Getting a good night’s sleep is a personal struggle for many of us. Here at The Filter US, we noticed that a lot of you are interested in all things sleep. From our coverage of the best sleep masks to these Coop adjustable pillows, many readers are obsessing about the best products to help them get some shuteye.
To help fuel this not-so-drowsy enthusiasm, we asked a bunch of our contributing writers about the products they rely on to get some rest. What we got were some personal insights into some of the sleep hangups we all face, and some fantastic tools to help, including comfy pillows, white noise machines (sound machines), earbuds, face masks, and more. There’s even a Snuggie-like wearable blanket on the list.
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Sleep gear our writers rely on
Loop Dream earplugs
As a travel writer and very light sleeper who takes long-haul flights every month, I’m constantly trying to slumber during restless red-eye flights, drastic time zone shifts and noisy hotels. I never travel without Loop’s Dream earbuds, which were designed specifically for sleep. Prior to discovering Loop, I tried countless foam and plastic earplugs. Usually, they hurt my small ears, and I’d wake up to noise in the middle of the night to find they’d fallen out. But the soft silicone Dream earbuds, which come with four sear tip sizes, fit snugly and comfortably. They have a more flat, low-profile design that doesn’t stick out of your ear like traditional earplugs – making them more comfortable for side-sleepers like me, and less likely to fall out when I move during the night.
Admittedly, they’re pricey for earplugs, but when I think of how many nights they’ve helped me overcome noise and jetlag to finally get some much-needed rest, they’re well worth it. Elizabeth Brownfield, travel and lifestyle writer
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Nest Easy Breather Pillow
I am a picky sleeper. And I have no problem paying a few extra bucks for something that will make my nighttime routine more comfortable. Enter the Easy Breather Pillow from Nest: something I now simply cannot live without. What makes this pillow so special? I love that, though it comes stuffed to the gills with shredded foam fill, you can take out as much as you’d like to adjust it to your perfect height. I generally like my pillows a little flatter and less firm, so I stored about a quarter of the fill in the included storage bag. However, I’ve been known to add more when my shoulders are sore from a particularly tough workout. The eco-friendly cooling cover is another plus, especially for ladies who may need some respite from pesky perimenopause symptoms. Tobey Grumet Segal, product writer and editor
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Kipcush White Noise Machine
I’m picky about my sleep setup. Ideally, it includes a pitch-black room, a medium-firm mattress, two fluffy pillows (for under my head and between my knees), and quiet. I need quiet. Unfortunately, my townhouse walls are paper-thin, so I’m always looking for creative solutions to mask noises from next door. The soothing ambiance of my Kipcush White Noise Machine does the trick. It fits nicely on my nightstand and is easy to use, with touch-sensitive buttons and 30 sounds to choose from – like whirring fan sounds and a few twinkling lullaby melodies. The sounds of nature are my favorites. Most nights, I doze off to the natural music of swirling wind, crashing ocean waves, or drumming rain punctuated by growls of thunder. When I travel, the little Kipcush easily fits in my suitcase so I can sleep soundly anywhere. Paige Triola, outdoor recreation and travel writer
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Renpho Fabric Heating Pad
The frigid temps of an NYC winter are not kind to back pain, which is why my heating pad has become a constant companion (anywhere I can find a power outlet). I prefer heating pads made of fabric, not the plastic kind covered in flimsy cloth, but I’ve been without one since my chihuahua chewed through the cord of my favorite one. My new pad from Rempho is made from a cushy velour fabric and has an automatic shutoff, so I can just drift off to sleep without worry. I know heating pads are known for helping with injuries, but it’s become more of a lifestyle for me: #heatingpadlife. Maria Ricapito, product writer and editor
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Soco Hoodies Giant hooded wearable blanket
I am deeply in love with comfy, cozy things. I even wrote about some of my favorite cozy home and bedtime rituals. During winter, I live in Ireland, where it’s often cold enough to see my breath in the house. I couldn’t live without a wearable blanket. Wearable blankets have been around since the mid-2000s, when those Snuggie infomercials made the concept of “a blanket with sleeves” popular, and today they come in many lengths. I picked this one by Soco because it almost reaches the floor, has pockets (important!), is easy to clean, and is cozy enough that I can sleep in it or wear it around the house without trouble. Plus, it doubles as a quick warm coverup after swimming. Julia Skinner, food writer and culinary instructor
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Chilluxe Hoodie
My Chilluxe Hoodie from Jambys is the one thing that has kept me sleeping soundly for years. It’s made of a soft heavyweight material made primarily of recycled fibers, and feels different than anything I’ve ever worn: it’s structured yet slouchy and brushed with a layer of fleece I’d choose over my comforter any day. The brand bills itself as “performance inactivewear”, which accurately describes the way I wear it. The hoodie is so comfortable that, like a Pavlovian effect, I feel my eyelids getting heavy and my brain shutting down the moment I put it on.
