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Sleep aid products to help you get through daylight saving time

As you prepare to turn back the clock, we compiled expert guidance on making sure your sleep doesn’t get messed up—plus, products that can help you get good rest.
Illustration of a Man sleeping on a Bedgear M3 Mattress, using 2 Original Casper Pillows and a set of LuxClub Bamboo 6-Piece Sheets on the bed
How you sleep can impact your mental and physical health, so it’s important to try and create an ideal sleeping environment for yourself.Bedgear ; Amazon ; Getty Images ; Casper

With daylight saving time coming to an end— clocks fall back an hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 6—you may be looking forward to that extra hour of sleep. And while it’s true that turning the clocks back feels a bit easier than when they spring forward, it can still throw your system out of whack. Thankfully, there are things you can do to try and mitigate this.

Preserving quality rest is very much worth the effort. In fact, sleep medicine physicians and clinical psychologists from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine came together in an October 2021 study to agree that sufficient sleep is “important for cognitive functioning, mood, mental health, and cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and metabolic health”

According to the Sleep Foundation, major sleep disruptions are less likely to occur in November—however, some people may have difficulty adjusting to a new wake-up time.

Here at Select, we take sleep hygiene seriously. We regularly speak to experts about what can make or break your sleep cycle, ranging from alarm clocks and silk pajamas to pillows and bedding. Below, we compiled our expert sleep guidance about achieving the best sleep — and rounded up products that can help you do so.

UPGRADE YOUR at-home fitness equipment, sleep products, work-from-home setup and home cooking

How to pick the best sleep products for you

Everyone has different needs when it comes to sleep. Some people are hot sleepers and want to invest in moisture-wicking bedding. Others have back problems and are looking for support and firmness in their mattress. Once you identify your individual needs, you’ll be able to sift through to find exactly what you need. Much of our sleep coverage is reported specifically in line with specific features—like our guides to cooling pillows and sheets and pillowcases.

Though each individual differs when it comes to their mattress and bedding preferences, there are some sleep accessories that virtually everyone can benefit from. For instance, in our guide to sleep masks, experts told us that wearing a mask while you sleep can create a pitch black sleep environment, which encourages the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. Similarly, blackout curtains can help keep your bedroom quiet, insulated and free of light, so you can get a deeper rest.

Best sleep aid products

From mattresses to pillows to sheets and curtains, here are some of the best sleep aid products we’ve reported on, along with where to learn more about each product and topic.

Sleep upgrades for everyone

West Elm Blackout Curtain

Beth Halpern Brown, an interior designer and home decor expert in Atlanta, previously recommended these blackout curtains, noting that they are an effective and reasonably priced option. “This dense drape blocks light, absorbs noise and insulates against heat and cold,” she explained. “By blocking sunlight, it also protects curtains, rugs and furniture from fading.”

Hatch Restore Smart Sleep Assistant

This sleep assistant serves as a sound machine, alarm, smart light and meditation app all in one, making it great for anyone who wants to completely overhaul their bad sleep habits. According to the brand, you can set a personalized sleep routine which can be great for anyone having difficulties falling asleep (or staying asleep) and then waking up in the morning. This alarm clock has over 6,000 ratings with 4.4 stars on Amazon.

LuxClub Bamboo 6-Piece Sheet Set

In our guide to bed sheets, experts explained to us that percale sheets — which are constructed with a basic criss cross weave — are cool to the touch, making them a good option for sleepers who run hot. This bamboo viscose set is also moisture-wicking, wrinkle-free and hypoallergenic, according to the brand—making them a good option for just about everyone. The set comes with one fitted sheet, one flat sheet and four pillowcases.

Cooling sheets and pillows for hot sleepers

PeachSkinSheets Night Sweats Soft Sheet Set

This 1,500-thread-count sheet set from PeachSkinSheets is designed to be moisture-wicking, temperature-regulating and breathable. Lindsay Stedman, a stylist and former Textile Technologist for Ralph Lauren and Victoria's Secret, previously recommended these sheets in our guide to bed sheets, noting that they’re “hands down the best all-around sheets for hot sleepers.”

Tuft & Needle Original Foam Pillow

Good cooling pillows are typically made with cooling gel, which absorbs body heat and releases it into the air. This one from Tuft & Needle — which we recommended as a pillow for hot sleepers — is no exception. It’s designed with open-cell foam that air can pass through and is infused with graphite and cooling gel to stay cool throughout the night. The cover is also made from a breathable micro polyamide and polyester fabric.

West Elm Silky Tencel Sheet Set

Former Select editor Morgan Greenwald called this Tencel sheet set from West Elm one of the best things she purchased in 2021. She says that the Tencel fabric — a trademarked fabric made from lyocell — helps make the sheets “feel like butter on your skin every time you crawl into bed.” The sheet set is available in Full, Queen, King and California King sizes and nine different colors.

Mattresses and pillows for side sleepers

Brooklyn Bedding Premium Shredded Foam Pillow

Side sleepers need help keeping their spine and neck aligned while they sleep, and experts said that fluffier pillows with higher loft can provide this support. This pillow from Brooklyn Bedding — which we recommended as a pillow for side sleepers — is filled with a blend of deconstructed latex and memory foam that molds to your body for proper support. It’s also infused with cooling gel foam to draw heat away from your body while you sleep.

Helix Sunset Mattress

Side sleepers generally need a softer mattress than back- or stomach-sleepers, since their shoulders and hips need to sink more for their spine to align. The Sunset is Helix’s softest mattress and meant for side sleepers, according to the company. It’s 12 inches thick and comes with two pillows. The company provides free shipping in the U.S., a 100-night trial, free returns and 10-year warranty. The mattress has a 4.6-star average rating from over 1,200 reviews on Helix.

Mattresses and pillows for back and stomach sleepers

Brooklinen Plush Down Pillow

Sleeping on your stomach makes it difficult to keep your head and neck aligned with your spine. Experts said the best way to try and align everything in this position is with a softer, flatter pillow — this one from Brooklinen is filled with soft Down clusters, and we previously recommended it for stomach sleepers.

Original Casper Pillow

Experts previously told us that back sleepers need a firmer pillow that provides more support for the back of the neck. This one from Casper is designed with a 2-inch gusset, an extra piece of material that gives the pillow more structure. Both the breathable cotton cover and the pillow are machine-washable, to boot.

When does daylight saving time start in 2022?

Daylight saving time — yup, you read that right, it’s not “savings” time — runs between March 13 and November 6 in 2022. Starting at 2 a.m. this Sunday, time will fall back an hour: In other words, the clock on your laptop or TV will automatically change from 1:59 a.m. back to 12:59 a.m. We actually spend nearly two-thirds of the year in DST and the Senate voted to make DST permanent back in March 2022. According to the Department of Transportation, DST has several positive effects, including lowering energy costs and reducing crime by extending daylight into the evening. However, the AASM supports standard time year-round, citing evidence that standard time lines up best with our natural circadian rhythm.

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