How to go to bed early

Come on, let's catch some Zzzs
image Paul Mescal, taken by Phoebe Bridgers
words Rhys Thomas
Tired? Most people are. According to a 2021 YouGov poll, 51% of people reported that they feel tired “often” or “all the time”. While workinmind.org has found that 74% of adults report bad sleep quality.
You could also have a lie-in, but if we’re being really healthy about things, our circadian rhythm prefers to wake up at the same time every day, even if we don’t go to sleep at the same time. Plus, in a world where we have to get up for whatever the day has in store, even if that means a long slog at work, sometimes we can’t just hit snooze all morning.
Aside from simply trying to organise your day to finish earlier - and embracing the joy of missing out - a way to have an earlier night is to calm the mind and body down sooner in the evening. Even if you don’t end up getting many more hours, you might well find better quality sleep. And quality is more important than quality anyway, as with most things in life (yes, the eight hour rule is basically a myth). But if you’re tired, catching up on sleep is something people can actually do too, so here’s a series of products that can help to promote calmness.
They mainly do this because they contain compounds that help our sleep cycles. Things many of us are exposed to daily, like screens that emit blue light, caffeine, stress, not really exercising because we don’t have time, all stop our body from producing sleep-promoting hormones, and see them produce too many hormones that keep our adrenaline and stress high, stopping us from sleeping. As well as finding a good sleep hygiene, by doing things like organising your day to finish earlier, avoiding caffeine, products exist that can prove a bit of an anti-dote to those sleep-reducing parts of life. These compounds can make the brain produce more melatonin (our sleepy hormone), they can also help us to get into parts of our sleep cycles more often, which can help us to feel more rested (and access deep sleep), and much more.
We’ve collated a bunch of ways to find these compounds, they’ll help you wind down earlier, and can promote better sleep quality too. So, without further ado, here's our guide on how to go to bed early.
How to go to bed early
Calm head
Ross J. Barr is a leading acupuncture specialist. As part of a more holistic approach to his treatments and wellness, he has developed a series of patches. The sleep patches promote sleepiness, of course. They include a range of herbs such as wild jujube seed, polygala and more, that help calm the mind and induce a deeper sleep. You apply one to each temple, so there’s five night’s worth in a pack.
The sleepy flower
Lavender includes compounds like linalool, linalyl acetate, and camphor, which are great anxiety relievers and sedatives, hence why it’s often associated with sleep. These pouches are handmade and filled with dried lavender. They can be put everywhere from pillowcases to sock drawers, making them an affordable and convenient way to inhale that soothing aroma as much as you want, even while travelling.
Ahhhhhhhh
Here, at bathtime, lavender is combined with chamomile, rose, sage, and Epsom salts. They’re rich in magnesium, which has been said to improve sleep quality by reducing how often we wake up at night, and helping us to produce more melatonin. The herbs are all full of sleepy compounds, and a nice bath before bed is a great way to unwind!
Gummies for bed
Nourished make layers of health and then press them together into a sugar-free sweet gummy. Their sleep tight pack makes use of two layers of tart cherry, which clinical trials are reporting increases melatonin levels, ashwagandha, which is great for reducing stress and anxiety levels, and a blend of vitamins and nutrients designed to help you sleep well. You get 28 days worth in a box.
Breathe
If we can really tune into our breathing habits, we can feel a lot better. This breathing tool fits in your hand and uses an app to track your heart personally. From there, it will help you to breathe better and can be used for meditation, sleep, stress, and more.
wet dreams
Described as a “hot stone massage for your eyes”, this device has three settings which work together to sooth, hydrate, and smooth dry eyes. So if you are finding the fatigue has left your eyes a little sore, this should help you to feel better. And feeling good is relaxing, it’ll work well as part of a nighttime routine.
make bathing your routine
If you’re looking more for a restful soak than a full on snooze fest, these bath salts use lavender alongside bergamot and eucalyptus, which will leave you feeling relaxed and calm, but also uplifted.
Lights out
Wait, how is an iPad-sized bright light which replicates the sun going to help me sleep? Use it in the morning if you aren’t able to go for a sunny walk, it can help us to increase energy levels and helps to regulate the circadian rhythm. Meaning the energy boost in the morning should be accompanied by a sleepy night time too. Ideal. Of course it’s also used for seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Snore no more
Humidifiers are another way in which peep club is helping to keep our eyes nice and MOIST. The gentle mist works to replace moisture in the air around your bed or workspace. This is good for helping us wake up with less dry eyes, but also with less of that dry itchy stuff. Dry air can also worsen systems around breathing, so getting that air less dry is good. Especially if you have a cold.
The OG sleep aid
For just a solid addition to a diffuser list, have some high quality lavender essential oil on the nightstand. The aroma is proven to help with sleep and relaxation. You can also wear this particular oil on your skin, and it has soothing properties. If you want the oil without splashing out on a diffuser.
There's always a mushroom that helps
If you like a cup of tea at night, that’s great. It is warm and cosy, but SWITCH TO DECAF if you haven’t already. To push the tea-for-sleep even further, you could stir in some reishi, it’s an earthy mushroom which can help to reduce stress, improve sleep, and help immune systems.