The Healthyish Guide to Finally Getting a Good Night's Sleep
"I'm just a little zonked."
"I barely had time to sleep."
"I'll catch up on the weekend."
Yeah, we're tired too. Meanwhile, everywhere we look, someone's telling us that sleep is the key to peak wellness. They're preaching the slumber gospel in every corner of the internet and every dinner party conversation, promising that we'll live longer, calmer, happier, and more beautiful lives if we just knock ourselves out for eight hours each night.
Easier said than done. How do we actually get those body-restoring, skin-brightening, head-clearing zzzs? Pills and powders? Smart pillows and temperature control systems? Salmon and brown rice? As much as we want a magic cure, there's no single solution for all our nighttime woes. The only way to sleep better, it turns out, is to figure out what works for you. To help you out, we asked our most trusted sleep guides—a doctor, a spiritual advisor, a Sleepytime Tea expert, a couple nutritionists, and our very well-rested friends—for help.
Read their best advice below, but only if it's before 9 p.m. Otherwise please step away from the screen and listen to a podcast instead.
Photo by Yale Joel/Getty Images1/17First Of All, How Did We Get Here?
Our culture's obsession with sleep is at an all-time high, but it feels harder than ever to actually get to bed. What's happening here? And what's the future for the droves of wellness obsessives, lifehackers, and just regular people in need of a little more shut-eye? Click here for Ashley Fetters's dive into America's sleep mania.
Alex Lau2/17Make These Nap-Inducing Recipes
Supplements and sleep aids are good and all, but one of the best things you can do to help yourself fall asleep (and to keep you snoozing soundly until morning) is to eat real food that promotes healthy sleeping habits. Click here for nine seriously delicious foods that double as dream fuel.
Illustrations by Hallie Bateman3/17Know That Your Alarm Clock Defines You
Do you wake up with the birds or set three alarms, all 13 minutes after each other, in some numerology-inspired attempt to get more rest? Click here to read Alex Beggs and Hallie Bateman's illustrated guide to what your alarm clock style says about you.
Photo by Emma Fishman4/17Steal Emilia Ortiz's Night Moves
Emilia Ortiz spends her days as a spiritual advisor, mental health advocate, and writer. At night, she winds down in her signature metaphysical-no-chaser style. Click here for Ortiz's evening routine, from the herb she sprinkles into her joints to the crystal she stashes in her pillowcase.
5/17Be Like Brad Leone and Ripple Off to Bed
Sometimes when it comes to sleep, I'm just not tired. And, as we all know, alcohol isn't always great for going to bed. I love dissolving Ripple's flavorless, fast-acting THC or CBD powder in my tea or water before bed.* Ripple comes in three varieties: Pure 10, Balanced 5 and Relief 20:1, all in small single-serving packets so you always know what dose you're getting. For sleeping, I take Balanced 5, which has five mg of THC and CBD each, or Relief, which has 20 mg of CBD and .5 mg of THC. Both versions help me get to sleep with ease and don't make me drowsy the next day. Some people have a glass of wine; I have these. —Brad Leone, test kitchen manager.
*Okay, before we all start rippling away, consider consulting a medical practitioner and double-checking marijuana prohibition laws in your area.
6/17Try Phoebe Robinson's Sleeping Cap Solution
"I wear a sleeping cap, which makes me look like a chef at a restaurant that’s been struggling to stay open. Duane Reade makes the best ones. They’re satin-lined yet super affordable. Sometimes I’ll braid my hair at night, because black women’s hair is a process. It is a mini-series. I need to make sure I prep and get it going before bed. I always go to bed with dry hair, though. I don’t need my pillowcase getting wet! I sweat enough, so I don’t need the extra liquid. To prevent the sleep sweats, you have to either blast your A/C or sleep naked. That’s it. Fingers crossed, say ‘New York, I hate you.’ And then fall asleep." – Phoebe Robinson, creator and co-host of 2 Dope Queens and star of Netflix film Ibiza.
7/17Nab Adam Rapoport's Fancy Pillow Spray
“Can you pass the spray?”
That’s what my wife and I call it, because I’m pretty sure neither of us can pronounce it by its proper name, Climarome Voies Respiratoires by Docteur Valnet.
