Just when we’re attempting to embrace good intentions for 2020, our sleep schedules have taken their biggest hit, thanks to the triple whammy of party season, the Christmas eat-and-drinkathon, and that weird bit around New Year when neither hours nor days – even time itself – really matter.
All this before going #backtowork and attempting to return your mind and body to their usual routines. Time to reactivate your 6am alarm, change back the hours on your thermostat, and dig out your dog-eared coffee loyalty card.
With early starts just around the corner, you’ll be wanting to get the best quality sleep possible while you can. So we’ve rounded up five of the best products that will aid your quest for rest, all tried and tested by the team.
Lumie Bodyclock Spark 100 Wake up to Daylight SAD Light, Amazon, £74.99
I can personally attest to the brilliance of a Lumie Bodyclock, as I am the proud owner of one. I even wrote it this love letter.
No blaring bleep to jolt me out of my sleep. Instead the light (which can be adjusted depending on how bright you want it to be) emits a warm glow into my bedroom and the alarm sound starts quietly, eventually getting louder.
To snooze it only takes a light tap on the dome, so easy to do when you’re buried under your duvet. Best of all, it stops me from looking at my phone as the last thing I do before I go to bed and the first thing I do when I wake up.
Because both the sound and light are so gradual, I now wake up feeling more rested and in a better mood and that’s only improved with use.
Jungle Leaf Eye Mask, Elizabeth Scarlett, Amara, £20
From the cracks in your curtains to the light from a late text or your partner getting up early to go to the gym, a good eye mask should eliminate as much light as possible to ensure you get your 40 winks. HuffPost’s Life Editor Brogan simply cannot sleep without her one in this cool, jungle leaf design.
According to Brogan, not only does it block out any last chinks of brightness that might rouse her from slumber, just the act of putting on an eyemask on, helps send her to sleep. As she points out, restorative yoga often uses a weighted eye pillow to switch on your parasympathetic nervous system (the one that slows your heart rate and generally chills your body out). Putting on an eye mask helps do the same. And works out cheaper, even a posh one like this.
Kally Body Pillow, Heathered Grey, Kally Sleep, £44.99
Not to be mistaken for a pregnancy pillow, although it may come in useful if you’re expecting, this sausage pillow worked wonders for HuffPost’s Assistant Editor Amy when she has some back pain, and has now become a staple in her bedtime routine.
The beauty of it: versatility. Want to prop yourself up and read in bed? Use the sausage pillow. Need something to support a tablet so you can watch something in bed? Sausage pillow. Hoping to warm yourself up because it’s still cold under the duvet? Spoon the pillow.
This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray (75ml), Look Fantastic, £19.50
We’re not actually sure how this lavender, vetivert and camomile scented pillow spray works to help you slumber through the night, but when liberally spritzed onto your pillows, it delivers a delicious cloud of relaxation. The fragrance isn’t overwhelming and, whether it’s routine or science, it seems to help people nod off and stay asleep easier.
The 75ml size will last you months, but if you’re a frequent traveller, it also comes in miniature for £10, alongside a stress rollerball to apply to your pulse points. If you needed more convincing, it scored rave reviews when we tested it against other sleep sprays on the market.
Twinings Superblends Sleep, Tesco, £2.69
Earlier in 2019, the HuffPost team tested five different teas, all promising to hep you nod off quicker. Twinings was well loved by many of the judges for its fragrant aroma of apple, vanilla, camomile and passionflowers – not too festive, easily drinkable. “I sipped this tea while reading in bed and floated off to sleep feeling like I’d had a big hug,” wrote Life Reporter Rachel who said she would happily make it a part of her nightly pre-bedtime rituals. Add it to yours.
MORE FROM HUFFPOST FINDS…
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