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Sleep is an important essential to maintaining a healthy life, so why does our body seem to resist it so much sometimes? We’ve all experienced it: you feel tired, you’re hunkered down in bed, in comfy pajamas with the lights off and no screens in sight, and yet, you’ve never felt more awake. As the night ticks on, you toss and turn, and find yourself restless, no closer to a good night’s sleep than when you got into bed hours earlier. If it helps, you’re not the only one who deals with this daily nighttime battle.
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, roughly 50 to 70 million people in the United States experience some sort of sleep disorder or nighttime disturbance, and overall, an estimated 32.8% of adults don’t get enough sleep on a nightly basis. But knowing that you’re not the only one who is up at night doesn’t do much for your own sleep schedule. Most times we refer to getting a “full eight hours” as the gold standard for sleep each night, but there’s a little more to it — and the consequences of not getting enough result in more than just burning eyes and a foggy mind the following morning.
How much sleep do you really need, and what happens when you don’t get it?
Most studies recommend that adults need at least between seven to nine hours of sleep a night, with further research arguing that women might need slightly more sleep overall than men due to women’s biology and lifestyle habits. You might feel fine with a four- or five-hour stretch, but not getting enough sleep, or not getting quality sleep, can affect your body and your health in a multitude of ways. A bad night of rest doesn’t just make you crabby the next day. Sleep is used as a reset for your mind and your body, and when you don’t get it, there are more than a few consequences.
Long story short, sleep is more critical than you think, and it can really cause issues in your day- to-day life if you don’t try to fix the problem. Doctors are always a great resource, particularly if you’ve struggled with sleep issues for a long time and think you might be dealing with some sort of disorder like insomnia, but if you’re someone who just wants to get a better night’s rest, you might be able to adjust your bedroom to better suit your needs – and give you that blissful eight hours you’ve been craving. A few essential products could help transform your basic bedroom into your nightly sleep sanctuary. Here’s what to know about them.
Weighted Blankets
Weighted blankets were exciting when they first started showing up in our favorite stores, and even now, years later, we’re still excited by them. Originally designed as a therapeutic tool for people with conditions like autism, weighted blankets offer a plethora of benefits. The blankets, which can weigh anywhere from three to 30 pounds, can be useful for regulating your nervous system, keeping you calm and relaxed thanks to the gentle pressure that’s evenly distributed via the blanket on your body. Known as deep touch pressure stimulation (DTPS), this gentle pressure can trigger hormonal changes that can help improve sleep. Studies see a decrease of cortisol, your stress hormone, and an increase of oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine, which makes you feel good, calm, and relaxed, ready to drift off into a deep sleep. By lowering your stress hormones and slowing your heart rate, your body signals to your brain that it’s time to go to bed.
While a comforter or regular blanket is made just from fabric, weighted blankets typically are lined with some sort of heavy material, usually glass, plastic, or metal beads, or in cases with natural fillers, rice, grain, beans, and sand. They are sewn into pockets so that the weight is evenly distributed when it’s being used. Although weighted blankets are perfectly safe to use, there are some considerations to keep in mind when enjoying one. In choosing the right weight, it’s best to follow the 10% rule, as your blanket should weigh only about 10% of your body weight. This ensures that your blanket won’t be overly heavy and lead to issues like restricted airflow, suffocation, and overheating.
Yescool Weighted Blanket
Teler Weighted Blanket
Cooling Pillows
One of the most common reasons for poor sleep is overheating, and a good cooling pillow can help keep you from getting sweaty during the night. When you overheat, your body pushes you out of deep, REM sleep, waking you up because it senses your temperature rising. Room temperature certainly plays a role in the quality of your sleep — for best results, experts at the Cleveland Clinic suggest keeping your bedroom anywhere between 60 degrees and 67 degrees Fahrenheit — but when your body runs hot that’s not always enough. Typically made with breathable, heat-absorbing fabric and either gel-infused memory foam, latex, or shredded filling, cooling pillows can better circulate air than your standard pillow to draw heat away from you and your body, provide moisture control if you are a sweaty sleeper, and promote breathability so hot air doesn’t get trapped.
Cooling pillows wick away moisture and prevent heat buildup, keeping you fast asleep, uninterrupted by overheating. For best results, you should pair a cooling pillow with a breathable pillowcase — meaning it needs to be made from natural fibers like linen, cotton, bamboo, or silk. Skip pillowcases made of polyester, nylon, or acrylic.
Purple Harmony Pillow
Becky Cameron Cooling Gel Bed Pillows
Cooling Sheets
Just as a cooling pillow is essential for keeping your neck and head area comfortable and dry, cooling sheets are the solution when the rest of your body runs hot. Offering overall body temperature regulation, cooling sheets not only provide a comfortable middle layer between you and your mattress, but they absorb heat, wicking away moisture so you don’t wake up damp with your clothing clinging to you.
