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We’ve looked over the guidance in this post to make sure it’s up-to-date, and we still stand by our advice.

Falling (and staying) asleep can be a fraught affair, full of anxiety and dread. We desperately want to fall asleep so we can wake up well rested and replenished. But the pressure we put on ourselves to get those precious hours of uninterrupted sleep can make our minds race. Here are a few things our staff members do to wind down at the end of the day so they can fall (and remain) asleep.

Soulage Body Wrap ($52 at the time of publication)

It’s really hard to fall asleep when you’re chilly. Heated blankets are nice, but if I use one I often wake up sweating later in the evening. This microwavable heating pad is the perfect solution. After a few minutes in the microwave, it retains heat for around 30 minutes, gradually and safely cooling down as you nod off. The Soulage wrap is well made and smells yummy—it’s filled with natural ingredients such as rice, clove, and orange peel. The filling gives the pad some heft, so you get that comforting weighted-blanket feel. This wrap—which is also great for warming sheets, soothing muscle aches, and easing menstrual cramps—is made to last. Last winter, I replaced my old wrap with a new one because it finally started becoming too worn—after 18 years of use. Laying the pad across my belly or on my back feels like a cozy hug, and it pretty much guarantees I’ll start to drift off in no time.

Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) ($90 at the time of publication)

Some people are bothered by light interrupting their sleep, but at night I am sensitive to sound. The unexpected creaking of the wood frame as the house cools or a squirrel running across the roof can snap me out of a deep slumber. Although any white noise machine will do the trick, I found that a smart display, like the Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen), combines several useful bedside gadgets: an alarm clock, a digital picture frame, and (most important, for me) a white noise machine. The constant background sound will put me right to sleep and keep me asleep, with no interruptions. The Nest Hub can also play relaxing sounds, like a babbling brook or steady rain, as well as a virtually infinite playlist of YouTube videos or Spotify songs. Plus, it’s the only smart display without a camera, preserving that aspect of my privacy.

@aroma Polished Stone Diffuser ($32 at the time of publication)

This beautifully made clay diffuser is a favorite of mine because it’s so simple and subtle. The diffuser is molded and polished by hand in Tokoname, Japan. And unlike electronic, water-based diffusers, this unassuming little “stone” gently emits the scent of whatever essential oil you decide to apply on it. Because the clay is porous, it hangs on to those scents (which slowly fade after a few days), and you can adjust the intensity as needed. I keep the diffuser next to my bed, and with just a few drops of lavender oil, the scent doesn’t bother my partner lying next to me. Also, this little diffuser generates no sound.

Ball Mason Jar 32oz Glass Wide Mouth ($12 for a dozen at the time of publication)

After years of struggling with insomnia, I finally figured out that good hydration (and exercise) is the best way to ensure I sleep all night. When I used to rely on small glasses, I could never keep track of how many ounces of water I’d drunk. Thus I could never seem to follow the standard guidance of consuming around 72 ounces a day (but even that’s disputed, really). I recently switched to a 32-ounce wide-mouth Ball Mason Jar, and I drink four of these a day (just shy of 4 liters of water). It’s easy to keep track of how much I’ve drunk, and I try to finish chugging well before bedtime (so bathroom trips don’t disrupt my sleep). Granted, the jar itself doesn’t accomplish anything that a regular water bottle can’t. But I like that these jars are cheap, that the volume (in cups) is clearly listed on the side, and that I can see just how much I’ve glugged down when I’m working from home.

*Note: Since the beginning of the pandemic, Mason jar stock has been sparse, and they’ve been hard to find (and, if you do find them, they are usually overpriced).

69 Herbs Coat My Nerves Herbal Drops ($22 for 1 ounce at the time of publication)

I’m convinced this lovely herbal blend—which includes valerian, passionflower, and other calming botanicals—helps to relax me before sleep. It could just be the ritual aspect: Taking it along with a bath or before some yin yoga, I’m far more likely to ease into bed than to continue doomscrolling well into the night. The tincture is gorgeously packaged in a frosted bottle with a pastel, vaporwave-y label. The blend is also sweetened, so it’s more palatable (unlike some other, more medicinal drops I’ve tried). Coat My Nerves tastes like an earthy honey, and it immediately dissolves on my tongue without leaving a bitter aftertaste. Plus, 69 Herbs is a rad company that offers sliding-scale payments for those who need it. (As with any herbal formula, check with your doctor before taking this blend if you have any medical issues or concerns.)