I was never one to wear hoods to bed, but this one feels like an extension of my sleep mask, cradling my head and offering extra light-blocking effects in ways I never knew I needed. Between its other helpful features like secret thumb loops and a fleecy kangaroo pocket with a built-in pouch for your keys, earbuds or phone, it’s become a hoodie I can’t seem to take off in or out of bed. Over the summer, I even panic-emailed the brand asking when I noticed it was sold out, because it is very important that I wear this hoodie to bed every night, lest I remain awake, restless and very cold. Marissa Miller, lifestyle writer and editor
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Manta Pro Sleep Mask
Yes, $85 may seem like an insane amount of money to spend on a sleep mask when you can usually get one free on a redeye flight (if you ask nicely enough). But if you’re sensitive about pressure on your eyes and need something that won’t fall off your face even in turbulence, you need a Manta Pro. You can reposition the deep eye cups to fit your eyes just right, and even upgrade or replace them with models that better heat or cool your eyes. This mask blocks every photon of light around me. If you need a little active noise canceling and can spend more, you could try stepping up to one of Manta’s Bluetooth-equipped models. (The Manta original mask is also one of The Filter’s top sleep masks.) Tim Stevens, tech writer
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Anker Soundcore Sleep A30 Sleep Earbuds
For 30 years, my wife and I have been at odds over our sleeping habits. I need noise; she prefers quiet. I’ve tried various earbuds to keep the noise to myself, but every one of them (and I’ve tried dozens) has been too big for me to wear and comfortably lay on my side. The Soundcore Sleep A30 changed that. They are tiny enough to wear while I sleep and can play sounds on their own without a Bluetooth connection, saving battery power. Connect them to the Soundcore app, and there are a couple dozen sounds you can download and play. You can combine multiple sounds (and adjust volume individually) to get your ideal recipe for rest. Strangely enough, there is no box fan sound, my preferred choice, but I manage with white noise, rain, and thunder storm. Adam Doud, tech writer
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Soft Services Theraplush Retinol Hand Repair Cream
As a woman of a certain age, I’m all about slowing down those wrinkles. And though most of us worry about how to smooth out our face, I’ve been turning my attention to another body part. This super creamy, retinol-enriched night cream is wrinkle repair for my dry, winter-ravaged hands. Before I go to sleep each night, I slather this rich, nourishing cream on my hands, fingers and wrists, leaving me with silky soft skin the next morning. It’s super moisturizing and I love the stylish, design-forward case, which I keep on my bedside table. If you want to add a little more spice to your ritual, Soft Services is having a limited collaboration with Dedcool fragrances, which includes a travel-size DedCool Xtra Milk fragrance. Tobey Grumet Segal, product writer and editor
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Quince European Box Quilt
I consider myself a quilt purist. Don’t get me wrong, duvets and comforters are great, but a quilt is the underdog of bedding. It’s light enough that it won’t suffocate you in the summer, yet warm enough to cuddle up with in the winter (so long as there’s a throw blanket within reach). It requires no pesky bedding switch-out. I always reach for Quince’s affordably-priced linen box quilt because it delicately flutters across my bed and has an extra bit of comforter-esque loft that makes it feel especially plush and luxurious. The linen material only gets softer with time and is just the sort of thing you want to collapse into at the end of a long day – no matter the time of year. Megan Wahn, home and kitchen writer
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Yoto Player (3rd Generation)
I usually fall asleep to podcasts, but I also like to play sleep sounds to drown out the sound of my cats’ late-night relay races. The Yoto Player is an audio player made for children, but it works perfectly for this. I can queue up my Yoto’s waves playlist, then play an audiobook through my phone. If I’m feeling nostalgic, there are also Yoto cards for Frog and Toad, Winnie the Pooh, and The Wind in the Willows. There are plenty of contemporary choices, too, plus nonfiction options and lullabies. If you purchase blank cards, you can fill them with your own audiobooks or personal recordings using the app. I turn the brightness all the way down at night, so my room stays as dark as the tales of RL Stine. (Yes, you can buy a trio of Goosebumps stories, too!) Jenny McGrath, product writer and reviewer
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Rhapsody Wrap Down and feather pillow
As a side sleeper, I’ve spent years searching for my perfect pillow. On a trip to Healdsburg last year, I stayed at a boutique hotel and had some of the most memorably rejuvenating sleep of my life. When I got home, I contacted the property to find out where they source their bedding, and they pointed me toward the Down Etc Rhapsody Wrap pillow. With a firm inner core of goose feathers wrapped in a softer layer of feathers and goose down, it offers adequate neck support, but also has that plush, luxe feel of a fancy hotel pillow. After shopping around for other comparable down feather pillows before I committed, I can verify this pillow is reasonably priced. In addition to the comfort, I also appreciate that I can throw it in a regular washing machine and dry it in a front-load dryer. Bernadette Machard de Gramont, food and lifestyle writer
