“Sleep is the best meditation.” — Dalai Lama
Sleep is restful and restorative but it’s also an active process in our bodies that affects every system, organ, and tissue from the brain, heart, and lungs to metabolism, immune function, mood, and disease resistance. A chronic lack of sleep or consistent low-quality sleep can increase our risk for high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, and obesity. Sleep is crucial to our overall wellbeing, but it’s often an afterthought in our efforts to lead healthy lifestyles. So, how can we optimize our time in bed and support a healthy sleep routine?
There are things we can do throughout the day to improve the sleep we get at night, such as creating a sleep routine: a schedule with consistent wake times and bedtimes every day. In fact, getting up and out of bed at the same time each day can help regulate our nighttime patterns. It is also recommended to go to bed around ten o’clock at night to sync with our internal rhythms. In Change Your Schedule, Change Your Life, Suhas Kshirsagar writes that the last train to a good night’s sleep leaves at 10:30pm. As the French say, coucher avec les poules, ‘go to bed with the chickens,’ or, in other words, go to bed early. Exercise, even just twenty to thirty minutes a day, can also improve our ability to fall asleep as well as the quality of sleep we get each night. It’s also a good idea to avoid caffeine in the afternoon. $19.99
Once you’ve incorporated these lifestyle shifts, focus on your bedtime routine. Experts recommend relaxing before bed in whatever way works for you, whether that’s a warm bath with Epsom salts, reading a few chapters of a novel, or meditation.
It’s important that your bedroom also be conducive to rest: it’s a good idea to leave your phone and other devices elsewhere, use low lighting, and keep the room at a comfortable but cool temperature. If you’re trying to shift to keeping your phone away from your bed, you might switch to an analog alarm clock to keep by your bed. I use this Marathon alarm clock – I love the French blue color but there are many options.
This is a great alarm clock. It is 3.75” square. $29.95
There are lots of other sleep aids that can help create an appealing bedtime routine and support a restful night. Those more sensitive to noise might find earplugs or a white noise machine helpful.
This Yogasleep Dohm white noise machine comes in white or black. The white has five trim colors to choose from. It has two-speed options for adjustable tone and volume. $49.99.
If you aren’t ready to invest in a white noise machine, you might try a white noise app, such as Rain Rain Sleep Sounds. It is free for iOS and Google.
It’s also a good idea to use a sleep mask to ensure that you’re in darkness as you sleep.
These Slip silk eye masks are hand washable (and gentle on your skin. They should be laid flat to dry. There are 28 colors and patterns to choose among. $38.90 – $50.00.
This Brooklinen silk sleep mask also comes in a blush color. Machine washable, lay flat to dry. $29.00.
The New York Times Wirecutter also recommended the Nidra Deep Rest Eye Mask as the best sleep mask of 2023. This is a contoured mask, with deep molded cups that curve away from eyes and eyelashes for sleeping in all positions. It is lightweight, secure, and comfortable. It comes in five colors. It should be hand washed and laid flat to dry. $19.99.
Allbirds makes this soft, ZQ Certified Merino wool sleep shield with contours to fit your face. $35.00.
Weighted blankets can also help to relax the body for sleep. My husband often has trouble sleeping, and he has experienced some of his best night’s sleep under a weighted blanket. The one he uses is:
Cymula flannel weighted blanket. It is sherpa fleece, heavy, and weighs 15 pounds. It comes in five colors. $69.99 for the queen size.
Two of our daughters have this weighted blanket – Baloo Soft weighted heavy cotton quilted blanket. It comes in five colors. It is 20 pounds and fits a full/queen bed, 60” x 80”. It can be machine washed with cold water and tumble dried. $199.00.
Finally, there are supplements that can support a good night’s sleep, such as magnesium. Natural Calm offers powdered supplements you can stir into water or chewable gummies you can take at nighttime. Their products are available at Whole Foods, CVS, Target, and elsewhere, as well as online.
Moon Juice also offers a ‘stirrable’ powder with three types of magnesium. $37.80 for 4 oz.
Mary Ruth’s Organics makes a liquid multimineral to be taken at night to support restful and regulated sleep. $35.96 for 32 servings.
To all a good night!
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