Best products from r/sleep

I have tried many things over the years, not even sure which ones were the best ! Looks like you are already doing the basics right, so something else is off. There is no one right answer for any person. Here are some other things you can and should try that helped me:

1. Order a cooling pillow pad that you can put on top of the pillow. I use it and it helps me fall asleep much faster. I ordered one from amazon. the brain needs to experience 2-3 degrees lower temperature than the rest of the body to doze off.
   
   
2. How is your state of mind even when awake ? Do you find it hard to be relaxed or calm ?
   Try meditating daily using www.calm.com. Try the 10 minute session. can you do it easily ? If not, that's an important signal right there - your mind is too anxious or has a hard time slowing down. Try learning to slow down at will with this website once or twice daily and this will greatly train your inner system to relax and go deeper at will. It's all about practice when you are awake.
   
   
3. Try calming or white noise generation machines - they play the sound of waterfalls, ocean waves, white noise and so on. They are really cheap but help engage the mind to slow it down and avoid it from getting side tracked.
   
   
4. What's your sleeping ritual ? Do you just try to sleep and get stuck in your thoughts ? Browse the phone ? Read a book ? All of these have dramatically different sleep induction effects. Reading a non-fiction book on kindle works amazingly well for me. If I take the phone with me, it keeps me awake for a couple of hours.
   
   
5. I know someone who had a high concentration of heavy metals in his body - that completely messed up his sleep. He had to go through a prolonged process to get those out in some hospital but it eventually helped. Not sure how you would get tested for that and its a less common thing. but trying some detox treatments anyway to get any junk can only help. Try wheatgrass pills or other detox stuff on amazon.
   
   
6. Have you gotten blood work done recently ? How are your vitamins/minerals ? If you are very short on D for example, that can totally interfere with melatonin production. another biggie is magnesium. Taking magnesium mixed with water promotes calmness - I have had great success with this, in feeling relaxed and sleeping in general. Specifically I have: http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Vitality-Magnesium-Calm/dp/B000GJOZWE. Sometimes treating simple imbalances like these can change things dramatically.
   
   
7. Yoga is another very versatile solution to issues like these. It promotes healthy hormonal activity and exercises the lymph system - very critical for getting rid of your inner cellular junk. It requires more effort than stuff I've described above, but its positive effects on your mind, body and inner organs are well known.
   
   
8. Try using sunlight therapy: Not sure how much sun you get so this really depends on that. Getting sunlight in morning regulates your melatonin cycle. This simulates that and just using it for 15-20 minutes everyday has a very strong effect.
   For example:
   http://www.amazon.com/Lightphoria-000LUX-Energy-Light-Lamp/dp/B004JF3G08/ref=sr_1_3?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1412132233&sr=1-3&keywords=sunlight+lamp
   
   
   That's a bunch of stuff I know from first hand and others' experience. Most of these may be experimental for you and will work to varying degrees. But my philosophy is if it doesn't hurt, no harm giving anything a fair shot !
   
   

There’s a chance that your issue lies somewhere outside of sleep if you’re getting 7.5-8 hours and waking still feeling tired. Diet, exercise, psychological and emotional health will all play a big role in your energy levels and quality of sleep. Depression, in particular, can be exceptionally taxing on energy levels. Take some time to examine those areas of your life and adjust as necessary.

Onto more sleep-specific stuff:

I’m a big fan of the motto “what gets measured gets managed.” I use the Withings Aura[1] Alarm/Sensor to measure my sleep, which does a phenomenal job tracking when I’m in bed, but not actually sleeping, and what stages of sleep I’m in.

I'm also a huge fan of Doc Parsley's Sleep Remedy[2]. Fantastic for balancing out hormone levels that influence sleep. If you want to learn more about the man himself, he's got a TED talk[3] and has been on lots of podcasts[4, 5], etc. Pretty badass dude. Navy SEAL and MD.

