Amazon Products to Help You Sleep Better
So Jerry and I have made it our goal this year to start waking up earlier, which for us meant really making an effort to get better sleep, because we both tend to wake up multiple times throughout the night. After weeks of trying to turn lights off at a certain time, not watch tv after a certain time, and following other sleep hygiene rules that we had read about, it didn’t seem to be making as big of a difference as we had hoped, so we decided that maybe we needed to try something else. After doing some research, we picked up a few things on Amazon that we both agreed have really been helping, so I thought I would give you guys a quick review on what we got, what worked, and why!
The first thing that Jerry was looking for was a new pillow. He had done some research and had heard great reviews about this pillow. However, the reason he hates our current pillows was that he didn’t think that they were firm enough. Our current pillows are made very similarly (shredded memory foam), so I told him that I didn’t think that he’d like these ones, but he insisted on trying them out based on the 16k positive reviews. Spoiler alert: I was right. He HATED it. And now it’s my pillow. And I am obsessed. So it is truly a great pillow, and if you’re looking for something with medium firmness leaning towards the softer side, this one is seriously a dream (no pun intended).
Luckily, since I knew that Jerry wouldn’t like the Coop pillow because he was looking for something extra firm, I had insisted that he order a buckwheat pillow, too. From what I could tell in the reviews, a buckwheat pillow would form to the shape of your head, but once you got it in the position that you wanted it it would not move. The only negative reviews were that it was TOO firm. I convinced him that he needed to order both, because he could always return the one he didn’t like, but if he ordered one and hated it he’d have to wait a couple more days for the other one to arrive. We’re so glad he listened, because he LOVES his buckwheat pillow. So if you’re someone who likes firm pillows, I would definitely recommend giving the buckwheat pillow a try!
Next, one of his issues was that minor movements would wake him up. Luckily, with our Zinus mattress (almost a year later and it’s still the most comfortable mattress I’ve ever slept on, btw! Read all about it in this post!) he can’t feel my movements through the mattress, BUT, whenever I would move the blankets he would feel it. After doing some research, we decided that he needed to try out a weighted blanket. I’ve been wanting to try a weighted blanket for a while because I had heard such amazing things about them, but hadn’t pulled the trigger on one yet because they’re a bit pricey. But we decided to give it a try, and Jerry says it has helped him SO much when it comes to falling asleep and staying asleep. He can’t feel me moving the blankets anymore, and the even pressure just makes you feel so calm and relaxed! After trying his out, I definitely plan on investing in one in the near future because it truly is worth the money. He got the 20lb one, which I think is a little higher than what was recommended by the weight chart, but we both think that 20lbs is perfect, so if you’re not sure which weight to go with I would recommend ordering up just slightly. We LOVE this one because the cover is super soft, and since it’s removable it will be easy to wash!
Our next problem that we wanted to fix was lighting. We have lamps on our night stands that we use every night, and Jerry had read that sometimes even the light from normal household lightbulbs can be too much blue light and prevent you from falling asleep, so we picked up these lightbulbs that are supposed to give off significantly lower levels of blue light and support your body’s natural melatonin production, and we’ve noticed a huge difference. They are very yellow toned, which kind of bothered me at first, but now that I’m used to it I actually LOVE it! It’s very calming and definitely makes the room feel more relaxing at night.
Another thing that we’ve both been using nightly is sleep masks. I have a couple that I have used for years and I’ve never really had any problems with them falling off, but for some reason Jerry’s would always fall off, so he purchased this one because it has two straps, which according to the reviews would keep it on way better! It came in yesterday and after putting it on I can tell you that I’m pretty sure that thing isn’t going ANYWHERE! I also love that it is contoured, unlike the ones I use, so you can open your eyes under it without it rubbing up against your lashes. This is another one of those things that I didn’t think I needed but after trying his I might eventually pick up.
Lastly, he picked up these ridiculous blue light glasses that I showed you guys on my stories last night. They are seriously so hideous but I WILL say that when I compare them to my normal, cute looking blue light glasses they definitely work WAY better. Worth it? I don’t know. I wouldn’t wear them for working on my computer during the day, but if you’re one of those people who likes to sit up on your phone late at night it might be worth looking a bit ridiculous. I tried them out last night to browse Instagram after Jerry had fallen asleep and I have to admit they blocked out ALL the blue light and I had no issues falling asleep after I put my phone away like I usually do when I’m on my phone late at night. Having had a few different pairs of blue light glasses now, I’m actually thinking of doing a blog post comparing all of them, so if I do I’ll definitely include these ones!
If you’ve been trying to get better sleep lately too, I honestly recommend any of these products and think they’ve made a huge difference for us after a week of testing them out. Obviously sleep is a very personal thing and is different for everybody (as you can see with the pillows) but these things have really worked well for us!
XOXO,
Olivia