Rilakkuma and Kaoru (with a Netflix subscription)

I watch a lot of anime in my free time. Late in 2020, however, I realized there was a pattern to the types of shows I sought out in the pre-bedtime hours spent on my couch. I would look for something pretty and relaxing, with nice music and no major action or cliff-hangers—something that wouldn’t keep me up and would set a nice tone for dreaming. Eventually I learned that what I was searching for had a name: Iyashikei. Iyashikei (which in Japanese means healing) is an anime genre that’s meant to be soothing and reassuring. These shows lean heavily on atmosphere to create a sense of calm, so you can expect to see lots of idyllic landscapes backed by tranquil music. Storylines tend to be slower-paced and feature characters learning gentle life lessons, finding acceptance, healing from past traumas, and seeing beauty in the mundane. There are dozens of Iyashikei shows to fit a range of interests, but some favorites that became a part of my bedtime routine include Rilakkuma and Kaoru (Netflix), Natsume’s Book of Friends (Crunchyroll), Flying Witch (Crunchyroll), Aria (Crunchyroll), and Barakamon (Funimation).

Traditional Japanese Printmaking (free on YouTube)

For almost a decade, I’ve been listening to ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) videos. The sounds of someone flipping the pages of a newspaper or rummaging through art supplies gives my brain something other than my thoughts to focus on, without being overstimulating. Listening to ASMR videos started as a way to chill out when I was stressed, but it also became helpful for falling asleep. ASMR videos use soothing sounds and visuals to help listeners relax and provide general anxiety relief (sometimes accompanied by a tingling sensation best compared to the experience of using a head massager toy). If you’re looking to get started, there’s a niche for everyone—from the sounds of mechanical keyboard typing to unintentionally relaxing documentaries about Japanese printmaking. Some creators make videos with webseries-worthy production quality (fancy a 40-minute trip to the Steampunk Optometrist?), while others create audio-only experiences, like this three-hour track of Cozy Cafe Ambience. Take a wander through YouTube and see if you can’t find something to melt away your stress and lull you to sleep.

Leaves and Flowers Sleep Tea ($17 for 18 servings at the time of publication) Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea ($4 for 20 tea bags at the time of publication) Trader Joe’s Well Rested Herbal Tea ($15 for 60 tea bags at the time of publication) Republic of Tea Get Some Zzz’s Tea ($13 for 36 tea bags at the time of publication)

Considering how many many tea drinkers we have here at Wirecutter, it’s not surprising that many staffers swear by the soothing nighttime routine of settling down with a hot brew. Updates writer Nena Farrell appreciates both the flavor and ritual of Leaves and Flowers’s Sleep Tea. “I love this chamomile-based blend for its depth—and a little spiciness!—thanks to the various herbs in it, like skullcap and catnip,” she says. As an upgrade to more-common brews, Wirecutter's Melanie Pinola likes Republic of Tea’s Get Some Zzzz’s, a powerful herbal blend. “This herbal tea is a step above typical chamomile tea, because it blends in a high dose of potent, sleep-inducing valerian. Even with the stronger-flavored rooibos, it’s a mild-soothing tea that’s become a part of my wind-down ritual.”

Beyond the bedtime ritual, some have also found that a cup of tea helps with sleep consistency. After trying out a few different blends, software engineer Jasmine Khoury found that Trader Joe’s Well Rested Herbal Tea helped her fall back asleep, even after her partner’s 4 a.m. daily wake-up call. Conversely, since his teen years, editor Joshua Lyon has held steady with the cupboard classic Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea, and he finds that the added hydration of this bedtime brew provides a certain welcome urgency to getting out of bed in the morning.

