The path to better mental and physical well-being is paved with an adequate amount of quality Zs, a growing body of research confirms. That said, if you, like many, have trouble falling or staying asleep, it’s not as simple as overused advice (hit the hay earlier! Leave your phone in the other room!) makes it out to be.
For starters, among women, sleep problems are commonly caused by hormonal fluctuations related to menstrual cycles or menopause. That difficulty is further compounded by the complicated years we’ve been through: Up to 40.7 percent of adults reported sleeping less during the pandemic, one recent study found. Adults in the U.S. are also taking twice the amount of melatonin they did a decade ago, per a new JAMA study. (A potential short-term Band-Aid—but not an effective long-term solve.)
The sleep enhancers that go the distance? Tools and technology that tackle the real culprits keeping everyone up at bedtime: tough-to-manage anxiousness that hits later and a malfunctioning body clock, experts agree. Fortunately, there are a slew of products that offer natural and effective ways to retrain the mind and body for slumber and to stick to a consistent routine. (Music to the ears of the growing number of people tossing and turning!) From sunrise alarm clocks to smart mattresses to next-gen trackers that help you zero in on potential weak spots, there’s something for everyone, depending on what stands between you and sweet repose.
After assessing hundreds of bedroom staples and “sleep-cessories,” we landed on the following 100 picks—all of which are beloved by WH editors and/or sleep experts and match shopping criteria recommended by the pros—such as key features, cooling and malleable materials, good old-fashioned comfort, and more. Nighty night…
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Best Mattresses and Mattress Toppers
Uninterrupted evenings begin with a mattress that melts around every curve and keeps you in alignment all night. These selections pass the test.
Good for the body and the environment? Yes, please! The medium-firm base is reinforced with coils to give back and stomach sleepers a solid foundation, yet it’s still soft enough for those who favor their sides. Materials are sustainably sourced directly from the company’s farms.
Every part is engineered with one goal in mind: cold comfort. The top layer is infused with heat-conducting graphite and cooling gel to redirect warmth elsewhere, while the open-cell construction keeps air flowing. The sturdy foam that’s inside prevents you from sinking in.
If turning your thermostat way down still leaves you sweating through your PJs, try this mattress pad that allows you to set your ideal bed temperature with its remote-controlled unit. The we size comes with two separate units, one on each side of the pad, for you and your S.O. No more overheating or freezing for either of you!
Amy Wilkinson, WH‘s temporary features editor, calls this the Goldilocks of mattresses. The special Lumbar Zone Active Spinal Wire and high-density memory foam support your back, but a plush pillowtop makes for a body-soothing night of Zs. “It really is the perfect combination of strong and soft.”
Side sleepers know the shoulders and hips are their main pain points. Pressure-relieving memory foam provides cushioning. You also get the bonus of coils, which cradle you and keep the person next to you from noticing your movement. This cushion’s soft-knit cover is optimized for airflow.
This gives you the option to choose different support systems on each side. It worked out really well for Angela Holliday-Bell, MD, a pediatrician and clinical sleep specialist, who is partial to soft while her husband prefers medium firm.
Meredith Broderick, MD, a neurologist, sleep medicine provider, and ambassador for the brand, loves this one because it’s made with the finest natural and organic materials like ultra-fine cashmere, naturally hygroscopic wool, and latex to keep you cool and comfortable.
Not sure what you like? The zippered construction allows you to swap firmness and materials as many times as you like until you find your match (free within the first 90 days!). Bonus: You and your sleep partner can choose different comfort levels.
A truly revolutionary design, this base consists of three airfiber blocks that you can rearrange to prop up each section of your body with the best cushion level. And airweave takes the guess work out of the process. They provide a virtual fitting service through their web-based app MattressFit to help you find the best configuration.
Best Bed Sheets and Blankets
Comfort is no longer the only bedding criterion. Top-of-the-line covers take care of other needs, too, like temperature control, allergies, and even stress management.
These sheets have beauty sleep woven right into the Tencel, nylon, and pima cotton fabric, says Nied. “The silky smooth material doesn’t pull or tug at hair or skin, so I wake up feeling and looking well rested and I don’t have to force myself to sleep on my back.”
Best Pillows
Finding the perfect pillow depends on your go-to position. We found a match for every unique preference.
This cushion strikes the perfect balance between firm and soft—the high-density memory foam holds up and molds around your noggin, but it’s still bouncy enough to make you feel like you’re resting on a cloud. There is also a cooling side that you can switch to during the warmer months.
Designed to help you get into your most natural pose from head to toe, this cushion (pictured) stays plump no matter how hard you hug it (trust, you will). “I love to melt into and wrap my limbs around the Puff for maximum restfulness. Obsessed,” says Andriakos.
Purple’s beloved honeycomb-patterned cushioning technology cradles and supports the top half of your body whether you’re a side, back, or stomach sleeper. The airy design of the grid combined with the moisture-wicking material on the outside ensures you feel breezy throughout the night. And one reviewer said there are no signs of breakdown after five months.
Best Sleep Accessories
Your circadian rhythm is partially dictated by external cues like light, smell, and more. These accessories for you (and your space) encourage your body to feel tired or wakeful when it’s supposed to.
To truly unplug after a dragging day, surround yourself with the tranquil scents of lavender and other calming herbs like jasmine, sweet basil, and chamomile. “Your room will smell dreamy even before you light the wick,” says Andriakos.