Avoid screens within a couple hours of bed. Avoid them like the plague. In the event that they are unavoidable, leverage something like flux/redshift[6, 7] (computer), Twilight[8] (Android), Night Shift[9] (iOS). I'm a fan of using the Drift TV Box[10] on my television as well. (Great TV and self-constraint related hack: have your TV run through a light timer[11] and automatically turn off a couple hours before bed).

Get plenty of exercise, but not too close to bed.

Meditation and other mindful practices really help with my sleep. If you’re not comfortable with meditation, I enjoy Headspace[12] for guided practice.

Best of luck, friend. Feel free to holler with any questions.

*I am not an affiliate to any linked products or services. Just a happy user.

[1] - http://www.withings.com/us/en/store/details/70035401
[2] - http://www.docparsley.com/shop/
[3] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s9C_8-OoxI
[4] - http://robbwolf.com/2014/06/17/episode-228-dr-kirk-parsley/
[5] - http://robbwolf.com/2015/05/19/episode-270-dr-kirk-parsley-sleep-cocktail/
[6] - https://justgetflux.com/
[7] - http://jonls.dk/redshift/
[8] - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.urbandroid.lux&hl=en
[9] - https://www.igeeksblog.com/how-to-enable-disable-night-shift-mode-ios-9-3-on-iphone-ipad/
[10] - http://seesaffron.com/drift-tv-box
[11] - https://www.amazon.com/Enover-Programmable-Digital-3-prong-Appliances/dp/B0191ZGELS/
[12] - https://www.headspace.com/

Yes, it sounds to me like you're somewhat uneasy in this new place, and it may be becoming psychosomatic.

In my experience, I toss and turn a lot, and have trouble falling asleep when:

1. I didn't eat enough, and/or on intense workout days when my CNS is over amped.
   
   
2. I'm worried / stressed about something. Doesn't happen often, but it happens.
   
   
3. I'm in a new environment and my animal instinct needs to feel "safe" and at ease.
   
   Have you ever tried meditation? Doing that for 20 minutes before bed may help to calm the mind and ease you into a mindset more conducive to sleep.
   
   Have you tried light therapy? Moving to another country can bring jet lag along with it. Realigning your circadian rhythm is important. It's good that you're using melatonin. However, keep in mind that more is not better. Some studies have found that lower dosage (.5 - 1mg) can often times be more effective than high doses (3-5mg). 10mg is extremely high. Also, I find sublingual melatonin to work much better for me, perhaps since it skips the first pass metabolism and goes directly into the bloodstream.
   
   Also, certain supplements may help. I mentioned valerian and california poppy. The best sleep supplement I've found is called Deep Sleep:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Herbs-Etc-Professional-Strength-California/dp/B001ECXHVM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1427203576&sr=8-3&keywords=deep+sleep
   
   Deep Sleep combines california poppy, valerian and some other herbs. Taking 30 drops an hour before bed, then 30 more at bedtime, definitely helped me get into a deep sleep when I most needed it. I don't take it anymore, and never took it more than a few days in a row, but it may help to get your started.
   
   Finally – and I recommend this with reservation – you can look into phenibut. Phenibut is a substance that carries the calming neurotransmitter, GABA, into the brain. If your mind is restless, this might help. I say "with reservation", because using it too often, or in a high dose, can lead to dependence. However, taking it once or twice a week shouldn't be a problem at all.

http://www.sleeplikethedead.com/mattress-reviews-casper.html

http://sleepopolis-mattress-reviews.com/reviews/casper-mattress-review/

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00M9CODDW/

http://www.sleepsherpa.com/mattresses/casper-mattress-review/

http://www.sleepinglikealog.com/mattress-reviews/casper-mattress-review/

http://slumbersage.com/mattress-reviews/casper/

>CR's Take

>From a relatively new brand, Casper has a winner in this memory- and latex-foam mattress, which scored impressively across the board. Few mattresses in our Ratings score equally well for both back and side support, but Casper has achieved it without a thousand-dollar price. It showed only minor changes after eight years of simulated use. It transmitted little vibration from one side of the bed to the other, and changing positions was fairly easy. Another plus: Since the mattress measures only 10 inches high, you won't need deep-pocket fitted sheets.