642 Things to Draw ($15 at the time of publication) The New York Times Classic Crossword Puzzles ($20 at the time of publication) The New York Times Crosswords App ($20 per year at the time of publication)

If you need some help pulling yourself away from your phone or TV at night, doing crossword puzzles or sketching exercises in the hours before bed can be a good way to start. Senior staff writer Ingrid Skjong likes the 642 Things to Draw guided sketchbook because it’s a delightfully simple, low-stakes way to encourage a drawing habit. “I’ve been trying to draw one thing a day, often before bed, which has been very calming,” she says. Trends writer Elissa Sanci likes doing a crossword puzzle before bed, “It’s the perfect mental exercise that helps me unwind and eventually fall asleep.” She uses The New York Times’s Crossword app. But if you want to avoid screen time before bed, you can also get a physical book, like the Times’s Classic Crossword Puzzles book. (It’s true that The New York Times is our parent company, but we genuinely love its crosswords—any puzzle will do!)

EncaLife Star Light Galaxy Projector ($80 at the time of publication) From Sleep by Max Richter (free with Amazon Prime, $10 for MP3, at the time of publication)

Like many kids, my little one thrives on a bedtime routine. Dimmed lights and soothing music have always been a part of his sleep formula. But as he’s gotten older, he’s wanted more than just the traditional night-light. While I was showing him a photo of a very fuzzy chinchilla on Instagram one day, we came across an ad for a projector that could light up a room like a galaxy, and it was all he could talk about for ages. After a lot of research (there were several fly-by-night companies in this category that didn’t seem trustworthy; some even got called out as being scams), I landed on the EncaLife Projector. I liked that the company had taken the time to get the device Google- and Alexa-enabled, and it had clearly spent some time developing the app.

Now, every night, I say, “Alexa, Goodnight Galaxy,” and the room transforms. The bedroom’s main smart lightbulb dims and turns purple (we have the Wyze Bulb, one of Wirecutter’s old budget picks). Then the galaxy projector turns on (you can customize the nebula colors and speed of the stars in the app), and our Echo Dot plays selections from Max Richter’s From Sleep album, which was composed specifically to enable sleep. Plus, several tracks have names such as “Space,” “Moth-like Stars,” and “Cassiopeia,” so the theme fits. It may seem like a lot for bedtime, but when your little one says his night-light helps him “have good dreams of building Mars rovers for NASA,” it’s hard not to feel like the investment was worth it.

Calm ($70 per year at the time of publication) Headspace ($70 per year at the time of publication)

Meditation, breathing exercises, yoga, or anything that lowers your heart rate and gets you to relax is generally a good idea for inducing sleep. If you want to get started, we have an entire guide to the best meditation apps, but senior editor Kalee Thompson relies on a body scan meditation recording she kept from a class she took years ago. You can find other, similar exercises online, like this Headspace one. And once you get the hang of it, you may not even need a recording. “When I’m really hyped up and can’t sleep, this sort of beginner meditation will either help me wind down or put me to sleep if I’m already in bed—both good outcomes!” she says. Wirecutter's Melanie Pinola uses Calm’s Sleep Stories at the end of the day, when her mind has trouble slowing down. “Many of the stories are read by celebrities with soothing voices, most of which are droning enough that they don’t keep me awake while also being calming. For some of them, I’m asleep before they even get to the second paragraph of the story,” she says.

Benedict Cumberbatch Reads Sherlock Holmes’ Rediscovered Railway Mysteries & Other Stories (Audible Plus subscription required, starts at $8 per month at the time of publication) The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Read by Christopher Lee (Soundcloud subscription required, starts at $5 per month)

Actors Christopher Lee and Benedict Cumberbatch are both famous for playing Sherlock Holmes on film, and they also happen to be utterly fantastic narrative artists when reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s words on audio. For me, the stories hit that sweet spot of “interesting enough to get my mind off other things, but not too stimulating to keep me up till the end.” There’s always the rewind button for tomorrow night.

This article was edited by Daniela Gorny and Christine Ryan.

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