Our Favorite Things to Help You Get a More Restful Sleep

Getting enough sleep is vital to your overall health. For adults, it’s recommended to get between seven and nine hours of shut-eye every night. But if you struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep, you’re not alone. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to help.

To get a good night’s sleep, try creating a calm and cool environment in your bedroom so that going to bed and waking up around the same time every day isn’t a challenge. Additionally, you can invest in the best sleep products designed to help you create a sleep routine, catch some zzzs, and promote better sleep habits. From sound machines to air purifiers, here are our favorite sleep essentials to get a better night’s rest.

_{Prices are accurate as of March 12, 2025. Subject to change.}

Table of Contents

Sunrise Alarms
Humidifiers
Blackout Curtains
Weighted Blankets
Ear Plugs
Sleep Masks
Cooling Mattresses
Cooling Sheets
Air Purifiers
Sound Machines

Sunrise Alarms

Do you have to drag yourself out of bed every morning? Maybe you should give your body a little more time to transition into wakefulness. Sunrise alarms mimic the light output of an actual sunrise, targeting your body’s natural rhythm instead of jolting you out of bed with a blaring alarm. Many of them can help you fall asleep, too, with sunset simulators and other bells and whistles.

Phillips SmartSleep Wake-Up Light

The Philips SmartSleep Wake-Up Light is an enduring classic, which uses light and sound to wake you up in the morning and ease you into bed at night. It comes stocked with five preset sounds but also has access to FM radio. For weekend mornings, you can silence these with a one-tap snooze button.

Hatch Restore 3

If you want a bedside light that does everything, get the Hatch Restore 3. It has a sleep-friendly sunset simulator or any colored light setting you might prefer, and cozy sounds to listen to as you drift off. Plus a sunrise alarm with gentle sounds like forest birds greet you as the day breaks. If you subscribe to Hatch’s monthly membership, it unlocks more features like sleep meditations.

WiZ LED Smart Bulbs

If you’re on a budget, use affordable smart bulbs to turn any lamp into a sunrise alarm. Smart bulbs, including WiZ LED Smart Bulbs, can be controlled with an app where you can create schedules that turn the lights on and off at set times with options that allow the light to fade in and fade out. Create a schedule for your desired wakeup time and you’ll be able to rise and shine as peacefully as you would with a sunrise alarm clock. 

Humidifiers

It’s true: If you wake up feeling dry or with a dry mouth, it’s unlikely that you slept well. To counteract this, you can introduce a humidifier, which will regulate the moisture levels in your bedroom, ensuring that you feel refreshed (and hydrated) by the time morning comes around. A humidifier doesn’t just deliver moisture to your skin. It can alleviate respiratory discomfort, reduce nosebleeds, and even act as white noise given most machines give off a subtle hum while they work.

Dreo HM311S Smart Ultrasonic Humidifier

The Dreo HM311S Smart Ultrasonic Humidifier is one of our favorite humidifiers, thanks to its smart features and budget-friendly price. It creates a soothing, comfortable environment with a cool mist that can run for up to 32 hours and is easy to clean. Use the app to adjust mist settings, set timers, and create schedules — which is perfect for running while you’re asleep and setting a timer or schedule to turn off when you wake up (even better if you time it with your sunrise alarm). 

Levoit OasisMist 450S Ultrasonic Humidifier

The Levoit OasisMist 450S Ultrasonic Humidifier offers both a cool and warm mist that makes you and your bedroom more comfortable. With triple noise reduction technology, it adds humidity without being too noisy, making it perfect for running while you sleep. It also doubles as an essential oil diffuser, so you can add a few drops of relaxing lavender essential oil to help you doze off.

Blackout Curtains

If you live in a city, light pollution could be affecting you more than you realize. It might be time to upgrade your window shades. Blackout curtains are exactly what they sound like: curtains designed to block out most exterior light. They’re also useful for people who have to go to sleep when it’s still light out. 

NICETOWN Blackout Curtains

These blackout curtains come with two panels that are easy to install and block out unwanted light. Since they’re heavyweight, they also help reduce noise and balance room temperature, making them a sleep-friendly home upgrade.

