6 Products to help you sleep better
Sleep is a massive problem for the shift worker. If you’re interested in the reasoning and tips for better sleep, I suggest you read my article on 5 Tips to sleep better on night shift.
While nothing will replace a good sleep hygiene (routine) these products will certainly support that.
1. Ashwagandha (withania somnifera)
It would be remiss of me to not list Ashwagandha as my number 1 supplement for shift workers for what it brings to the table.
Strong high-level evidence supports ashwagandha root extract supporting stress reduction and improved sleep quality. It appears safe for everyone to take irrespective of health condition or age.
Most research has been conducted on KSM-66 ashwagandha, which contains the highest concentration of the root and not leaves (research is only conducted on the root).
Hence, I reccomend only buying ashwagandha with the KSM-66 certification on the label.
300mg (1 capsule) twice a day is the researched dose.
This is the ashwagandha I recommend and use myself.
Sleep: PMID: 32818573 31728244
Stress: PMID: 234539798
2. Eye Mask
Without doubt, a quality eye mask is essential for a shift worker, in particular a night shift worker trying to sleep during the day.
It is imperative to block out all light to avoid any light hitting the back of the eye, which will stimulate the hypothalamus.
The things people complain to me about when it comes to eye masks are that they leak light, are uncomfortable or hot, come off while sleeping or they just can’t stand their eye lashes hitting the mask.
Well, I’m here with the good news to cover every single one of those for you. After much searching and trialling I hit upon this one.
I use and highly recommend this eye mask. It is a game changer.
3. Blue Light Blocking Glasses
While the overall scientific evidence is weak for blue light blocking glasses I can assure you they make a difference for us shift workers completing a night shift.
When I’m on night shift I pop on my blue light blocking glasses for the last hour of my shift and leave them on until I take them off to put my eye mask on.
Working at night and then going out in the light as it gets brighter sends a signal to our brain to suppress melatonin and keep us awake (we’ve all experienced that second wind, right?).
Blocking that blue light assists in supressing body functions, which helps us fall asleep when we get home.
I highly recommend the Swanwick blue light blocking glasses.
4. Sleep Buds
Blocking our eyes from light is vital, but reducing noise is also imperative.
Many clients tell me that they cannot stand the foam in their ears for that awful warble we get as well as being able to hear our heart beating is extremely unnerving, isn’t it?
I’ve got a solution for this too — Bose Sleepbuds.
You cannot connect these to your mobile phone and play music or meditations through them, but you can load white noise sounds on them. When these sounds are on, it almost completely cancels outside noise, and because there is a white noise, you don’t get that warble or hear your heart beating in the silence.
There are numerous sounds to choose from such as forest sounds, fire crackling, the ocean and rain just to name a few. The volume can be turned town to practically nothing but even then, the noise-cancelling is fantastic.
They are incredibly comfortable, you honestly would hardly know you have them in and even better, they don’t rub on your pillow.
There is also a built in alarm which is a really nice touch.
These are not cheap but watch for sales ;) — they are worth it. (You can even try them free for 90 days. You have nothing to lose)
Highly recommended.
5. Cool Cover Pillow
A decent pillow; sounds simple, right? It is, but it’s so often overlooked.
When I prioritised a good pillow, I discovered the benefits of a Kool Flow cover adjustable pillow.
Keeping your head cool while sleeping is vital to keeping you asleep, and this pillow is wonderful for that. The pillow is also fully adjustable with filling that you can add or take out according to your own needs.
This is a quality pillow and I highly recommended it.
6. Oura Ring
“That which is measured is improved”
While the Oura Ring doesn’t directly improve your sleep, it does show areas that you are struggling and need to improve on by measuring and monitoring your sleep.
The ring is super stylish and lightweight and the charge lasts around a week.
The accompanying Oura App also has guided meditations to assist you to wind down and transition from a sympathetic to parasympathetic state for quality sleep.
*Some links are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you buy through the link at no extra cost to you. You do not have to use these links, but if you do, thank you for supporting my content!
What products do you use that you swear by?
Leave a comment below for everyone to see.