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- After a restless night, you probably experience symptoms like irritability and poor concentration.
- A bedtime routine and an optimal environment can help you fall asleep and stay asleep.
- Our Insider Reviews product testers swear by these 25 products for getting a great night’s sleep.
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A good night’s sleep is critical. It affects your emotional, mental, and physical health and helps you function in everyday life.
Beyond anecdotal examples, research backs this up. Sleep deprivation and poor sleep quality affect concentration, memory, and decision-making and can cause feelings of anxiety, irritability, and impulsiveness.
To fall asleep faster, stay asleep, and have a better night’s sleep overall, build a sleep routine, says Dr. Benjamin Smarr, assistant professor at the University of California San Diego who specializes in neuroscience and sleep science. “Sleep is very complicated and requires many parts of your brain and body to agree,” he said. “So the more familiar your pre-sleep routine is, the more likely all those parts will line up.”
Everyone has their own little tricks to help them achieve this ideal sleeping state, so I asked the rest of the Insider Reviews team to share the products that they’ve built into their nightly routines.
It’s not surprising that many of their essential products are the ones directly related to sleeping: pillows and comforters, for example. Apps and accessories also help our team out, whether they fill the air with soothing scents and sounds or contribute to overall comfort and coziness.
But if you’re experiencing serious sleep disturbances that are consistently impacting your life, the following solutions may not be adequate and you should consider consulting a specialist. Dr. Azizi Seixas, an assistant professor at the NYU School of Medicine whose research focuses on sleep disparities, says, “If these disturbances occur for longer than a month, then the person should seek professional help. Another sign that suggests immediate intervention is needed is if the person feels physically sick as a result of sleep disturbances.”
