Nearly everyone has trouble sleeping well from time to time. Whether it’s due to stress, work, travel, hormonal shifts, bad lifestyle habits or even the weather, the reasons behind not getting enough good quality ZZZs are complex and can be annoyingly difficult to track down.
Even if you consider yourself a good sleeper, there are some nights when the best of us will struggle to drift off and snooze soundly. And for those who regularly suffer with insomnia, deep sleep can feel unfairly out of reach. Of course, the more you worry about how much (or little) sleep you are getting, the more it’s likely to keep you awake.
The solution? Try to relax. Easier said than done, right? Yes, but start by going easy on yourself. Do what you can to help yourself de-stress but don’t play the blame game. Even wellbeing experts such as Abigail James and Happy Place founder Fearne Cotton have trouble sleeping. There is no magic bullet, one-size-fits-all answer.
What you can do is to look after yourself with a healthy evening winddown routine and create a calming environment in your bedroom to set yourself up for sound snoozing. This could be as simple as having a warm bath and doing some gentle yoga before bedtime. Also avoid looking at your phone and other screens; read a book or listen to something relaxing. The aim is to soothe your senses.
Natural products to help sleep
Your bedroom should be your sanctuary, and some well-chosen products can help you create this and lay the foundations for a restful night’s sleep. We tried a range of natural products to help you sleep and these are the ones that we recommend.
Dream After Dark Pillow Mist (£18, kissthemoon.com )
Tap into the power of nature’s most relaxing scents with this dreamy blend of soothing lavender and bergamot essential oils. Designed to help ease light sleepers into a deeper, more restorative night’s rest. Aromatherapy can work for everyone, and if you are someone who finds scent particularly evocative (like our tester) it could be especially powerful when it comes to helping you sleep soundly.
Wellbeing Weighted Blanket (£45, silentnight.co.uk )
If tension is keeping you awake at night, try this. The deep pressure from this 6.8kg weighted blanket helps to relax your body, giving the sensation of being hugged to ease stress and anxiety naturally. Our tester had problems with taking a long time to get to sleep and had never tried a weighted blanket before and found this a real game changer. A children’s version is also available.
Groove Pillow (£29.95, groovepillows.co.uk )
One of the Groove Pillow’s standout features is its remarkable ability to provide overnight relief from neck pain, which really worked for our tester. The two different head position options ingeniously built into the pillow allow you to find the perfect alignment for your neck, ensuring a truly restful night’s sleep. Another impressive aspect of the Groove Pillow is its exceptional temperature regulation. It remains consistently cool throughout the night, eliminating the need to constantly flip the pillow to find a comfortable spot.
Loop Earplugs (from £19.95, loopearplugs.com )
Living with a snorer? Loop earplugs have got you covered. If you’re tired of being disturbed by unwanted sounds and seeking a reliable way to regain control, these are the answer you’ve been looking for. They truly are a game-changer in the realm of noise reduction. The earplugs come with a range of tips designed to cater to various ear sizes, ensuring a comfortable and snug fit for everyone.
Drowsy Sleep Mask (£69, drowsysleepco.com )
Studies show that the right level of darkness helps regulate our natural sleep-wake cycle. So, if a too-light bedroom is interrupting your ZZZs, look no further than this blackout sleep mask. Made with the purest silk and oh so generously padded, the mask offers next level luxury. Our tester had tried other eye masks before but had never found any that were comfortable enough to keep on all night. This one was different – super luxurious, cloud-like pillows for the eyes that soothe you into a restful sleep. Bliss!
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