7 Items You Need for Better Sleep

How do you sleep? If you’re one of the rare unicorns that can sleep soundly every night, we applaud you. However, you’re definitely the exception, not the rule. Studies have found that 70 percent of adults report struggling to sleep at least one night a month, and 11 percent report insufficient sleep every night. Sleep issues affect 50 to 70 million Americans. No wonder those late night infomercials do so well…we’re all awake!  A study published by the app Sleep Cycle showed that February is the worst month for getting quality sleep. “This may be because the hormone melatonin is important for sleep and you need sun exposure to produce melatonin,” says  Seema Sarin, MD, Director of Lifestyle Medicine, EHE Health. “So, you have less melatonin during the dark winter months and this affects your sleep.” And, we all know how important sleep is to our physical and mental wellbeing.  The good news is that there are tools to help you not only fall asleep faster, but stay asleep. We spoke to sleep experts to share their favorite items that we can all try.  A Proper Mattress “A good mattress is probably one of the most important tools in a good night’s sleep. You need a mattress that is both firm, for maximum spinal alignment and soft, for optimal pressure relief on your hips and shoulders. The problem is that every choice you have out there requires you to compromise. You have to choose either a firm mattress or a soft one.  Intellibed uses the Gel Matrix technology that gives you both firm and soft at the same time.  It is an engineering phenomenon and truly does provide you with both. While a mattress supports your body, technology like Sleep Genius prepares your mind for optimal sleep.” —Collin House, sleep expert for Intellibed  Try: Birch Natural Mattress, starting at $1,299; and Sleep Genius Smart Base, $2,400 Upgrade Your Linens “I recommend getting allergy covers for your mattress and pillows even if you don’t have allergies just to keep dust and other particles out of your bedding. If that’s not in your budget, at least aim to wash your sheets once a week!  Is there anything better than getting into a freshly made bed with clean sheets?” —Lauri Leadley of Valley Sleep Center TRY: Luxome Bamboo Sheets, $129  Diffuser, Air Purifier and White Noise Machine “Ideally, your bedroom should be comfortable and be reserved for sleep and intimacy so that you associate the space with sleep. The temperature should not be too hot or cold. Make sure that the room is dark and there aren’t any shining or flashing lights. I recommend you invest in a great white noise machine, air purifier and diffuser.” —Seema Sarin, MD, Director of Lifestyle Medicine, EHE Health  TRY: CHI Egyptian Aromatherapy Ultrasonic Essential Oil Diffuser, $25; Guru Nanda Essential Oil Diffuser and Humidifier, $80; and Pure Enrichment Wave Sleep Therapy sound machine, $30 Blackout Shades & Orange Light Bulbs “Get the lighting right. I use a combination of black out shades and a bedside lamp with orange tinted light bulbs.  I love this combination because I get a warm candlelight glow in my room at bedtime but can open the blinds first thing in the morning to bring in the daylight.”   —Lauri Leadley of Valley Sleep Center TRY: Redi Paper Shade, $45 and Amber Lightbulb, $20   

How To Buy a Mattress in a Pandemic

I don’t know about you, but I still like to go shopping in a physical store. COVID has made that a little more complicated. While the convenience of getting something shipped right to my door is amazing (thank you Amazon, Wayfair and essentially every store on the planet!), there are still some things that I personally like to touch and test out before purchasing. One in particular—a mattress. Recently, I was in the market for a new mattress. In the past,  this was  really fun for my husband and I.  We would go into a store, jump (I mean lay) on every mattress in sight (at least 10 times) and then decide which was the perfect one for us.  But with the state of the pandemic, we had to pause. Is that even safe to do anymore? Stores are open and are supposed to be going through the proper safety procedures, but can we trust them? Is there another way to purchase a mattress that we know will fit our needs without going in a store?  You all know sleep is essential for our health.  Getting the proper 7 to 8 hours helps your body to recharge, remain healthy, stave off diseases and think more clearly. We can’t function without it, so you don’t want to mess around with one of the most important tools to help you get those zzzzz’s. So, I turned to the experts to help us in our search for a safe way to buy a mattress at this time.  Lexie Sachs is a Fiber Scientist and the Textiles Director at the Good Housekeeping Institute. Her job is to test every product on the market—from diapers and towels to workout leggings and mattresses to help us know which is the best on the shelves.  “Not to add more pressure, but buying a new mattress is one of the most important purchases you’ll make for your home,” Sachs says. “It needs to be comfortable and supportive to give you the best possible sleep, and durable so you won’t have to replace it within a few years. And because mattresses can get pricey, you want to make sure you’re investing in one that’s actually worth the cost.” Below are Sachs tips on how to find the best mattress (without stepping into a store).   HOW MATTRESS TESTING IS DONE The Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab reviews mattresses of all kinds, from traditional innerspring mattresses that you buy in stores to foam mattress-in-a-box styles that you buy online. On top of researching the brands, materials, and features, we have product experts and consumer testers try them out, and we survey our tester panel to get in-depth reviews from thousands of real users. We ask questions to learn everything about the mattresses, from the shopping experience and delivery, to first impressions of comfort, to how they have held up over time. We also ask about any issues encountered and how those issues were handled by customer service. We want to make sure that not only is the mattress good, but that the brand also is trustworthy since there are many new companies popping up in this space with bold promises. We also research the brands ourselves to learn more about their materials, policies, and more fine details.  And we have our product experts review them in person to get a better idea of how they feel and hold up over time. We continue to follow up with our testers and experts each year to see if there are any changes.  KNOW YOUR COMFORT LEVEL People will have their own personal levels of comfort in terms of how they want to shop for a mattress during the pandemic, but the good news is that there are great options for everyone. There’s the traditional in-store method, and many stores have reopened with safety precautions in place. Then there’s online shopping with white glove delivery, where a service will set up the mattress in your home (and many will remove your old mattress for you). Lastly, there’s online shopping where the mattress is shipped compressed in a box for you to set up on your own. This may be too much work for some, but it’s a good option for people that need a new mattress but don’t want anyone entering their homes during the pandemic. CONSIDER ONLINE SHOPPING Obviously I’m biased, but I would recommend checking out our Good Housekeeping mattress roundups. I’ve done the background work to make sure these are trustworthy brands as there are a lot of highly marketed mattress companies that have issues with customer service or the mattress itself. From there, consider your preferences in terms of delivery/set up and the mattress itself. CONSIDER YOUR SLEEPING STYLE AND POSITION  The main thing is personal preference: If you prefer a firmer bed with a more bouncy feel, you’ll want an innerspring mattress. If you prefer a pressure-relieving material that you sink into, opt for memory foam. You can also find hybrids that offer both coils and memory foam so you get the best of both worlds.  You should also consider your sleeping position because you need to make sure your spine is properly aligned. If you’re a stomach sleeper, you’re best off with a firm mattress. Side sleepers need a softer surface so there isn’t too much pressure around your joints. And back sleepers (or those who switch positions a lot) can opt for something in between. And when you’re online shopping, be sure to check the trial period and return policy so you can get a refund if you don’t love what you pick. YOU CAN STILL TRY IT OUT Look for mattresses with free trial periods so you can return them if you don’t love them. Most online mattress brands have generous policies where you can return the mattress within three months, or often longer. Even without a pandemic, this is a great way to make sure you love your mattress and are comfortable with the