12 Products That Help Us Get a Good Night's Sleep

When it comes to creating the ideal environment for sleep, Lisa Fogarty, a CR writer, is all about paring down the visual noise in her space. “I feel most rested when my bedroom is pitch-black at night, but because my husband and I have various chargers and a TV in our room, there’s blue glowing light everywhere you turn,” she says. Cue these light-blocking stickers, which offer a simple solution to a common nuisance. “They come in different sizes and shapes and can be placed right on top of your tech light source to dim light.”

And because stickers can’t quite tackle the often bigger source of unwanted light (we’re talking windows), Fogarty opts for blackout curtains to seal the deal. “These stickers and velvet blackout curtains, which you can now find in pretty shades, are my go-to items for a calm, dark bedroom,” she says.

Happy Ears narrowly edged out the others in our evaluation of the best earplugs because they combine a fairly high noise reduction rating (NRR) with very strong comfort for sleeping. We liked the oval shape, which helped make them simple to insert and remove, and the soft tips made them comfortable. They come in a wee heart-shaped, compostable box for storage that’s easy to open.

Most evaluators said the earplugs tended to stay put during sleep, though a few said they fell out. They didn’t produce any pain during side sleeping, which wasn’t always the case for premolded models. Evaluators also liked that they’re reusable and could be cleaned, further reducing waste. Also, unlike buds that supply only one change of tips, Happy Ears sends you three pairs in different sizes. That’s a superior system because fiddling with tiny earbud tips frequently leads to losing them.

The noise-dampening effect was pretty good, and the fact that they stayed in place for most users made them the winner.

For more options: Best Earplugs

Even small sources of light—say, computer screens or outdoor lamps—can have an impact on sleep quality, and finding ways to block out that light may significantly improve your ability to get a better night’s rest.

The Therabody SleepMask offers (via an app) white or pink noise, relaxation sounds, and even guided meditation to help users relax and fall asleep. It has three vibration patterns, each with two intensities. You press a button at the top of the mask to turn on and switch through the vibrations to find a combination that feels best for you. Vibrations turn off automatically after 15 minutes.

In using this sleep mask, CR senior writer Angela Lashbrook found that the “gentle rolling vibrations” helped her focus on and regulate her breathing rather than on her anxious, racing thoughts, which allowed her to fall asleep faster than usual.

For more options: Best Sleep Masks

The Loftie alarm clock, a modern take on a retro concept that doubles as a white noise machine, is aesthetically pleasing and chock-full of tranquilizing sounds. Mary Beth Quirk, a CR shopping editor, considers it her new bedtime best friend. “There are a ton of sound presets ranging from white noise to red noise and every hue in between; natural sound effects like waves and rainy forests; and sleepytime meditations for every day of the week to help me tune out and doze off,” she says.

While it can be a bit fiddly to set up—as noted by Quirk and echoed by our colleagues in a recent evaluation—it can be easier to operate once you become familiar with the buttons and settings. It looks great on a nightstand, its light levels can be adjusted to match any mood, and it also works well as a sunrise alarm clock. “I love using the Temple setting to wake up to the calming hum of a sound bowl in a cavernous room instead of a grating, traditional alarm,” Quirk adds. 

Here’s one for durability. Deb Silber, CR’s deputy home editor, and her husband purchased a white noise machine in the ’80s and it has been whooshing them to sleep nightly ever since. “It’s incredible, and it’s super-simple—it’s a fan, and I think that’s its strength,” she says. 

While the original Sleep Mate by Marpac Model 900 is considered vintage nowadays, the company has since rebranded as YogaSleep and offers a wide variety of white noise machines. It even makes travel versions, which Silber plans on buying. “The toughest thing for my husband and I, when we go on the road, is leaving our soothing Sleep Mate behind!”

For more options: Best White Noise Machines

In evaluating duvets, this aptly titled version from Buffy stood out to Christian because of its smooth and silky composition. The fill—thick and scrunchable—gives it an ultra-fluffy feel, which reminded our bedding expert of a squishy pillow made into a blanket. Crafted of recycled materials, this duvet is uniformly stuffed in layers rather than the stitched-box design of most duvets, which is meant to prevent clumping and shedding.

The company offers a seven-night trial on bedding purchases, so you can sleep-test it and decide whether or not it’s a fit before Buffy officially charges your card. A temporary hold is used in its place.

Read more: Best Duvets

Sometimes something as simple as a little boost to the olfactory system can help you relax before bed. In fact, a 2015 study involving college students with self-reported sleep issues found that inhaled lavender essential oils combined with sleep hygiene improved their quality of sleep. Cue scented pillow sprays.

“I currently have three—yes, three!—herbal-scented pillow sprays on my bedside table, but my favorite is Deep Sleep by ThisWorks,” Quirk says. “While it’s a combination of lavender, vetiver, and wild chamomile, the lavender is the strongest scent—though not cloyingly so. Just one whiff and I feel like I can breathe easier and deeper.” Quirk sprays it lightly on her pillows and sheets before jumping into bed, and sometimes even when making her bed in the morning.