>Highs This mattress performed very good in our tests of side and back support. It did very good in our durability tests, showing only minor changes in performance. The mattress's surface was excellent at conforming to various shapes, maximizing contact with the sleeper, and it proved to be very stable, limiting the amount of vibration transmitted.

>Lows We judged this mattress softer than claimed, and it lacked grips, which could make handling difficult.

>Detailed test resultsThis Casper memory- and latex-foam mattress performed very good in side-support tests, which look at the alignment of the spine, and performed very good in back-support tests, which analyze how well 36 points on the torso are supported. In the durability test, which analyzes the mattress's change in firmness, sag, and damage over a period of up to 8 years of simulated use, this mattress performed very good, showing only minor changes in performance. It proved to be very stable, limiting the amount of vibration transmitted. In testing, its surface conformed to all shapes. We measured the mattress's firmness to be medium.

I’d highly recommend a “white noise sound machine” such as the Marpac Adjustable model.

Marpac

I’ve tried fans, apps, looping sound clips and YouTube videos but nothing has worked as well as my Marpac. Read though some of the 11k reviews and you’ll come to understand why it’s helped allot of folks.

In my case; I’m a light sleeper and it does a great job of masking outside noises which otherwise would have woken me up easily. I like being able to adjust the air vent ports to suit the tone I’m comfortable with and given that’s it’s an actual small fan spinning within a container, it sounds much more natural and soothing than some app.

Use a heavy blanket, make sure your room is a bit chilly and use a physical white noise machine to help you fall sleep and stay asleep.

I hope this helps

That is part of the problem, it's not major but going outside and getting exposure to the brightest natural light source available to Planet Earth really helps get your sleep and wake times in sync with well, the sun.

Try to get out in the early morning, or when you wake up, and again, stay away from bright lights and TV's edit: at night.

In fact, I'll recommend you some orange bulbs, it's a 12 pack, 25 watt orange bulb, so you can put them wherever you really need to, provided you have control over the lights.

Hope you like Amazon!
12 pack, ceramic orange 25 watt bulbs $17.64

They also have a transparent orange if you'd rather use that
(found the transparent ones) Transparent orange 12 pack bulbs $20.64

24 pack of 25 watt orange bulbs $32.40

Sounds pretty standard to me - The active ingredient in ZzzQuil is Diphenhydramine HCI, which is a popular antihistamine, marketed as both allergy medication (smaller doses) and sleep aid (higher doses).

Branded stuff is expensive- you'd be better off getting a generic. I buy this when I want diphenhydramine. Two pills (or 50mg) is the standard dose for sleeping - same as the ZzzQuil.

I work swing shift (1:45PM-10:15PM) so I hear you on the sleep. I'm a notoriously bad sleeper- I'm finicky, I wake up every hour or so, I have to wear earplugs and have white noise and drug myself... to start. I also have pretty mild reactions to medication, so where a lot of sleep aids will cause my partner to be dead to the world for 48 hours, I might get slightly better sleep than I would've elsewise.

I prefer trazodone, which is an old antidepressant which has an off-label use of sleep aid. I do have dysthymia (chronic, but mild, depression) so that is pretty ideal for me, but I've been doing without an rx for it for a while. It helps get you to sleep but it doesn't knock you out.

So far as stuff you can access without a doctor - I've found that while diphenhydramine helps me get to sleep, it's not a "knock-me-out" kind of sleep aid, which is nice. It's not quite as good as the trazodone, but if you're generally a good sleeper (which it doesn't sound like you are) it's probably sufficient. (Again, this stuff is cheap.)

You could also try taking a melatonin supplement before bed. I'm not entirely sold on how it works (or whether it's placebo effect) but my dad has had decent luck with it. I've used it too, only problem is that it makes me far more aware of my dreams, and what dreams I do remember are kind of fucked up. I understand that's not unusual for melatonin. It isn't habit-forming but I've noticed it does get less effective as time goes on.

