Make 2024 the Year of Quality Sleep With These Nine Products

It’s shocking how easy it is to resign yourself to a bad pillow. For years I was constantly punching my pillow into shape and flipping it over without ever achieving the elevation or firmness I wanted. With a little research, I discovered Lagoon and pored over their multitude of different pillow styles, ranging from the airy Chinchilla model to the gel-infused Otter (both also $119.99). As a side and sometimes back sleeper, I went with the Fox, which is recommended for versatile sleepers.

Lagoon was founded by a lifelong competitive athlete Ryan Hurley, who understands the importance of maximizing recovery. It’s earned the endorsement of pro runners, collegiate swimmers, and more. In addition to selecting from the various models, you can further customize the density of your choice by removing fill. Whether it’s removing a pinch or several handfuls, you have total control over the amount of fill, which is composed of  80% shredded memory foam blended with 20% polyester microfibers (the microfibers serve to bind the material and ensure the pillow doesn't feel flat or lumpy). If you have any hesitation about committing to a new pillow, take advantage of Lagoon’s risk-free trial and spend 100 nights deciding if you can go back to your one-size-fits-all pillow.

For another product that athletes swear by, check out these performance pajamas that have Olympians raving. Pajamas might feel like an unimportant part of your sleep routine, but Dagsmejan has reimagined nightwear as an opportunity to not only improve your rest but also make it more rejuvenating.

The NATTRECOVER™ fabric is made from Microlyocell (a natural microfiber from eucalyptus) combined with heat-activated energizing minerals. This combination of materials is supposed to increase blood flow, which improves the amount of oxygen reaching muscles, thereby enhancing the recovery and rejuvenation process. These “wearable tech” PJs are available for men and women and can be purchased as separates in long- and short-sleeve options as well as leggings and shorts.  

While melatonin is a natural hormone produced in the brain, some people worry about daytime drowsiness and dependency that is sometimes associated with it. Arrae promises that its [“Sleep”]  capsules are non-habit-forming and that you’ll wake up energized thanks to the blend of herbs plus a neurotransmitter. The ingredients include GABA (an amino acid), chamomile, valerian root, holy basil, and hops, which were carefully chosen to promote deep sleep. Melatonin is typically synthetic or animal-derived whereas [“Sleep”] is vegan, cruelty-free, and organic. It’s the perfect compromise for those who feel falling asleep naturally is beyond them, but don’t feel quite comfortable with the effects of melatonin.

For those who aren’t crazy about the idea of any kind of supplement, a rest-promoting tea may be just the adjacent solution your sleep routine needs. There’s so much hype around morning rituals, but I think evening regimens may be even more important. This Rest tea contains a delicate mix of adaptogenic herbs, flowers, ashwagandha root, and reishi mushrooms that you’ll look forward to sipping each night.

I’ve found that creating a wind-down regimen has trained my mind to stop racing and as soon as I put water on to boil, my body slows down. The adaptogen ingredients help your body naturally reduce stress and the ashwagandha root supports endocrine function to help clear the mind.

Getting a better night’s sleep can be helped significantly by improving your environment. I’m not referring to a Sharper-Image-noise-machine type of ambiance, but the moisture levels in your bedroom. If you ever wake up feeling parched with a painfully dry throat, it may be time to order a humidifier.

This one from Canopy could not be easier to use (or clean) and it also doubles as a diffuser. You can see contaminants build up on the paper filter, which you can change out every 5-7 weeks, and the other parts can be run in the dishwasher for easy cleaning. The straightforward subscription service ships every 45 days, making the filters one less thing for you to remember to order.

The humidifier has 36 hours of runtime so I fill mine every other day and it automatically runs until all the water is used, meaning mold never has a chance to build up. Plus, there’s no mist — just filtered, hydrated air that will help combat dry skin. The diffuser element is my favorite bonus of all: just place an aroma puck on top of the grate, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil, and the room will be scented lightly.

It’s hard to get comfortable if you’re regularly sweating through your sheets. The solution is gadget-free and all-natural: linen sheets. Given its wondrous breathability, linen is the go-to summer clothing fabric, but it also makes for excellent bedding. It’s more durable than cotton and blissfully moisture-absorbing, absorbing up to 20% of its weight in moisture before beginning to feel wet. I’ve been using this set from Magic Linen for the past year and it’s only gotten softer, even though it started out remarkably so – credit that to the stone-washing process. It’s hard to pick just one color, but Magic Linen provides fabric samples ($5 to see every color!) so you can see and feel what you’re getting before taking the leap.  

This one goes out to all the nighttime teeth grinders. Not only does grinding cause headaches and jaw pain, it can lead to such severe damage that root canals or partial dentures are required. You can try a boil-and-bite one-size-fits-all guard, but the low price comes at the cost of a bulky fit. And while dentist-issued night guards are custom-made, but extremely expensive. Luckily, they’re not the only way to get a made-to-order fit.

With Cheeky, you get a tailor-made night guard without the outrageous sticker price. You’re sent an at-home impression kit to get a precise fit for upper or lower (or both) guards, which you send back to Cheeky. You can select from four different guard thicknesses depending on the ferocity of your grinding (1.5, 2, 3mm for the soft setting, and 0.76mm for the hard option). For those who anticipate misplacing a guard – or who want to keep one at a second home – go with the yearly subscription ($235), which will send a new guard four times a year.

Unless you have a masochistic streak, no one likes to be woken up suddenly by loud noises. That being said, most alarm clocks create that startling effect — but not so with this sunrise-simulating, birds twittering (or ocean waves or sound bath) alarm.

While it’s touted widely for the gentle wake-up experience that fills your bedroom with soft morning red, then orange, then bright yellow light, the sunset setting is my favorite feature. I love being able to set both the duration of the sunset simulation and the initial light intensity on a scale of 1 to 25. I set it bright enough so I can read for the first 20 minutes of the simulation and once it’s too dim to read comfortably, I know it’s time to get ready to sleep. Using the sunset setting has given me way fewer nights where I’m lying in the dark, head buzzing with a million thoughts, and feeling like it’ll be hours before I actually fall asleep.

There are cheaper versions of the sunrise/sunset alarm, but the bargain options have light that changes in low/medium/high steps rather than gradually on a gentle slope. The SmartSleep is also a great light to have for couples because you can use the midnight light setting (a very gentle orange glow) when you need to get out of bed in the middle of the night without waking your partner.

It can be frustrating when falling asleep on the couch with a weighted blanket comes so much easier than a proper night’s sleep. Weighted blankets are usually chunky throws or something designed to be placed stylishly for decor, but not the “real” bedding  layer you use for sleeping. Brooklinen has made the dreams of weighted-blanket-lovers come true with this weighted comforter that looks and functions like a traditional duvet. It has corner loops for easy attachment to your duvet cover and weighs 20 lbs thanks to evenly distributed glass microbeads. With this weighted comforter, you can get all the coziness of a stolen couch nap combined with the restfulness that sleeping in your actual bed provides.