Perfecting the Art of a Good Night's Sleep

How I get 8 hours of sleep (almost) every night

I am going to say something that will sound so outrageous and out-of-touch that I can already picture the hate comments but: I get a solid eight hours of sleep almost every single night.

per my Oura ring, my yearly average for sleep was 7 hours, 44 minutes per night

This is not because of lack of stress or ease of life. In addition to writing this newsletter, I have a full-time, 9-5 job as a staff writer at People magazine. I also buy and sell antiques and paint and sell art.

I am also a full-time caretaker for my mom, a 60-year-old woman with a brain injury. That is so stressful, let me tell you. Last weekend, she walked out of her room and her right eye (she only has one eye, so this was her good eye!) was swollen shut and red. She was in intense pain and worried something was lodged inside. I took her straight to the emergency room, where they conducted numerous tests. Doctors didn’t find a foreign object, chalked it up to an allergic reaction, and sent us home with prescription eye cream. I was stressed beyond belief — imagine having only one eye and it gets infected! my thoughts immediately raced to “how will I take care of a blind person?” and “how will she keep up with her favorite shows or play solitaire or take her walks?”

Long story short: She’s fine, it was temporarily stressful — but I still got eight hours of sleep that night.

I did not always sleep so easy and I pin my current sleep cycle on a nightly routine full of healthy habits and a handful of products that have frankly changed my life (better sleep = a better life, as we all know.)

Sleep is a serious subject. I’ve rounded up exactly how I do it, below.

PS. I can’t write a newsletter devoted to all things home and lifestyle without acknowledging the devastating California wildfires, which have destroyed the homes of so many. You can donate to The California Fire Foundation — which provides critical support to surviving families of fallen firefighters and aid to victims of wildfires — here.

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David Hockney, Model with Unfinished Self-Portrait, 1977

Lifestyle Habits

Save your heavier meals for lunchtime. This is a very European way of eating — treat lunchtime as your fun, more heavy meal and do something a bit lighter for dinner. Of course, this is the antithesis of American culture, where something like pot roast or pasta feels decidedly more like “dinner” than “lunch.” But eating better at night will make you feel better and make you sleep better and that’s just the truth (I adore hot wings — absolutely love them — but I will have acid reflux at 2 AM if I have half-a-dozen wings with a side of fries at 7 PM.)

Try to eat dinner earlier. This one isn’t always feasible, particularly if you’re traveling or busy, but I try to eat dinner at 6 pm. This is a habit I only picked up in the past few months (I used to eat at around 7:30) but it means that I have a little bit more time to digest my food before I lay horizontal for 8+ hours.

Work out in the morning. I have always been a morning workout gal, because it sets the tone for my day. It also releases endorphins and, frankly, wakes me up rather than exhausts me – so it makes more sense for me to do it in the morning.

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blackout shades // functional mushroom gummies // silk eye mask // white noise machine // back and side-sleeper pillow // diffuser

The products that help me get my best sleep ever.

Sleep mask: My silk eye mask is a non-negotiable for me. It’s comfortable, doesn’t cause creases in your skin, and blocks out all the light. If I go on a trip and I forget it, I will place a washcloth over my face — but this is far preferable.

Pillow: This pillow is specifically made for back and side sleepers, with a gentle curve to cradle the head and neck while providing optimal support for the shoulders and back. It’s not cheap, but you use it every single day for eight hours so… very much worth it, IMO.

Blackout curtains: I am someone who just requires that a room be pitch-black before I can sleep in it. Now, this comes with some downsides: Namely, if you go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, you need to bring your phone with you so you can use the flashlight (once, I ran face-first into a bookcase because the room was so dark). All of the blinds and curtains in my home are from The Shade Store and I got the blackout curtain option to go under all of them.

White noise machine: This white noise machine has been a lifesaver for me. I go to sleep within 15 minutes of turning it on and it’s just the best (you can change the settings, too, which is nice — there are multiple volumes of noise from which to choose).

Diffuser: There has been some research to show that inhaling certain aromas — like lavender — before sleep may increase subjective sleep quality. Can’t hurt, right? I actually have two diffusers in my home: This one, which I keep next to the bed, and this one, which is portable and I keep it in the living area but move it around as needed.

Supplemental interventions: Melatonin certainly works for me but I realize not everyone is crazy about it. I also like these CBD gummies when I travel (I find that the first night in a new place and new bed is more difficult for me to sleep). They give me no weird, Nyquil-like hangover and as a bonus they really mellow you out at night if you’re stressed. I also love these, which are new to me and made from functional mushrooms. These are created by neuroscientists using a blend of adaptogens, functional mushrooms and nootropics — they are science-backed and actually good for your brain. Also: some of the best sleep I’ve ever had has come after acupuncture. Make of that what you will but, particularly when I’ve done acupuncture in my scalp and face (which I’ve done for skin/wrinkles), I have just CRASHED and slept like a log after.

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How to train yourself to become a back sleeper.

I slept on my stomach for decades (basically my entire life) until a little over a year ago. That’s when I made the decision to go face-up. It was not easy and required the help of a few contraptions — namely, this absolutely hideous orthopedic pillow situation from Amazon. I used this for a month before transitioning to two standard pillows stacked on top of one another, but continued to use the small triangular pillow from the Amazon set under my knees. Keeping a pillow beneath your knees ensures you don’t roll over (or, at least, makes it a lot harder to roll over). And over time, I transitioned to using just the one pillow and sleeping face-up, with my eye mask on.

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And I’ll leave you with this…