Most recently I've been using Doxylamine Succinate... it's more apt to knock me out than the above, though I can still get up for work easily enough the next morning. This is my "heavy hitter" right now, though it may just be because I'm not used to it yet.

If you haven't already, consider getting some blackout curtains, earplugs, and white noise (I use an in-room air conditioner on fan).

I have a sunrise set up manually with my Hue lighting at home. When I'm traveling, I use the app Timely to set a silent alarm for ten or fifteen minutes before I have to be up. It's not nearly as effective as a full-on sunrise simulation, but it's often bright enough to wake me if I'm in light sleep and if I happen to wake up to roll over and see it lit up, I know it's time to get out of bed. The app itself doesn't matter I guess, but Timely allows for some very nice color and theme customization.

As for an actual traveling alarm clock, this one on Amazon seems sold under a bunch of different brand names for $25-40. I'm not sure what your budget is, but grabbing a cheap one like this and just having a backup phone alarm probably wouldn't be a bad thing. This one looks super legit but is $130.

Here's a little writeup I found comparing a few models.

Good luck man!

Full disclosure: I'm overcoming my own sleep difficulties (after 20 years of not sleeping well). My advice is based on what is working for me.

Some reading for you:

• NIH guidance on sleep: Read this now to make sure you're hitting all the low-hanging fruit of sleep hygiene.
  
• Say Good Night to Insomnia: Gregg Jacobs offers a CBT-based program to get your sleep back on track. As an engineer, you'll probably enjoy learning about the interplay among thoughts, behaviors, and sleep.
  
• Why We Sleep: Matthew Walker explains the current research on sleep, including the consequences of not sleeping enough. Knowing those consequences might discourage you from messing with your sleep in the future.
  
  If you like the sound of the program in Jacobs's book, I suggest finding a therapist trained in CBT-I (cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia). The program requires you to confront your anxiety about sleep -- anxiety you might not know you have -- and a therapist can help. I also recommend the CBT-i Coach app, which lets you easily log your sleep data each day and, after you log a week's worth of data, prescribes sleep and wake times. You might also consider having a sleep study done to rule out physical (as opposed to behavioral) causes.
  
  Good luck.

Given that Sleep Restriction seemed to help, I'd recommend looking into Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). It's a research-backed behavioral approach to sleep problems. Most people don't know it, but it's actually widely considered by most medical associations to be the treatment of choice for insomnia.

Look for a clinical psychologist (PhD or PsyD) who is trained as a cognitive behavioral therapist and also does CBT-I.

These two books are also very good:

Say Goodnight To Insomnia by Gregg Jacobs

The Insomnia Workbook by Stephanie Silberman

Good Luck!

Earplugs. Changed my life. Not even kidding.

At first, I didn't like the idea of giving up one of my senses temporarily. Now I really like the idea of giving up one of my sense temporarily.

These are great. You can use each pair for a few nights, making that 200-pair-pack last more than a year.

Perhaps that memory's exhilarating, and thinking about it causes your heart rate to rise.
I've actually written a book on this, if you'd like to check it out on the Kindle store: https://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Help-Asleep-Feeling-Refreshed-ebook/dp/B076PVL3WF/ref=sr_1_24?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1510877247&sr=1-24&keywords=sleep+help

I just ordered this stuff: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0161EB3F4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I didnt really expect it to work, but it really seems to have made a nice difference. I do not take Levothyroxine currently. I am in the middle of a move and job change, so am currently without insurance. When I get insurance back, I may look into taking a prescription, but this has done nicely to bridge the gap.

I had one off Amazon but it was expensive. It had good reviews. It didn't work for me as the sun pretty much has no impact on my wakeup time. Here's the link.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0093162RM?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd_title

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0051U7W32?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Used these for several months every night. They weren't the best in any particular aspect but they were the best all around. Of four brands.

