Friday Favorites: Items For A Good Night Sleep

It's Friday!

This week I am linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals and sharing my favorites for a goodnight sleep. Brian works a late shift and our sleep hours overlap but don't align. With our little ones run running around in the morning and odd sleeping hours we had to set the mood for sleep and we found a few favorite items to make our room restful for a good nights sleep.

There're are three ways we help create an environment for sleep. First, we don't have a TV in our room. We never have had a TV in our room in our 9 years of marriage because I go to bed earlier than Brian and both of us decided it would save us lots of arguments if we kept the TV out of the bedroom. Additionally, it is helpful for us to not watch TV before we go to sleep because it makes it harder for us to fall asleep.  

Secondly, we have a no talking when the lights go out. That mean that unless there is an emergency we don't talk to each other once that bedside table lamp is switched off. Really this rule is for me because my mind runs a mile a minute at night and I need to be reminded of the no talking rule a lot. What can I say, Brian married a talker! 

Lastly, we try and have a clean room. This is again a rule for me. I can't sleep when my bedroom, or my house, is a mess. Everything feels discombobulated to me when there is laundry strewn about and I have to climb into an unmade bed. This is not for everyone but if you have my personality a little order to the bedroom can calm and relax you into a good nights sleep. 

We have four favorite items that help us sleep our best. We use a noise machine, good bedding basics,       essential oil, and black out Shanes. After 8 years of odd sleep hours and lots of testing items these four a must to help us promote sleep.

White Noise Maker

When we had Shane I had  a Cloud B Sleep Sheep and it was a nice fit him. I liked that it traveled well and the noise was very soothing. Additionally, the lamb was adorable so if looked cute in his nursery.  The challenge was the the batteries died a lot and it only lasted 45 minutes. When Keith came along we switched to a white noise maker and now there is one in everyone's bedroom. The noise is soothing air blowing and I like that there are two speeds so I can set it to low and not worry about the decibel being to loud for my baby's ears or louder for my room. Some people don't want to get a noise maker into their babies sleep routine or their own but I found my kids and Brian and I sleep better when we can't hear talking in the next room or a loud car driving by. For me this is a must!

A Good Pillow, Mattress, and Sheets

Every year when Brian and I get a tax refund we take a small portion and get to purchase something for the house that we think we need. For us, this year, I got new pillows! We found these Allergy Wise pillows that are firm because Brian and I both have dust mite allergies and we are side sleepers. We made sure to find the right pillows for our sleeping positioning and finally purchased pillows that were dust mite safe. We also have great sheets that we wash every few days and are allergy safe and a mattress we recently replaced. 

Lavender Oil

About 8 months ago I started using essential oils and this little purple bottle has quickly become my favorite! It helps me sleep, heals skin and prevents scarring, and fights the sniffles. I don't use this every night but if I need to get to sleep and am struggling Brian and I will diffuse this in our room or rub in on the bottom of our feet and it helps aid in sleep so much.

Black out Shades

They cost a pretty penny but black out shades, not curtains, are the best investment we made in our home. All our bedrooms have these and they are amazing. Even in Washington the sun shines right into our bedroom during the summer and getting my kids to nap or my husband to sleep later in the morning to get the sleep he needs requires a bit of darkening. We purchased ours from Lowes in the spring when they run a great sale and out of all my tools this is the best!

Those are my favorite tips and tools for a good nights sleep! I hope you get lots of rest this weekend and are ready to tackle a new week that is just around your corner.