.jpg)
March is sleep awareness month and if you’re struggling to get some Z’s, then keep reading. We tapped Dr. Elizabeth Trattner, Doctor of Chinese and Integrative Medicine and Founder of Helia House, a non-toxic healing oasis located in North Miami, for her best tips to help you snooze. Keep reading for five products to help ensure a solid night of shut eye.
Dr. Trattner suggests:
- Get at least 8 hours of sleep a night, ideally 9-10 hours. Try and go to bed around the same time each night, optimally getting into bed by 10 pm. The sleep between 10 pm and 12 am is some of the most restorative.
- No TV, bright lights, tablets, or cell phones before bedtime or during sleep. They emit blue light which stimulates the brain and suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin, as well as keeps you up and delays and changes sleep onset times.
- Ban bedtime snacks and keep a regular 12-hour fasting window. Meaning, if you finish dinner at 8:30 pm, you shouldn't eat breakfast until after 8.30 am the next day. In medicine, both Eastern and Western, it is good to give yourself 3 hours after eating a meal before going to bed. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, food retention is one of the reasons for insomnia.
- Establish a relaxing nighttime routine that promotes ritual and self-care including a warm bath, aromatherapy, or a nighttime foot rub. These all stimulate the production of oxytocin, a hormone that helps us relax and lowers cortisol, the fight or flight stress hormone.
Beyond Dr. Tratttner’s tips, we found these five products for a good night's sleep.
1. EightSleep Pod Pro Mattress
If you suffer from sticker shock at the price of a new mattress, try and reframe your thinking as it’s the best investment you can make in yourself and your home. We’re loving EightSleep Pod Pro Mattress, which features a five-layer premium foam mattress that is 12 inches deep for the ideal support in all the right places, along with ambient sensors that measure room temperature and humidity allowing the Pod Pro to automatically maintain your ideal thermal environment. Plus for those that share your bed, no more fighting over the temperature as you can set each side of the bed to anywhere between 55°F - 110°F, controlled by the Eight Sleep app. There are other cool features like chest-level vibration and gradual temperature change to help wake you up in the morning, along with health tracking. $2,845, payment plans available, eightsleep.com, @eightsleep
2. PeachSkinSheets
Nothing in our book feels better than crawling into a bed with soft, cool sheets. PeachSkinSheets feature a unique moisture-wicking, temperature controlled fabric, designed to ensure hot sleepers stay cool and cold sleepers stay cozy. The 1500-thread count level is ultra soft and features a velvety brushed PeachSkin finish on each side, along with deep pockets that stay put on the bed. We went with classic white, but they are available in 24 different colors. Starting at $75, peachskinsheets.com, @peachskinsheets
3. Blackberry Rose Sleep Formula
We are no stranger to CBD, but these gumdrops from Molly J. feature a 50mg of the CBD/CBN blend, coupled with 5 mg of melatonin per gumdrop to help relax you into sleep and keep you in a deep one. Made by hand in small batches with natural fruit flavors and hemp-derived Broad Spectrum CBD that is organically grown in the U.S., and are gluten-free with zero THC. $70 for 9 pack box, mollyj.life , @molly.j.life
4. Dream The Night Away Lotion
This self-care and wellness brand owned and led by expert and entrepreneur, Stephanie Morimoto and Chief Brand officer and tennis star Venus Williams, is on a mission to democratize wellness, making it accessible for those who don’t have lofty budgets or leisure time. We not only love their mission, but their Dream the Night Away lotion with Melatonin and Magnesium. Scented with lemongrass essential oil, this smooth, moisturizing shea butter lotion will ease you right to sleep. Story has it, Venus used the lotion during the product photoshoot and 30 minutes later had to fight to keep her eyes open. Take it from Venus, and use it right before bed. $19.99, asutra.com, @asutra.life
5. myAir Sleepy Gray+ Bar
This yummy bar includes superfood ingredients like dates, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, cashew nuts and terpenes (plant molecules) widely used to improve sleep quality such as hops. We’re obsessed with these bar’s natural formulas and functional ingredients that are customized to suit your stress levels. Since stress affects everyone differently, be sure to take their online assessment to find out which bars you need based on how stress manifests in your body. $2.99 per bar, myair.ai, @myairsmartfood