These sachets are filled with 100 percent pure lavender, and the delightful scent lasts forever,” says WH‘s senior health editor Jackie Lam. “I always leave one around my pillow, and it helps relax my mind through my senses. When you want a stronger smell or think the scent is fading a little, just give it a gentle squeeze and it smells just as good as when you first got it.”
Light exposure tells your internal clock it’s time to be alert. So go dark in the evening anywhere (an Airbnb, a hotel room) by attaching this portable blackout shade to the window with the suction cups and fill in any gaps with Velcro strips, sold separately.
Unlike other eye covers, the goggle-like sockets mold to your particular face shape and prevent *any* light from creeping in. The material is so plush, you’ll barely know you’re wearing it. (It’s no wonder the headpiece boasts thousands of near-perfect online reviews.)
Best Pajamas for Women
Ahead, jammies that pair all-eve comfort (moisture-wicking fabrics, smooth seams…) with style.
“Comfortable, easy fit.” “The best purchase.” These are the types of comments you’ll see in the reviews on these lounge pants. They come in a variety of colors and pair with matching tops. Plus, they stay wrinkle-free and hold up after countless washes.
This A+O and baby apparel company Posh Peanut collab is *nearly* sold out, but the bamboo stretchy fabric PJs for women are “the most comfortable I’ve ever worn,” says Nied. “They don’t bunch up or make me sweaty even though they’re full coverage.”
Best Sleep Trackers
These next-gen trackers provide a 360-degree view of how soundly you’re resting—and when that tends to happen—as well as which aspects of your regimen need a little love.
The Charge 5 shows your sleep stages and compares your habits to others in your demographic. It also computes sleep and daily readiness scores, which help you determine how much rest you need on a particular day depending on how much sleep you got and your overall condition.
This wristband can assess your snoring, leg and arm movement, and it provides a comprehensive sleep analysis report if you sign up for the Sleep Lab subscription service. You’ll also get daily recovery advice, determined by your ability to face stressors on a given day based on your sleep duration and quality.
Not a fan of wearing a gadget to bed? The Nest Hub is for you. The device can detect when you fall asleep and wake up by picking up your breathing, snoring, and coughing via its microphone. (Your sounds do not get saved to the cloud or the Nest Hub unless you want them to.) One reviewer described the Nest Hub as “a great device that provides access to your smart home and can also give insights into personal wellness.”
Here’s another winner that doesn’t require you to don a wearable or shove anything on or under your bed. The bedside monitor uses special technology to track your breathing and movement as you move through each stage of sleep. It can also detect light and sound in the room to provide a more tailored and detailed sleep analysis for you, provided via the app.
Best Sleep Gadgets
Next-level tech accessories help you eliminate one snooze barrier at a time, from the mental to the physical.
The stress-erasing power of meditation can also work wonders for sleep. This smart headband offers real-time feedback on your breath, brain activity, heart rate, and more to help you build a consistent mindfulness habit.
A pro tip to reap the benefits of meditation: Practice it way before bed. “The more mindful you are during the day, the stronger that mental muscle gets,” says Shelby Harris, PsyD, a behavioral sleep medicine specialist.
While we love standard earbuds for our workouts, they aren’t ideal for snoozing. “I like listening to a guided meditation when I’m having trouble falling asleep but hate the discomfort of an earbud digging into my ear on my side and falling out,” says Andriakos. This bluetooth-enabled headband doubles as headphones and a comfy eye mask. “I use this multiple nights a week.”
Tiny gadget, huge difference. Pop the portable, rechargeable device in a purse or carry-on to drown out external noise with three simple sounds—bright white noise, deep white noise, or a gentle surf—wherever life takes ya. It comes with a convenient storage case.
Over 200 sleep expert–led guided sessions (in numerous languages) help you meditate and fully disengage after a doozy of a day. “I appreciate how it doesn’t have a screen with harsh blue light, so you don’t create unwanted alertness for yourself,” Andriakos says. Plus, it looks quite pretty on a nightstand!
These may look like the pair you jog in, but the Sleepbuds II don’t stream podcasts or music. Instead, they play relaxing sounds to help you fall and stay asleep. Heads up: These tend to be best for back sleepers, as the buds can become uncomfortable if you’re lying on your side, reviews point out.
“I’m a terrible sleeper, so I do everything in my power to knock myself out for a good eight hours a night,” says Currie Engel, WH‘s associate news editor. “My partner got me this white noise machine that is the tiniest and best I’ve ever used. I’m obsessed with it.”
Dyson doesn’t disappoint! This top-rated air purifier and humidifier looks sleek in the corner of your bedroom and helps you breathe easy at night. One reviewer wrote: “As someone with allergies, I’ve noticed my quality of life has improved since this machine renders the air in my apartment clean to the point where I can [breathe] clearly.”

Jackie Lam is the senior health editor at Women’s Health where she oversees health and weight loss content for the website and the Mind section of the print magazine. Originally from Hong Kong, she’s a journalist with more than 10 years of experience and a proud graduate of Cornell University and the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. When she’s not at her laptop, she can be found experimenting with Japanese recipes in her kitchen with her husband as her main taste tester, discovering the latest in K-Pop, and dreaming up her next trips to Japan.





































































