8 of the best sleep products to help aid a better night’s slumber
Ayesha Muttucumaru
Wellness
Reading time: 6 minutes
Let us help you make drifting off easier with these expert tips & top product picks
If you have trouble sleeping, you’re not alone. It’s estimated that around one in five people in the UK aren’t getting enough shut-eye, as we struggle to put the brakes on our whirring minds in the midnight hours and make the leap to the land of nod.
Thankfully, there are some sleep routine swaps and products that can help you relax and unwind before bed and set the scene for a more restful slumber. From writing down your worries, to spritzing a little pillow mist and other twilight rituals, here’s how to prep body and mind for better sleep in the short and long term, as well as the sleep aids our team can’t live without.
How much sleep a night do we need?
First things first: how much sleep should we be aiming for?
Our health is as individual as we are and a good night’s sleep looks different to each of us. But as a rough guideline, the NHS recommends that adults try to get around seven to nine hours a night.
It can also be helpful to check in with how you feel during the day – if you’re constantly tired, you’re probably not getting enough sleep for your needs.
7 tips to help you sleep better
Surprising fact: our bedtime routine starts during the day.
From diet to exercise, making some changes during the daylight hours can make it easier to get to sleep – and stay asleep.
1. Be consistent
Keeping regular sleep hours and going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time, can help train your body clock and, in turn, help you sleep better.
2. Avoid lie-ins & naps
It may come as a surprise, but lie-ins and naps aren’t the best idea. “In order to sleep well, we have to have a really strong sleep drive,” explains Kathryn Pinkham, insomnia specialist and founder of The Insomnia Clinic. “And if you think of that drive like an appetite for sleep, the longer we’re out of bed, the stronger that appetite is. The stronger that appetite is, the faster we fall asleep and the better the quality and the depths of sleep that we get.”
Kathryn’s top tip? Make sure you’re getting up nice and early and you’re not going to bed too early to better support your sleep drive.
3. Keep moving
Regular exercise will help you feel more tired when night rolls round. Just try and avoid anything too intense too close to bedtime, as it can have the opposite effect.
Fitness motivation flagging? Find out how to build a workout routine that works for you in our guide.
4. Avoid tech too close to bedtime
“Blue light can interfere with the development of melatonin [the sleep hormone],” explains Kathryn, as it can trick your brain into thinking it’s daytime.
Keeping your phone by your bed can also make checking work emails all too easy, which can trigger feelings of unease. “If you read that email at 10 at night and it causes some stress, then you’re unlikely to sleep well,” Kathryn highlights.
With access to tech so easily available, it can be hard to be disciplined. So, Kathryn recommends trying to compartmentalise your 24 hours as much as possible, allocating time slots to sleep, work and relax to help reduce the risk of too much out-of-hours scrolling.
Need to recalibrate your relationship with tech? Check out our guide on how to do a digital detox.
5. Be mindful of caffeine & alcohol
For a better night’s kip, try and steer clear of alcohol and caffeine too close to bedtime. They can have a stimulating effect that can prevent you from falling asleep, as well as reduce the amount of deep sleep you get during your sleep cycles.
6. Write down your worries
A great way to help us get out of our heads and reduce ruminating time, is to put down our worries on paper.
“Get into the habit every day of creating a 15- to 20-minute window, maybe just after you finish work, and in that time, just emptying your mind,” Kathryn recommends. This could include writing down anything that’s bothering you, tasks you have to do or perhaps things you’ve been trying to ignore, because you don’t have the headspace to deal with them.
“The therapeutic part is just getting them out of your head,” says Kathryn. “What you’re saying to your mind is ‘I’m not going to ignore this stuff, I’m going to acknowledge that I think about it and it needs dealing with, but I’m going to do it in this window when I’m prepared to do it.’
“What that allows you to do is free up the rest of your 24 hours, so you can be more present in conversations and other activities.”
7. Build in pockets of relaxation through the day
“You can’t out sleep stress,” says Kathryn. Often, sleep can be seen as a way to help us better cope with everyday stress. There’s no denying that it can work, but Kathryn recommends shifting the focus to things we can do to reduce the impact of everyday stress on our sleep.
“Through the day, every now and then, take some breaths instead of picking up your phone,” she recommends to help “step out of your sympathetic nervous system and lower your heart rate”.
Before bed, try reading, meditation or some gentle stretches – helpful ways in our experience to help us switch off.
For more top tips and recommendations, watch our Boots Live Well Panel talk with Kathryn.
If you’re regularly having problems sleeping, the above changes haven’t worked and your tiredness is affecting your daily life, you may have insomnia*. For support, see your GP who can try and find out what’s causing it and help you find the right treatment.
8 of the best sleep products to aid a more restful night’s slumber
Building in relaxation time into your day and creating a restful environment before bed can go a long way in helping you shift from work to recharge mode and make it easier to fall asleep.
Designed to help you put the above tips into action, here are eight of our top team-approved products to help you get into a good sleep routine and build healthier sleep habits.
Shop more great sleep products in our full range.
Best pillow mist
Try: Sanctuary Spa Wellness Solutions Sleep Mist
• Size: 100ml
• Vegan-friendly
• Cruelty-free
Create a cloud of blissful scent as you prepare for bed with this soothing pillow spray. Its blend of jasmine, violet and sandalwood are a treat for the senses, and the addition of hyaluronic acid makes it a hydrating treat for skin, too.
Best relaxation candle
Try: Champneys Calm Candle
• Size: 200g
Bring a dose of a Champneys countryside spa to your bathroom with this luxe candle. Green and earthy notes of geranium, cedarwood and eucalyptus are the perfect antidote to the stresses of daily life – simply inhale, close your eyes and let its glow help melt away end-of-day tension**.
Best calming aromatherapy oil
Try: Botanics Pure Essential Oil Lavender
• Size: 20ml
• Vegan-friendly
• Cruelty-free
We love a multitasker and aromatherapy oils are among our favourites. This pick’s soothing lavender scent is the perfect way to upgrade your yoga session, bath or massage – a little goes a long way and remember to dilute with up to five drops of water or 5 drops of a base massage oil before using.
Best activity tracker
Try: Fitbit Versa 3 Black
• Built-in GPS
• Heart rate tracking
• Active zone minutes
• 6+ day battery
• Water-resistant
• Sleep stages and sleep score
Help keep track of the things that can help aid a good night’s rest, such as daily exercise, with this handy smartwatch. Thanks to its sleep features, you can also find out how long you slept for and whether it was a light or deep sleep. You can also track your heart rate and then use the results to help change up your bedtime routine. Genius.
Best sleep mask
Try: Soap & Glory The Rest Assured Sleep Mask
• Made from polyester
A dark bedroom’s the dream, but the sun peeking through your curtains, or your partner’s late-night dashes to the bathroom can put a dampener on things. Block out glimpses of light with this super-soft sleep mask to help keep deep sleep disruption to a minimum.
Best bath soak
Try: Westlab Sleep Epsom Bath Salts
• Size: 1kg
• Vegan-friendly
• Cruelty-free
• Epsom and Dead Sea mineral salts
Creating the right temperature is important for a good night’s sleep and having a soak in a warm bath can help your body reach a temperature that’s ideal for rest. Add two to three handfuls of these lavender- and jasmine-infused salts to your tub to help you relax after a long day and get ready to feel all cosy under the sheets.
Best guided meditation
Try: Headspace Mind Giftcard
• 6-month prepaid membership
Build a relaxation practice that works for you with this six-month subscription to Headspace. As well as guided meditations, it grants you access to mindfulness exercises, sleep casts and expert videos to help you create habits that help support body and mind during life’s ups and downs.