I'd suggest ensuring you insert them "properly" to prevent them from falling out. If you move around a lot at night though, I'm not sure there's much that can be done.

Large air purifier.

Run this thing on Turbo Mode next to your head and you won't hear a thing from the white noise. The clean air is a bonus.

https://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-True-Allergen-Remover-HPA300/dp/B00BWYO53G/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3T33JKVWE2E21&keywords=honeywell+air+purifier&qid=1555812986&s=gateway&sprefix=honeywell+air%2Caps%2C160&sr=8-3

I used this sleep mask for sleeping every day, and I purchased based on the reviews and Q&A, till now almost 3 month, works good, mulberry silk material, soft and feels nothing on my face, hope also works for you.

https://www.amazon.com/Kora-Washable-Hypoallergenic-Blindfold-Adjustable/dp/B07RYHS6SJ/ref=sr_1_1?m=AH11OTQI7G9F3&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&qid=1574489346&s=merchant-items&sr=1-1

I haven't been able to sleep on my side for months due to shoulder pain and was having neck pain with back sleeping. I've tried a couple pillows now but I'm able to sleep on my side again with this one. Yesterday I slept like 20 hours, which is probably bad but I'm pretty impressed that I wasn't sore even after that long.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KVW8PTP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ymmv, all bodies are different. I've tried a u-shaped body pillow and a memory foam cooling pillow. And about six different kinds of "normal" pillows in various combinations.

Sleep in a cold environment that's as dark as possible (blackout curtains or sleep mask). Ear plugs work wonders. The less light after dark the better. Use [blue blocking lenses](Uvex Skyper Blue Light Blocking Computer Glasses with SCT-Orange Lens https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000USRG90/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_yfq7xbPD6Z8GG) after dark. Episodic unwind is a great way to ease your mind for bed (Watch a Netflix series or read fiction). Don't eat or drink near bedtime.

Read the book Why we sleep by Matthew Walker https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316
It might help,it’s a great book

I like these:

https://www.amazon.com/Macks-Ultra-Soft-Foam-Earplugs/dp/B0051U7W32

roll them the whole length, insert them, hold your fingers over them until they fully expand

I bought this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073429DV2. Not too fancy, but definitely life changing.

I use one of these to help drown out my tinnitus.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MY8V86Q

​

I suppose it's probably an MP3 player on the inside, but it sounds good to me and has many different variations you can try.

http://www.amazon.com/Uvex-S1933X-Eyewear-SCT-Orange-Anti-Fog/dp/B000USRG90

These ones, yes?

I also have a TON of trouble. Doesn't matter the amount or quality of sleep I get, I have great difficulty waking up any time before 9 AM.

Basically my idea is just as you should make your room conducive to sleep at night (quiet, dark), make it conducive for waking up in the morning. Here are some of the things that have helped me. They might seem silly or pricey, but they have helped.

-Get a sunlamp alarm clock

-Get a space heater with a timer, so your room is warm when you get out from your covers

-Set up motorized curtains or blinds with a remote control, to let the sunlight in without leaving the bed

-Put a coffee machine with a timer next to your bed (and an empty coffee mug)

So what happens is at 6:55 AM, the sunlamp begins to turn on, the space heater starts going, and my coffee machine starts brewing next to my bed. Then at 7 AM, the radio on the sunlamp turns on and my alarm on my phone goes off. I sit up to a warm, bright room. I open the motorized curtains with a remote control, and sunlight streams in. Then I pour myself a cup of coffee and drink it in bed for 5-10 minutes while I listen to the radio.

Even with all this, I still have trouble getting out of bed sometimes, but it is far easier then trying to get out of bed to a dark, cold, coffeeless room.

I got these ones from Amazon. They are dorky af, but I wanted glasses that I would be sure blocked all the blue light and didn’t let any in through the sides. Now that I know they work in principle, I will take my time to find another stylish pair that I can wear outside the house.

Uvex Skyper Blue Light Blocking... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000USRG90?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

yes
Use camel camel or something to check price history though.

https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144316