Invest in Your Rest With These Awesome Sleep Gears!

Rest is necessary. It’s the body’s way to recharge, replenish what’s been lost, and to recover from the daily stresses of life. As Annie Lamott once said, “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” This is why sleep is an important part of rest. 

According to Sleep Matters Club, the average human will spend a third of his/her lifetime sleeping (that’s an estimated 26 years of one’s life of 79 years), so why not get the proper products that will make you experience it better? At least 7 hours of sleep is needed by adults to properly have good brain and cognitive functions, and behavioral ones, too. You don’t feel like you’re you when you don’t have enough sleep, so it’s only sensible to invest in your rest.

Here are 6 products that induce a good night’s sleep, so you can fully unplug and rest for the day to come.

1. Tempur Symphony Pillow with Smartcool Technology

Have you ever woken up with a sore shoulder or annoying neck pain? Yep, I get it. It surely gives you a rough start in the morning, and it’s probably from a bad sleeping position, or poor quality pillows and/or mattress. Standard pillows don’t consider your spine alignment; good thing Tempur has ergonomical ones. This means their pillows are designed to fit your physiological needs as you sleep. 

The secret is in their patented micro-cushions that have flexible comfort and support for back and side sleepers with its soft contoured edges and a thicker profile that follows the natural curvature of your body. It provides gentle elevation on the head without having the need to double the pillow which usually causes strain and tightness when you wake up. It’s also great for shoulder support, and is recommended for people with acid reflux and frozen shoulders. Shop here.

2. Divoom Fairy-Ok Retro Mini Karaoke Speaker

Divoom recently launched in the Philippines and their adorable and aesthetic karaoke speaker has been received well by both audiophiles and karaoke fanatics. The sound quality is superb, the craftsmanship is stunning, and the add-on bluetooth microphone is a cool and fun touch (oh, it also has an FM radio!). How does this cute, little device help you sleep? Depends what you play on it. 

According to Melinda Ratini, a doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (trained doctors that approach their patients as whole individuals, and not just focusing on symptoms), white noise has frequencies that induce quality sleep. 

As per Sleep Foundation, white noise refers to a noise that contains all frequencies across the spectrum of audible sound in equal measure, masking background noises altogether. Anecdotally, people often liken white noise to the static that comes from an untuned radio or television.

Researchers have studied the effect of white noise on humans for many years, finding evidence it can reduce crying in infants, improve work performance, and potentially help counteract symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

For a deeper sleep, simply connect Divoom Fairy-Ok speakers via bluetooth to your device, and look up “white noise” on YouTube or Spotify. They have an array of white noise playlists with prolonged durations up to 10++ hours. There are also other color-spectrum noises like pink or brown noise, while I personally prefer brown noise because of its deeper octave (think shower or rainfall noises), making it a lot easier & faster for me to doze off. Shop here.

3. Ava&Ava Bamboo Lyocell Bed Sheets

Have you gotten a fabric burn, or woken up with uncomfortable sleep sweats because of bad quality bed sheets? I have, and not only does it disrupt your sleep, it also is a surefire way to feel like you’ve woken on the wrong side of the bed. Ever since I discovered how bedsheets can greatly affect slumber, I’ve made it a point to invest in bamboo ones. The real game changer, however, is my discovery of Ava&Ava Eco-Luxe Linens, because they use bamboo lyocell, the latest generation, most premium and sustainable type of bamboo fabric, and 100% organic stone washed flax linen—the most durable natural textile. 

I put their bed sheets to the test, and I instantly regret it. Only because I feel like I can never go back to basic bed sheets again! These are by far the smoothest and most comfortable natural bed sheets I’ve ever slept on. My skin feels like it’s being caressed by the soothing hands of Mother Nature herself. It drapes softly without feeling clingy for a cozy, buttery, breezy feel. It’s designed with thermoregulation, which means it adjusts to you for the perfect temperature year-round (no more hot flashes and night sweats). Bamboo lyocell also resists dust mites and bed bugs. Unlike cotton, it wicks sweat and odors away fast. It’s perfect for those with sensitive skin, eczema, and allergies.

To further impress, their products are also sustainable, because their fabrics use less water and energy during production compared to other textiles. And since their products are so good for you and the planet, they also created their line of baby and kids bed sheets and pillows for your little ones, because sleep is their priority. Shop here.

4. Wonder Slumber Eye Mask

Sleeping in total darkness has numerous benefits. Firstly, it makes us fall asleep faster. Darkness promotes relaxation and stimulates the production of melatonin, the hormone that helps us drift into dreamland more easily. It’s good to keep it that way for the whole duration of sleep, too. Checking our phones, or sudden increase of brightness in our surroundings make the brain confused as to what time of day it is, disrupting sleep and our circadian rhythm, the 24-hour internal clock in our brain that regulates cycles of alertness and sleepiness by responding to light changes in our environment. This is why scrolling on our phones before we sleep is a bad habit we must break.

I travel a lot, and to catch up on sleep while I’m on-the-go, I use Wonder Slumber’s sleep mask. It blocks off 100% of external light, has adjustable eye cups to fit your eye distance perfectly (they don’t press on the lashes, too!), and has unique velcros that don't stick to your hair for total comfort. It’s hypoallergenic, and made with 100% cotton. I absolutely love this product, especially when I have to share rooms while traveling, or when I take a redeye flight. I can catch my sleep anytime, anywhere, and hack my body clock so I can bounce back from jet lags even faster. Shop here.

5. Puritan's Pride Melatonin

When insomnia creeps on you, it’s good to have a bottle of melatonin pills handy. I swear by Puritan’s Pride Melatonin Pills. It was even encouraged by my doctor when I contracted Co-VID19 a year ago. Not only did it give me deeper sleep, it also increased the blood oxygen in my body, enhancing my resistance to flu-like symptoms. Unlike many prescription sleeping pills, melatonin isn't a sedative. It works by signaling your body that it's nighttime, encouraging your body's natural sleep-wake cycles to help you power down for the night. The best part is, I don’t feel groggy nor heavy as I wake up in the morning to start my new day. Shop here.

6. Divoom Planet-9 Lamp

Want a unique, decorative mood lamp on your bedside table to help you wind down for rest? The Divoom Planet-9 Lamp is an art-deco style, cordless, dimmable lamp that has countless light patterns and settings to choose from (it has 16 million colors). Not only is it a pretty cool night light, it can also mimic the sunlight as you wake up with its sunrise function. Set the time for your favorite night light pattern as you get ready for bed, and let it wake you gently as the sunrise alarm mimics the natural hue and glow of the sun, so you can help your body get up naturally. More and more harmful side effects are discovered when we wake up to our phone screens (hormonal dysfunctions, distracted brain activity, so on and so forth), so this is a better alternative to blue light. It’s also best used by condo dwellers who don’t have much access to natural sunlight in the morning.

I absolutely enjoy how fun this device is as I make my own custom mood lamp patterns via the Divoom app, and you can even turn it into an audio visualizer as the light dances along with sound, should you want to play soothing music before you sleep. Shop here.

Sleep is an important part of living fully and holistically. Best we invest in our rest, so we can enjoy our quality of life when we’re up and awake.