Primrose Velvet Floor-to-Ceiling Curtains

These curtains are a luxurious bedroom upgrade that look good and help keep unwanted light out of your bedroom. Made of a thick velvet material, they have a blockout rating of 75 to 90%, with darker colors having more of a light-blocking effect. On top of adding texture with a touch of sophistication to your bedroom decor, they also help reduce noise. 

Weighted Blankets

Do you feel restless when you try to sleep? Weighted blankets can help soothe your nervous system as if you’re being swaddled or held. The general guideline is to get a blanket that weighs about 10% of your body weight — for example, if you’re 150 pounds, get somewhere around a 15-pound blanket — but based on your preference, you can go lighter or heavier.

Bearaby Weighted Blanket

Bearaby’s blankets are designed to spread weight evenly over your body and trigger the release of hormones like oxytocin and serotonin, which help you relax and (hopefully) get deeper, longer sleep sessions each night. They’re available in several weights and materials like cotton, tencel, and velvet, and are quite stylish with a soft, knitted design.

YnM Weighted Blanket

The YnM Weighted Blanket is one of the more affordable options you can buy. It’s available in a variety of colors, sizes, and weights ranging between 5 and 40 pounds. With glass bead filling and a seven-layer design, it’s made to comfortably contour to your body while evenly distributing its weight for a soothing effect that will have you falling asleep in no time. 

Ear Plugs

Whether you live on a busy city block or sleep beside a snoring-prone partner or pet, earplugs come in handy. They help you (literally) seal out the noises around you while your body focuses on falling asleep, not the uncontrollable distractions happening around you. 

Loop Quiet 2 Ear Plugs

With the ability to block out noise up to 24 decibels, the Loop Quiet 2 Ear Plugs are perfect for keeping out unwanted sounds that might disrupt your sleep. Made of silicone, they’re lightweight and come with four ear tip sizes that you can customize to your comfort. They’re also reusable and come with a convenient carrying case. 

Mack’s Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs

Mack’s Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs have an impressive noise reduction rating of 33 decibels. They easily block out noise to help you sleep and can also be used at concerts or when riding motorcycles. They’re only reusable up to a few times, but they’re inexpensive and one container comes with 50 pairs. 

Sleep Masks

If you can’t install blackout curtains, a sleep mask is your next best bet. In some cases, the lightest of sleepers need both. Sleep masks help with dry eyes, can boost your mood, and help you get more REM sleep, which lets you wake up feeling energized.

Drowsy Sleep Co Mask

Drowsy’s super-soft silk sleep mask offers unprecedented coverage but still keeps you cool. Plus, it’s not just a flimsy strip of fabric. The mask itself is squishy and cloud-like, and easy to wear whether you sleep on your side, back, or stomach.

Alaska Bear Sleep Mask

The Alaska Bear Sleep Mask is soft, silky, and lightweight — all things a good sleep mask should be. With foam inserts in the eye area, it’s made to have a comfortable fit that doesn’t add pressure. The eye mask also features an adjustable strap and has a higher nose curve that forms to your face and blocks out light. 

Cooling Mattresses

Sometimes the only solution to your sleeping problems is to upgrade to a new mattress. For some, it’s a proverbial white flag they refuse to wave, but we spend an average of one-third of our lives sleeping, so why not spoil yourself a little? 

Casper Snow Cooling Hybrid Mattress

Research shows nearly 40% of people battle night sweats, which means nearly 40% of people sleep hot. The Casper Snow offers a solution. It’s ice cold, just like the underside of your pillow, but that sensation never fades, thanks to the top layer, which is cool to the touch, and the embedded tech designed to expel body heat as you release it.

Leesa Legend Chill Hybrid Mattress

The Leesa Legend Chill Hybrid Mattress is packed with cooling comfort. It has a dual spring system with 3,788 springs that help relieve pressure and give the mattress phenomenal motion isolation, making it great for couples. The pillow top is also equipped with phase-change fibers that help maintain a cool and stable temperature while you snooze.