I fully get that most couples, after switching off the lights, bid each other good night with something more adoring, like “I love you, honey.”
But my wife and I are cool with handing off The Spray. Imagine the most provocative (and pricy!) gin and tonic you’ve ever had. That’s The Spray. It tingles your nostrils. A few pumps on your pillow case, and next thing you know, you’re taking deep, yoga-grade inhales through your nose. You’re primed for a good night’s sleep, no tossing, turning, or cover-stealing. And, really, what says “I love you” more than that? – Adam Rapoport, Bon Appetit editor in chief
Illustration by Bryan Fountain8/17Ask a Doctor (We Did It For you)
A few weeks ago we put out a call on Instagram stories for all your burning sleep questions, and you had a lot. Instead of late-night-panic-Googling, we enlisted functional and integrative medicine practitioner (and chef Seamus Mullen's personal hero) Frank Lipman, M.D. Click here to read his advice on melatonin supplements, tech before bed, and more.
Photo by Alex Lau9/17Sip the Absolute Sleepiest Sleepytime Tea
Just for you, senior web editor Alex Beggs took on the task of testing all the sleepytime brands on the market. It was very tiring. Find out which tea brand reigned supreme here.
10/17Count Your Blessings With Sarah Wayne Callies
“I heard in a seminar once that the last things in your mind kind of circle all night. So, no matter how crazy the day is, I try to fill my head with something good. I lie in the dark and come up with five things to be grateful for from the day, then five people to send blessings to who might need a little extra for the next day. I'm ashamed to say I've never made it through the whole list of ten—I'm always asleep in there somewhere.” –Sarah Wayne Callies, actress on The Walking Dead and Colony
Illustration by Tomomi Mizukoshi11/17Take a Hot Shower with Eucalyptus
For a better transition into sleep, I endorse the bedtime shower. A bedtime shower is a luxurious affair: The only thing you’re working toward is sleep, so you don’t have to watch the clock. I like how the hot water soothes my muscles, and I always drip eucalyptus essential oil on the floor to infuse the steam for clearer breathing. As soon as I’m out, I moisturize with Weleda Calendula baby oil, which is the most comforting body oil ever. It smells like sunshine in an herb garden and makes me ready to cozy up in bed and start falling asleep. —Anna Stockwell, senior food editor
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li12/17Make a Soothing Mug of Moon Milk
This drink basically tucks you in, reads you a story, and turns off the lights. (No, it's not a shot of whiskey.) Click here for senior designer Alaina Sullivan's moon milk recipe.
Photo by Alex Lau13/17Drink This Tea for Lucid Dreams...Or Just Plain Sleep
I’ve never been good at falling asleep. I've been known to spend nights lying awake until 7 a.m., when my poor body finally outweighs my stressed-out brain. To make matters worse, I go on my phone before bed, furthering my anxieties (and increasing blue light exposure) by Googling insomnia cures. One of these post-midnight searches led me to Anima Mundi's Lucid Dreaming Tea, which purportedly promotes sleep and dreams with a potent blend of herbs like ashwagandha, kava, and calea. I've been sipping it before bed for a few weeks now, and while I haven't (yet) dreamed my way to Hogwarts, I have felt noticeably drowsier. I've never been good at recalling dreams, but maybe now I'm just sleeping too soundly to remember. —Aliza Abarbanel, Healthyish editorial assistant
Illustration by Tomomi Mizukoshi14/17Turn On Your Favorite Podcast
When you just land in Taipei, of course you’re going to power through the 12-hour time difference to eat at the famed night markets. (Black pepper buns don’t have a bedtime.) But not so much when you return home and need to be back in the office the next day. So when I’m trying to drastically re-adjust my sleeping schedule back to normal, I listen to podcasts. There’s a bit of familiarity with recognizing the voices of the hosts and a certain rhythm to the conversation, so it almost feels like you’re getting a bedtime story. And actually, I’ve been falling asleep to podcasts more recently because someone decided that 1 a.m. is a great time to put up scaffolding across the street from my apartment. —Elyse Inamine, BA digital restaurants editor
