a humidifier like this one from Rowenta. It has a variety of settings and up to 18 hours of run time in a very compact body. Bonus: humidifiers are also good for maintaining healthy moisture levels for babies.
$59 and up at Amazon.com
Many experts believe that the blue light emitted by our devices and from some light bulbs can cause sleeplessness. The Wellness Lighting feature from IIumi bulbs automatically adjusts your lighting to follow the daily color cycle of the sun, rather than the artificial light we are exposed to. On the fun side, these app-controlled bulbs allow you to change the color in your room to almost any color (like pink or green) and turn the light off right from your smart device. Your kids will love it!
Arbonne Essentials Sleep Well Spray
Price: $42 at Arbonne.com
Melatonin is known to be an effective sleep aid, but some find it causes drowsiness in the morning. This lemony-tasting spray delivers a gentle dose of melatonin to send you off to sleep peacefully, but feeling great in the a.m. My husband, who has a crazy trifecta of Restless Limb Syndrome, Sleep Apnea and intermittent Insomnia (and is very reluctant to believe that anything works), swears by this one.
Pukka Organic Night Time Herbal Tea
$5.95 at VitamineShoppe.com
I find a tea at night to be very relaxing and this delicately flavored, organic night time tea is especially so. It contains oat flower, lavender and lime flower, when combined help to calm and relax you, while settling your busy mind. The hard-to-please husband even gave it his seal of approval.
This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray
$29 at Amazon.com
If scent is more your thing, try this spray, which is a blend of lavender, vetivert and wild chamomile essential oils. It’s a spicey, yet soothing blend that smells great. In a trial of 200-plus people with sleep issues, over 90% slept better and felt more refreshed in the morning. I am convinced that it helps me fall asleep faster!
For Kids
$17.95 at Amazon.com
Perfect for a restless child, this huggable turtle or sheep can be heated to deliver gentle warmth and a soothing lavender scent. It soothes aches and pains when placed on a sore spot and it’s compact enough for travel. Machine washable when the heat pack is removed.
VTech Sleepy Lullabies Bear Projector
$14.99 at Amazon
This cute bear will lull baby to sleep by projecting a colorful image onto the ceiling while playing calming music, nature sounds or white noise. There is also voice activation and a timer so the bear turns off when you want it to.
Price: $249.99 at Owletcare.com
If you’re a nervous first-time parent, Owlet is the device for you. It gently attaches to baby’s foot and monitors their heart rate and breathing while they rest. If anything is amiss, the alarm on the base unit will sound.
Need a little more help than these great products? Brandon Berman, in-house sleep expert for bed maker, Reverie, shared lots of great sleep tips with me. These are a few of my favorites:
- “When you have an hour left before sleepy time, dim your lights. Read some fiction. Stretch, relax. The mind doesn’t like jumping from frenetic electronic stimulation straight into restful, restorative sleep — it needs a bridge of calming, low-stress activity.
- Meditation has been shown in multiple studies to improve the symptoms of insomnia. As little as five to 10 minutes of breathing exercises can be sufficient for clearing the mind and gently slowing the hamster wheel of a busy brain.
- Try turning down the temperature to around 68 degrees (add blankets if you’re chilly)—studies say that’s just the right level of cool for quicker sleep.
- Emptying your ruminations and to-do lists onto a notebook is a surprisingly useful way to keep them from running around your mind. Unburden your tired brain and leave it all on the page. By plotting out how you’ll accomplish tomorrow’s tasks, you’ll stop worrying about your workload.
- Grab a white noise machine to cancel out any unwanted background sounds and distractions. The other approach is to listen to calming music. Research has found that music with a slow rhythm of 60 to 80 beats per minute can help to lull you to sleep and boost sleep quality.”
This article originally appeared on Credit.com.
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