Not on purpose, or so I could brag about it, and not so I could become more efficient. I did it because my body made me, and when I got tired of fighting it, I embraced it.
While I did enjoy spending 30-90 minutes quietly reading and drinking a coffee, I did not like that I’d wake up at 5:37am EVERY SINGLE DAY, no matter what. I could not fall back asleep, even for a bazillion dollars. On average, I was getting around six hours of sleep per night.
Martha Stewart claims to get something like four hours of sleep per night. But I am not Martha Stewart. A year ago, I started chipping away at getting better sleep. I am happy to report I’m now getting 7-8 hours a night. Here’s how I did it.
This post includes some affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission on some purchases. I’ve already made $1.67 this year from Amazon! Totally rich now. 💅
As a mom, I struggle with my desire to have some time to myself after my kids are in bed versus actually getting a decent night of sleep. I knew that if I wanted to get 8 hours of ZZZs, I needed to go to bed and fall asleep earlier. I’ve been trying to be in bed by 9:45 and asleep before 10:30. I’ve been doing a pretty good job of making that a reality by incorporating the following into my routine.
We started using a sound machine after my daughter was born, and I truly wonder how I ever slept without one. I’ve since purchased one for every bedroom in our house, including the guest room. I even travel with it— which almost got me in trouble with customs agents in Mexico, who thought it looked sus on the x-ray machine but eventually let me in the country.
Not all sound machines are created equal. I love the Dohm because it uses an actual fan mechanism instead of some weird digital doohickey that replicates white noise piped through a speaker— sorry, that’s not even close to as good.
You can buy directly from Yogasleep Dohm or via Amazon (I won’t tell).
I’ve been on a quest for a pillow that doesn’t tweak my neck, and works with back and side sleeping. I’ve tried a LOT, and the CozyRest Memory Foam Pillow ($75 for one, and 10% off for two) is by far my favorite. It’s looks kooky, but offers the perfect little cradle for your neck AND works with a regular pillowcase. They offer a 90-day trial and 5 year warranty (please tell me if anyone actually has used a warranty for a pillow). There are plenty of Amazon imitators that cost less, but I’ve never tried them. For me, this pillow is worth every cent.
I don’t know what’s going on with the machine behind Quince other than that they love running ads on podcasts and seem to sell literally everything ($50 cashmere sweaters, wool rugs, apparently vitamins now??). Most of the stuff I’ve purchased from them is very nice, including this down comforter that replaced our synthetic version. It feels so nice and light and I love the crinkle sound of a real down comforter. So very sorry to the responsibly sourced (so they say) geese and their feathers.
Use this link for $20 off your first Quince order of $100 or more
I actually can’t believe how much listening to a podcast helps me fall asleep. According to the internet, listening to a bedtime story or podcast is less about the content and more about turning off your thoughts. It totally works for this anxious lady whose brain loves to replay every dumb mistake she’s ever made on a bedtime loop.
Of course, when you share a bed with another person, you can’t just play something aloud on your phone, and I’m not going to sleep whilst wearing airpods. I found this inexpensive bluetooth headphone earband— they stay in place well, aren’t too tight, and have survived two accidental rounds through our washer and dryer (oops!).
I usually can’t stand the soft voices on sleepytime podcasts (example: Nothing Much Happens… maybe it works for you, and I am sure Kathryn is a nice person, but the slow cottonmouth of it all fills me with rage). My go-to pick is Anne Helen Peterson’s Culture Study podcast. The music isn’t loud or jarring, Anne reads the ads herself so there’s not much change in volume or tone between the show and ads, and the conversations aren’t typically too intense. I usually put on an episode I’ve already listened to, set the sleep timer for 30 minutes, and barely make it through 10 minutes before nodding off.
I know this gives some folks the willies, but I wear socks to bed. I cannot fall asleep with cold feet (looks like I’m not the only one), and ensuring my feet are warm enough has enabled me to fall asleep 10x faster. Oftentimes, I’ll put a heating pad on my feet. Though the heating pad turns off after a period of time, I often groggily kick it out of bed before then, and am typically able to fall back asleep quickly.
I got a 15lb (maybe 20lb?) weighted blanket for Christmas a few years ago, and I LOVE it, especially for an afternoon nap or in the winter. Cons: It does get a little hot, and my husband and I refer to it as “the divorce blanket” because he’s not able to get anywhere near me when I use it. Oh well!
If anyone has a rec for a weighted blanket they love and doesn’t make them sweat like a Swede in a sauna, let me know.
So many people swear by the magical sleepy properties of magnesium. I’ve tried Natural Calm (made my nearly poop in my pants), and a spray version that made my skin itch. These days, I am onto Pure Encapsulations Magnesium Glycinate. I take two about 30 minutes before bed and it seems to help me fall asleep and stay asleep pretty darn quickly.
I’m unsure if melatonin is good, bad, or neutral— I’ve heard they can fuck up your natural production melatonin and maybe not so great for your heart long-term. That said, I sometimes will pop one if I’m worried about falling asleep, or if I’m traveling. I buy the OLLY Brand. It’s like a little sleepy gummy treat.
There’s one thing that made the biggest impact on my sleep: hormones. I started taking Yaz, an oral birth control pill, last June. Within a month, I started waking later— like 6:30am. If I woke early (in the 4 or 5am range), I often could fall back asleep.
I know people have feelings about birth control pills. But for me, good ‘ol BC fixed my early waking and I couldn’t be happier.
I used to just close our shades, which didn’t fully block out the light. Last year, I started pulling our dark green IKEA curtains closed and night and it absolutely made a difference in my sleep— both in falling asleep faster and sleeping longer.
See— social media isn’t exclusively all terrible. Sometimes you learn weird hacks like these eye exercises that help you fall back asleep when you wake up too early. I swear it works!
Okay, tell me: how is your sleep? What’s worked well for you? Share with the rest of us!
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