9 Sleep Aids to Help You Get Better Rest Tonight
From noise-masking earbuds to cooling mattresses, optimize your bedroom with these sleep-inducing gadgets to help you rest easier tonight.
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Adjustable Pillow
Avoid a sore neck in the morning by investing in an adjustable pillow from Simba. Removable foam cubes let you customize the pillow to the perfect height and firmness for you.
The Simba Pillow, $199, simbasleep.ca
Noise-Masking Earbuds
A white-noise machine has always been a must-have for the bedroom, but now you can also pump ambient sounds directly into your ears to drown out unwelcome noise. Try the Bose Sleepbuds II, which are surprisingly comfortable earbuds that allow you to choose from a bunch of instrumental tracks that are specifically designed to mask the low-frequency disruptions—like snoring and noisy neighbours—that are the most common sleep disturbances.
Bose Sleepbuds II, $329, bose.ca
Looking for the perfect before-bed playlist? Here are the best podcasts to help to you sleep.
Weighted Blanket
Over the last few years, weighted blankets have moved from a niche product used mostly in therapeutic settings to a standard bedroom item. They’re designed to feel like a nice, firm hug, one that’s been proven to reduce anxiety and help you get your Zs. Endy’s seven kilogram blanket—best for one person who weighs at least 45 kilograms—is machine washable and has a removable cover.
The Weighted Blanket, $195, endy.com
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Cooling Mattress
Waking up because you’re too hot is a common complaint, whether it’s due to the weather, medication, hormonal hot flashes or plain old human biology. When we sleep, our temperature drops by a couple of degrees, and we shed that heat into our sleeping environment. To turn down the temperature, Casper has come out with an entire cooling collection, including the Wave Hybrid Snow Mattress, which features a breathable fabric and a layer of cooling gel.
Wave Hybrid Mattress, from $1,845, casper.ca
Here’s the scientific reason you always sleep under blankets—even when it’s hot.
Sleep Meditation Apps
Sleep meditation apps, like Calm or Headspace, offer guided meditations and breathing exercises to help you fall asleep. And a recent study showed that they really work if you stick with them—people with insomnia who used Calm for eight weeks improved their sleep quality and reduced their daytime sleepiness and fatigue.
Calm Premium One-Year Subscription, $69.99 USD, calm.com
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Supplements
Your body naturally produces the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin in response to darkness. But since people can become melatonin deficient, supplements may help. There’s also emerging evidence that magnesium can assist with sleep, as it relaxes the muscles and has anti-anxiety properties.
Natural Calm Heavenly Sleep liquid melatonin, $14.29 (60mL).
Check out the best vitamins for sleep.
Chamomile Tea
The calming effects of chamomile tea may be due to an antioxidant called apigenin that binds to brain receptors that may reduce anxiety and initiate sleep.
Celestial Seasonings chamomile tea, $5.59
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Sleep Masks
Artificial light at night sends the wrong signal to your brain and disrupts sleep. A Sleep Science study found that sleep masks were an easy way to improve the quality of sleep for patients hospitalized in a brightly lit coronary-care unit—so they’ll work for that street lamp outside your window, too.
Meditation Weighted Sleep Mask, $65, volprive.ca
Discover seven natural ways to fall asleep (without sleeping pills).
Light-Therapy Box
A Sleep and Biological Rhythms study reported that insomniacs slept better after sitting in front of a light-therapy box for an hour each morning. As long as the device emits at least 10,000 lux of light, it’ll trigger your body to release melatonin, the natural sleepy-making hormone, later that evening at the ideal time to settle you into a good night’s rest.
Verilux Happylight Luxe, $69.99 USD, verilux.com
Next, find out how to get a good night’s sleep in 12 simple steps.
