Hi everyone. Today we're going to talk about the best sleep products that I've found. I love to
sleep, and I love to wake up feeling rested and energized. But in the past I've dealt with some
pretty bad insomnia. Uh this spring I was really struggling to sleep well,
and so I did a lot of research, and, you know, had to work to find some ways to sleep better. And
some of these products have helped. Now sleep is essential to mental health. One study found that
people with depression and sleep issues, when they resolved their sleep issues, 87% of them
saw their depression symptoms resolve. Getting enough sleep is really essential to combating
depression and anxiety and just improving your mental and physical wellness. So let's jump in
and talk about some of the best sleep products that I've found helpful. You can find links to
all of them in the description. But just so you know, none of these products are sponsoring this
video. None of these products are paying me anything to promote them or their product.
Some of them did send me free products, which I like, but um this is all my honest opinion.
When things get stressful, do you find yourself coping in unhealthy ways like overeating, venting,
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and depression that they don't run your life because you'll have the skills to manage emotions
in healthy ways. If you want to learn more about coping skills and self-care, just click the link
in the description to learn more about this cool course. The first one I want to talk about is the
Manta sleep mask. So Manta has sponsored some of my videos in the past, which I've appreciated,
but they are not sponsoring this one. And actually none of these products are sponsored today. I just
want to give you my honest opinion about them. And the manta sleep mask is awesome. So it's super
soft, and they have these deep cups that make it so that when you wear it, it puts zero pressure on
your eyes. And it's like 100% customizable, right. You can move these eye cups around to make it fit
your face and block out 100% of the light. Now i don't use a sleep mask that often, but my husband
uses this one all the time because my office is in the bedroom. We have kind of a small house,
and so when I'm up at 4 am working on my computer, he just puts the sleep mask on and goes back to
sleep. Okay, the next product I want to mention that has done a lot of good for me is Tatch.
Tach is an at-home sleep study. You just put on these patches before you go to sleep,
and they communicate with your phone the whole night long about your position, your breathing,
whether you're getting oxygenated, and things like that. And then after you do your sleep study,
you can talk with a sleep specialist who analyzes your results and can show you how your whole night
went, and then discuss with you like potentially things that interfere with your sleep like
breathing difficulties or snoring or sleep apnea. And then, you know, they'll talk with you about
strategies to improve your sleep. So I got to meet with Tatch's sleep education specialist, Chelsea,
and she talked me through some strategies to work through my maintenance insomnia. And that's what
it's called when you have a hard time staying asleep through the night. And her personalized
advice was really helpful for me. So I I like their product. I learned a lot from from them
and from that um call with their sleep strategy specialist. So you can find them at tatch.com.
Okay, the next product I want to talk about is bluwinx. So bluewinx sent me a pair of blue-light
blocking glasses. Blue light triggers your brain to be awake, and screens like your cell phone and
your computer or your TV, they emit a lot of blue light. And this basically suppresses our melatonin
production, which makes it hard to fall asleep. One study found that wearing blue-light blocking
glasses helped cancel the melatonin suppressing effect of bright lights. Now, normally I'm a
proponent of sleep hygiene, right - turning off your screens an hour before bed and reading a book
or something. But that's not always practical. So, you know, wearing glasses like these can
help with eye strain or with headaches, and it can help you fall asleep better during the day. Now,
I've bought in the past some really cheap blue-light blocking glasses on Amazon,
and honestly, they weren't very comfortable. and I think these just fit so much better. so I do like,
I like these glasses. Okay, and speaking of melatonin, that's one of the things that i
learned from Chelsea from Tatch, that using a slow-release melatonin can help you sleep through
the night. When it comes to supplements it's really important that you understand that just
because something is natural doesn't necessarily mean it's safe or doesn't necessarily mean that
there are no side effects. So of course with any supplements I recommend that you work with
your primary care physician, with your doctor before making any changes like that. I am not
recommending that you go try this; I am saying this is an option that you can learn more about
with your individualized health care providers. So um there's a ton of different brands. This
is the one I bought. It's melatonin by Natural, and this one's specifically a time-release one.
So that makes it so that it releases more slowly and helps you sleep better through the night.
And melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that can help you fall asleep, and it can also
help you reset your circadian rhythm. So I started taking like a tiny dose of slow-release melatonin,
and this one's three milligrams. I would often take like half of a pill of this,
and it helped me sleep through the night and fall back asleep. Because, you know, a lot of times my
little one-year-old, she'll wake me up in the middle of the night and then I wouldn't be able
to fall back asleep. So I've really been doing a lot better with my insomnia overall. But I credit
melatonin, exercising more, and just the fact that I've finished that emotion processing course and
I've lowered my stress levels, so that has been a big help for me. Okay, next let's talk about the
Reve pillow. So this is a reverse pillow. You place it over your eyes or head, and honestly
it smells so good. Like the smell, I'm not a big like aromatherapy person,
but it smells amazing. And um I love how it feels on my face. There's something about the gentle
pressure that I really like. So you sleep, it's a Reve, um I don't know how to pronounce this,
it's a reverse pillow, Reve pillow. And you put it on top of your face. and I also really like
that if I get a migraine, I don't get migraines that often, but when I do it feels really good
to have something pressing against my face. So love the Reve pillow. And again, links to all of
these are going to be in the description if you want to learn where you can buy these products.
Okay, speaking of deep pressure, Aviano blankets sent me a weighted blanket,
and honestly, I love it. Um I remember as a kid going to our family cabin and sleeping there under
the heavy like down blankets, and for me like that weight and that pressure helps me feel less
restless and more settled. And this blanket is like super soft. It's got a nice washable cover.
Um the only problem with the blanket is that my kids also love it, and they are always begging me
to sleep with it. So I probably need to order a couple for them. All right, two more sleep
items that I never would have thought of. Okay, the first one is called nasal aid, and it's used
by doctors at sleep clinics to help keep nostrils open. So it's kind of like a Beathe Right strip,
except it goes like inside of your nose. And it's really soft wire that's covered in silicone. Holds
your nose open so that you can breathe more easily. Now again, like the sleep mask, this is
not something that I use, but I really appreciate it when my husband uses it because it decreases
snoring. So it's kind of nice. It's like Breathe Right strips, but it's not disposable. It can last
for over a year. The last product is another surprising one; it's an acupressure mat.
So it's a mat covered in, like it's like laying, it's like laying on a porcupine. And the basic
idea is that it triggers a relaxation response by triggering the meridians. And for some people,
they have to lay on it for up to 40 minutes, but then there's this warming relaxation response.
Now full honesty, for me I haven't gotten to that point yet. But if you've tried everything, this
might be something you want to experiment with. I read about a psychologist who was having a hard
time sleeping, and she did find that if she laid on this map for 20 minutes, then afterwards she
would just be very relaxed and fall asleep. And I also know Beth who's in one of my other videos,
she's a yoga instructor, she uses one every night after she does her yoga, and it helps her relax.
So kind of weird, kind of pokey, kind of stabby, but um for some people it works. So there you have
it. There's a couple of sleep products that I found to be helpful when you're trying to sleep
better or stay asleep. Okay. I hope this was helpful. Thank you for watching, and take care