Best sleeping accessories our editors can’t live without
“I live in an extremely dry state, and if the air in my room isn’t humid, I find I’ll wake up in the middle of the night with a dry throat or itchy, rough skin. This humidifier helps fill the entire room with a warm mist, so I can sleep throughout the night and wake up to skin that isn’t craving moisture.
“It also has a subtle white noise sound that lulls me to sleep. Even more, there’s a handy compartment in the device where I can place Vicks VapoPads if I want some aromatherapy (like lavender) or something to soothe a cough (like menthol).” — Jen Anderson, copy editor, Healthline
Shop now at Target“Calm’s sleep stories and sleep meditations are a must in our household, helping both myself and my kid fall asleep each night. Our 9-year-old loves the Yawny McDawny stories the most, though ‘History of the Toothbrush’ and ‘Sienna the Sleepy Sloth’ are favorites, too.
“I like to do either a 10 to 20-minute sleep meditation or a sleep story to help me drift off. I especially enjoy Calm’s train stories. (Who wouldn’t want to fall asleep while taking a virtual trip through the Highlands of Scotland or fjords of Norway?)
“My brain usually loves to keep me awake for hours working through stress and worries right when I go to bed. Calm’s meditations and sleep stories allow me to turn off or at least lessen that endless stream of consciousness, letting me fall asleep more easily.” — Sanna Arthur, editor II, Psych Central
Download Calm“I like this lamp for falling asleep to and creating a generally relaxing environment. This diffuser is nice, because I can use it to diffuse essential oils or humidify the air. And I can use the lamp on its own.
“I find the color changing light cycle soothing if I need to wind down at bedtime. Choosing one color creates a cozy atmosphere. It’s easy to use, and the diffuser can be set to run for 30 minutes or 1 to 3 hours. You can use the diffuser and lamp at the same time, or just one.” — Candice Abellon, senior editor, Healthline
Shop now at Amazon“Headspace has some great meditation series and music lists for focus during the day, but my favorite features are the sleepcasts and wind-downs. I use these for getting to sleep and sometimes for going back to sleep when waking up in the middle of the night.
“The sleepcasts typically involve a bit of breathwork to prime the body and mind for sleep, but there’s also a storytelling quality to these — like someone reading to you.
“A simple toggle on the screen lets you adjust the sound if you want the voice or the ambient sounds to be louder or balanced with each other. They have some sleepcasts available for free.” — Abellon
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“This has been an absolute game-changer for achieving deeper sleep and waking up less during the night. It mixes very easily in water, tastes great, and doesn’t have any weird additives. The powdered formula digests well and also allows you to adjust the dose to find what works best for you.” — Cat Staskawicz, associate editor, Healthline
Shop now at Thorne“I’ve used this box fan to help me sleep for pretty much my entire life. I need white noise to sleep well through the night, and everyone in my family growing up had one to two of these fans in their bedroom to sleep. I share a wall with a nightclub and live above a band in my little NYC apartment, and this fan blocks out any and all noise.
“I jokingly refer to it as my ‘baby machine,’ because the second it goes on, I pass out like a baby.” — Britt Ladin, editor II, Healthline
Shop now at Amazon“This is my favorite sleep product of all time. We have one in our kids’ room, which is right by the front door of our house, and this ensures they don’t hear any noise from our comings and goings.
“Our twin 3-year-olds love to turn it on, get excited about turning it off in the morning, and use it now as a wake alarm. They know “purple wake-up” means there’s school, and “white sleep” means to stay put because it’s a weekend.
“As parents, we get much better rest due to having this sound machine, and I’ve debated buying one for our room as well. It also works simply and well, and it’s been going strong for 3 years now. I’ve tried a few similar products while traveling — none compare to this one.” — Aubrey Wood, editorial director, Healthline
Shop now at Hatch“This is like a pillow for my eyes and completely blacks everything out. It’s thicker than most other sleep masks, which makes it feel extra cozy. Even though it’s silk, it’s machine washable, which is super convenient. Luxury and practical!” — Catherine Connelly, editor II, Healthline
Shop now at Lunya“This is such a comforting scent — it’s fragrant enough to wash your pillow and blankets in a cloud of lavender and rose, but gentle enough to drift into the background and not overwhelm the senses.” — Tess Catlett, sex and relationships editor, Healthline
Shop now at Pacifica“This thing is awesome. It’s a noise machine, sunrise lamp, and alarm clock in one. You can create a custom schedule with wind-down sounds and lighting, white noise sounds, and your preferred sunrise colors to wake you up gradually. You can operate it with buttons on the light or the Hatch app.
“One negative, though, is that it does require Wi-Fi.” — Jamey Powell, senior market editor, Healthline
Shop now at Hatch“This app helps me track my sleep during the night with my AppleWatch. It tracks metrics, like heart rate, sleeping heart rate dip, disruption, and hours slept over time. I can tag specific behaviors (i.e., screens before bed, sleeping with an eye mask or humidifier, doing yoga the day before), temperature, supplements, and other factors that may affect my sleep.
“The app also asks how tired I feel upon waking and how tired I feel during the day. This has helped me take more control over getting a good night’s sleep and learn how my actions during the day and before bed affect my sleep. There’s also a paid subscription option that unlocks even more data.” — Heather Hobbs, editor I, Healthline
Download SleepWatch“Before trying these, I had been using a silk pillowcase that was NOT the vibe. It was soft, and I could tell it was protecting my hair, but I didn’t like the static feel. These were the perfect swap for me. The TENCEL fabric is made from eucalyptus and is just as soft and luxurious (but not as slippery) as silk.” — Ruby Thompson, market editor, Greatist
Shop now at Eucalypso“I used to think weighted blankets were just hype until I got to try this one from Casper. Now, I drape it over my existing duvet and sleep under it every night.
“It’s made of breathable cotton, and the microbeads inside the blanket tend to stay cool, so there’s no need to worry that you’ll suffocate with heat under it. There are also a couple of different weights available to better match your unique body type.” — Mellanie Perez, editor I, Healthline