Cooling sheets typically come in a set with a fitted sheet, loose sheet, and pillowcases, and they’re often made from highly breathable fabrics like bamboo and eucalyptus, linen, and cotton.
CGK Unlimited Sheet Set
LuxClub Cooling Sheets Set
Noise Machines
While some folks need complete quiet to doze off, others need noise. It’s not unusual at all. Although the term “white noise” itself refers to noise that contains all frequencies of the sounds that people can hear, when people talk about it in regards to sleeping, they’re talking about any sort of noise playing or occurring while you’re trying to rest. For some folks, it’s the sounds of crashing waves or birds lightly calling, and for others, it’s the sound of a fan ticking against the ceiling. Studies show mixed results on whether white noise can actually help you sleep better, but for a lot of people, it simply provides them with the perfect background noise to help them fall asleep when the quiet feels a bit too quiet. It masks noises outside, like sirens or people, and it can even serve as a cue for your body that it’s time to sleep, helping you fall asleep faster. There are also the terms “pink noise” and “brown noise” that have emerged in more recent years to better describe the different types of sounds that fall under “white noise.” Pink noise covers sounds like gentle rainfall, rustling leaves, or a steady wind, and they’re actually advertised as best for sleep and relaxation, whereas “brown” or “red noise” are better for concentration, and they sound like low distant thunder, a powerful waterfall, of the hum of an airplane engine.
Noise machines, for the most part, have the capabilities to play all these types, as well as additional nature sounds, environment sounds, and fans so that you can find the best one for you. They help promote relaxation and reduce stress by creating a peaceful environment, and some say they make you less likely to wake up to outside sounds.
Yogasleep Dohm The Original White Noise Machine
Momcozy Noise Machine
Sunrise Alarm Clocks
Unless you’re a morning person, no one likes the sound of their alarm clock going off. But although the unfortunate wakeup call that signals it’s time to get out of bed, they actually do provide a lot of value. Regular alarm clocks help regulate your body’s circadian rhythm by providing a regimented sleep-cycle, and although you might find it easier to set your phone’s alarm, an actual alarm clock reduces the screen-based blue light exposure and minimizes late-night distractions that can come from your phone. And these days, sunrise alarm clocks are the product that more and more sleepers swear by.
Unlike a traditional alarm clock, sunrise versions emit soft light that mimic the sun’s natural cues to wake you up, regulate your circadian rhythm, and ease you into the day. Instead of jolting you awake with a screeching alarm, sunrise clocks ease you into the morning by helping your body wake up gently and in sync with your internal clock. They suppress sleep-inducing melatonin and boost alertness, making your wakeup feel more easygoing and natural. Many of them allow you to customize the brightness, the color temperature (either a whiter, lighter glow or a dark, warmer color), and set a timer for how long you want it to glow. You can often even set them to work as you’re winding down for bed, setting the clock to a “sunset” mode instead of a sunrise. Others often have built-in sound machines, so you can wake up to the sound of crashing waves or birds singing and many now have smartphone and Bluetooth capabilities so you can set your preferences on your electronic devices.
Hatch Restore 3 Sunrise Alarm
Wrought Studio Sunrise Alarm Clock
Eyemasks
Whereas some folks need absolute quiet when they sleep, others need total darkness. Blackout curtains are a great option if you want to totally eliminate any sunlight peaking in, but eyemasks are a great individual option that’s travel-friendly and can go where you go. Whether you’re taking a snooze on the couch or curling up in your bed for the night, eye masks help block out light for a better sleeping experience.
Often made from soft fabric that’s gentle on skin, eyemasks help your brain understand it’s “sleeping time” by blocking out the light which can boost your production of melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate your sleep cycle. According to the Cleveland Clinic, because sleep masks reduce interruption from light, natural or electronic, they can help improve your overall sleep quality and promote a deeper sleep. There are a variety of different ones. Some options are fairly basic, with a simple covering and elastic string to go around the head. Others can be weighted or have cooling or heating capabilities.
Facemoon 3D Gel Cooling Sleeping Mask
Blissy Sleep Mask
How do I know which products are right for me?
Like always, it never hurts to consult with your doctor if you’re having sleeping issues. For one, they might notice symptoms of a more pressing sleep disorder that would require their help and consideration, but even if you’re just dealing with crappy sleep, you could always consult them on what they recommend. Other times, it comes down to realizing what causes you the most stress. If you constantly feel like you’re getting woken up by early morning light or other lights in your home, like a TV screen, then an eye mask might make a world of difference. If you can’t stand dealing with the constant quiet of a room, or deal with tons of outside noise, a noise machine might help alleviate the chaos of that and provide you with some background noise to help you drift to sleep. Sweaty sleepers can find great relief in cooling products like pillows and sheets, and of course, weighted blankets have shown great benefits and promise to restless sleepers who can’t quite relax enough to actually close their eyes. The point is, it’s best to use your judgement and consider what bothers you the most around bedtime to help find the right products to keep the tossing and turning away and the sleep within reach every night.
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