We’re almost a week into the new year and this time is always a pivotal moment to reflect and reevaluate habits as well as reinvigorate ourselves to cross items off of our bucket list. As I reflected upon the last year, it occurred to me how much my bedtime routine has transformed for the better. The following key points are simple habit changes that made it easier to maintain along with some material preferences and advice that could help you also get a good night’s rest.
Something I didn’t know about are January whites sales. Which means that now is a great time to snag a discount on soft household items – pillowcases, blankets, towels, etc. If any needs replacing, hop to it, you could score a great deal!
Disclaimer: Some links in this post are affiliate links. If you purchase through the link, I earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting my blog!
Bedding
Nothing beats a luxurious bed. After all, we spend around a third of our lives sleeping or trying to. So why not make the bed a priority and look into leveling up certain components?
Sheets & Pillowcases
I used to think that the best type of sheets to get was cotton with the highest thread count possible. Don’t get me wrong, with these specs, the sheets are super soft and at one point I thought there could not be anything better than this. However, once I discovered bamboo bedding, I haven’t looked back.
There’s something about the silky, slippery, cooling feel of bamboo fabric that is so inviting and such a pleasant sensory experience. Ever since I switched to bamboo, I’ve looked forward to going to sleep even more. So much so, that I bought another bamboo bedding set so that I always have a fresh set to change the bed with. My other cotton sheets have been relegated to sitting in the wings on the off chance they’re needed.
These are the exact sheets that I’ve purchased and they have plenty of good reviews to back up the hype. Check them out and also peruse the many other color and style options out there. They have slowly risen in popularity! The linked set of sheets tend to have sales from time to time, and some colors are more discounted than others, so be on the lookout!
Mattress Topper
Now this is something I don’t have, but I have heard many people rave about using when they find their mattresses to be too uncomfortable. Here is one highly-rated option and a bamboo fabric option to look at!
Pillows
Pillows are a finicky subject. People have so many preferences, no wonder there are so many types of pillows available for purchase! I favor a pillow that is not overstuffed and on the leaner side.
This is the one I like the most (I discovered this one at a hotel stay) and another highly-rated option (set of 2!).
Winter Warmth
Where I live, there are 4 seasons and the winter months can get very cold. This winter it has been the coldest it has ever been in the past few years! I was having trouble keeping warm when I snuggled under the covers even with 3-5 blankets piled up. Not being warm enough interfered with my ability to fall asleep and to sleep well.
Scouring the web, I learned about others using electric blankets to warm up the bed. This is not something I wanted to use after hearing about the risk of fire hazards. But it did get me thinking about fleece blankets. I already have some fleece blankets but they are rather thin and more of a throw blanket.
I have since discovered much to my delight, that they make thicker fleece blankets that weigh around 9 pounds. They are especially good to have in the winter since they can insulate heat much better than my airy, fluffy pile of blankets do. This is the brand I have and there are many other listings of similar products to go bargain price comparing! Did I mention that it is 9 pounds? It can double as a weighted blanket which has been proven to help with improved sleep quality.
Routines
When and how often should you strip the bed?
Is it necessary to switch out and launder bed sheets on a regular cadence? In my opinion, yes! As we’re tossing and turning in our sleep, the sheets can garner a build up of dead skin cells, dirt, oil, dust, and other debris.
To keep things fresh and in tip-top shape, I like to switch my fitted and flat sheet out once a week. I use my flat sheet as a layer under all of my blankets so that I can just wash the flat sheet instead of all the blankets on a more regular basis.
As for when I switch out the sheets, I used to do this as part of my evening routine on Sunday to mark the start of a new week. However, I have discovered that I much prefer to do switch out the sheets in the morning as I favor spending the evening winding down and relaxing.
Let’s talk pillow cases
Are you a side sleeper or do you sleep on your back? Regardless, tossing and turning throughout the night means that your main pillow will bear the brunt of harboring all the residue from your face, hair, and drool.
As someone who struggles with acne, it is crucial for me to switch out my pillowcases on a daily basis to eliminate the possibility of aggravating my skin and inciting new breakouts. I highly recommend changing out pillowcases every day. Similar to changing out the sheets, I prefer to swap pillowcases in the morning to get it out of the way first thing and also to prevent forgetting later that day.
Turning in for the night
Establishing a good bedtime routine has been something I worked on over the past year. I have heard the general advice of getting at least 8 hours a sleep a day and I wanted to reap the benefits of maintaining that habit.
To start with, I had a habit of reading a book in bed before going to sleep. However, I frequently would get so engrossed in the story and a pull to find out the ending. When I could pull myself out of the story and checked back in with reality, it would surprise me to find out that it was well into the early hours of the morning. To top it off, I would be reading the book on my laptop, so the emitted blue light would further throw off my sleep cycle. To my chagrin and no one’s surprise, I would wake up the next day tired and groggy.
My new and improved routine still involves reading a book since I enjoy reading and find it relaxing. However, I now aim to read a physical copy of a book in an area outside my bedroom. To top it off, I also set an alarm for my desired bedtime so I don’t miss out on knowing that it is time to go to bed. Sure, it jars me out of the moment I conjured up in my head, but it sets me up for success to ensure that I get a good night’s sleep my future self will thank me for. Plus, my regrets of staying up late to finish a book has hammered in the point that the book can wait for me to pick it back up. There are no awards for staying up to finish a book.
On the off chance I cannot secure a physical copy of a book, I resort to digital copies. As I mentioned before, blue light exposure before bed can interfere with sleep cues thus degrading sleep quality. Therefore, I mitigate this by turning on the blue-light filter on my laptop (visually there’s a warmer cast on my screen, almost like a red, tinted overlay). On Windows, it is known as Night light, on iOS and macOS Night Shift, and on Android Night light. I also change the settings wherever possible to view the digital book in dark mode since it is easier on my eyes.
I highly recommend reading this book to learn more about the importance of sleep and to deconstruct the harmful societal beliefs of the laissez-faire attitude displayed towards sleep which crucially must be re-examined.
There’s so much more I could add to this post about sleep, routines, and bedding, but I think this is a good starting point to kick off discussion and share your thoughts and feedback about preferences and routines. Leave a comment below!
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