Purple RestorePremier Hybrid Mattress

Even though this Purple mattress comes at a higher price point, it has comfort and features that make it worth it. The mattress is topped with a 3-inch GelFlex Grid that contours to your body, along with CoolFlex coils that give the soft mattress some support. Thanks to its breathable design and moisture-wicking cover, it has a cooling effect that’s perfect for hot sleepers. 

Cooling Sheets

Cooling sheets will make your bed more comfortable, whether you’re adding them to your existing mattress or a brand-new cooling one. The right set can help regulate your body temperature, thus improving your sleep quality. And if you’re a hot sleeper, they’re practically essential. 

Bedsure Cooling Sheet Set

This Bedsure sheet set is made from rayon derived from bamboo which gives you a cooling and luxurious feel, even on a budget. The sheets are moisture-wicking, help maintain a stable temperature, and are silky smooth. They also come in a variety of colors that will match with any decor style or color scheme.

Ettitude CleanBamboo Signature Sateen Sheet Set

Made from Ettitude’s patented bamboo lyocell fabric, the brand’s Signature Sateen Sheet Set is a must for hot sleepers. They’re incredibly soft and cooling with the ability to thermoregulate while you sleep. I can attest to their effectiveness, as they’ve been one of my go-to sheets as a hot sleeper for years. 

Air Purifiers

An air purifier might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the best sleep products, but having good indoor air quality impacts all areas of your life. Running an air purifier helps remove allergens, dust, pollen, and other pollutants that can be irritating and disrupt your sleep. 

Levoit Core 300 Air Purifier

This Levoit air purifier is lightweight and compact but gives you fresh, clean air in no time with its HEPA filter that catches 99.97% of ultra-fine particles. The air purifier has a sleep mode with QuietKEAP Technology that reduces noise to 24 decibels, so it won’t keep you up at night.

Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Air Purifier

If you have a larger bedroom, try the Coway Airmega Air Purifier. Not only does it have a sleek design but it also has a four-stage filtration system that’s perfect for rooms up to 361 square feet. It captures pollen and other allergens and reduces volatile organic compounds and odor. With a built-in sensor, it detects your air quality on the spot. Plus, it’s quiet and sleep-friendly with noise levels as low as 24.4 decibels. 

Windmill Air Purifier

Windmill’s air conditioner is a fan favorite, and its new air purifier is equally enviable. It’s pricey, but covers a whopping 1,950 square feet. On its lowest mode, it’s whisper quiet at 16 decibels — but know that boost mode can be quite noisy; make sure to turn on the sleep setting before bed. A helpful app allows you to control the settings, check air quality, and see when you need to replace the filter. Better Report’s editor Medea Giordano has been testing it in her office. She says it keeps cat litter odors and her cat-induced allergies at bay. During a cooking fiasco that resulted in burnt bacon, the app alerted her of the poor air quality, and suggested turning the purifier to high or boost mode. The Windmill looks like a design piece, especially in bamboo.

Sound Machines

While a weighted blanket soothes your body, white noise lulls your brain. Think of it like an audio blanket, if you will. When faced with steady background noise, your brain is less disrupted by sudden noises in the foreground, like footsteps from above, doors opening and closing, or even the mid-morning activity of your energized cat or dog. Even more so than external interference, white noise helps drown out your inner monologue, pushing stress, anxiety, and other worries to the side while you doze off.

Magicteam Sound Machine

This compact and portable sound machine is ideal for keeping by your bedside or even while you travel. It has 20 non-looping sleep sounds, including white noise, brown noise, a fan, rain, and the ocean. The sound machine has 32 volume levels to choose from and has multiple timers or continuous play that runs through the night. 

SNOOZ Smart White Noise Sound Machine

If the light, whirring sound of a fan lulls you to sleep, the SNOOZ Smart White Noise Sound Machine is for you. Its interior fan offers a non-looping, natural white noise that’s designed to help you fall asleep faster. The sound machine has 10 volume settings and can be controlled on the device or through an app where you can also create schedules. 

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