Best sleep products to get you resting easy ahead of “spring forward”

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Daylight saving time begins soon, meaning longer days and brighter evenings. But it also means losing an hour of sleep in the early morning of Sunday, March 10th, 2024, when the clocks “spring forward.” While it is just one hour, it can have a lasting effect on Canadians for days afterwards. 

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Here are some sleep products that can help you catch some Zzz’s and help your sleep schedule stay intact for the upcoming time change.

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Eye mask

Eye masks can help ensure you get a good quality sleep. Light can impact the ability to reach REM (rapid eye movement) slow-wave sleep, so blocking out light — even small, ambient light like an outdoor streetlight — can be extremely beneficial for the quality of sleep you get.

Eye masks can also help minimize distractions like staring at the ceiling or the urge to check your mobile device. Silk eye masks can also help with acne, wrinkles and under-eye circles. 

Sound machine 

Watching television before you go to bed can negatively impact your sleep: from the bright lights to the engaging action, listening to a program can engage your brain and counteract your rest. It can also delay your sleep cycle and depending on what you’re watching, has the potential to cause nightmares. But many people cannot fall asleep in silence. 

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Enter Hatch Restore 2 — a bedside sleep guide that assists with both falling asleep and waking up. The device has rave reviews and has gone viral on social media, for good reason: customers report dramatic results including 83 per cent saying their sleep has improved and 69 per cent feeling better rested. 

Some beloved features include the sunrise alarm; sleep sounds that are scientifically proven to help fall asleep; calming bedside light settings to cue your body for bedtime; and their coveted alarm sounds that replace the jarring alarms you’re used to, waking you up to soothing sounds. 

Having a separate alarm clock also means you won’t need your phone to act as an alarm and can have it further from your bed, so you won’t be enticed to check your messages first thing, a practice that has proven to be detrimental for mental health and cortisol levels. 

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Magnesium 

Speaking of cortisol, studies have shown that magnesium may promote better sleep in a variety of ways, including reducing cortisol, increasing melatonin and helping to regulate neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. Magnesium glycinate is considered to be the most effective type for assisting with sleep and relaxing the nervous system and muscles. 

Magnesium is in many foods like nuts, seeds and greens, or can be taken via a supplement, but perhaps the most fun way is the sleepy girl mocktail which has been recently popularized for helping with sleep. The recipe includes mixing pure tart cherry juice, magnesium powder and lemon-lime sparkling water over ice.

Another social media hack that has gone viral is putting Magnesium Oil on the bottoms of your feet before going to bed, which users say has dramatically increased the quality and depth of their sleep. As with any trend, it is best to do additional research before trying it for yourself. 

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Sleep tracker

According to experts, sleep trackers can be controversial because people rely on them. While we should always try to be aware of our bodies and how we feel, sleep trackers can help create solid bedtime routines and become more aware of our habits. 

Creating a sleep routine can be critical to having what is known as good sleep hygiene. 

The Oura Ring is a great example of helping set good habits — not only does the app give you analytics on your sleep quality, but it also nudges you to start getting ready for bed at a time that suits your body and lifestyle best. This can be super helpful for those with trouble with a routine. Plus, there are a range of other health tracking metrics such as resting heart rate, counting steps and more. 

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Good pillow

Even though it is something we use every single night, pillows are often neglected and many people don’t bother investing in a good quality pillow. The benefits of having a pillow that suits your body and sleeping style are countless — from comfort to spinal alignment and even reducing snoring. 

A common myth is that a high-quality pillow should last forever. Experts recommend replacing your pillow regularly for best results, with the ideal turnover being one to two years. (Check out our best pillows roundup.)

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