Tag: Sleep

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Broadway Star Elizabeth Stanley’s Indulgences Include Nine Hours of Sleep and Blackout Shades


I sleep with a humidifier to keep as much moisture in the air as possible—especially with the New York City radiator heat, it gets really dry, which is hard on my voice. I get nervous about humidifiers because of mold and things like that. I try to be good about cleaning it, but I don’t invest in really, really fancy ones because I get new ones every year or so—I just buy, like, the Vick’s one that’s available at Duane Reade, or one you can kind of find cheaply on Amazon.

Vicks Warm Mist Humidifier

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Yogi Tea – Cold Season (6 Pack)

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Midnight Snack

I do tend to have a strange eating pattern because of working at night. I love popcorn. I’ll often pop it on the stove myself with coconut oil, and I love putting the Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning on it. I love Hippeas, the chickpea snack; I love the cheddar Hippeas. I really love, like, a rosemary flatbread cracker with a soft cheese.

Old-School Skin Care

I’m old-school in that I love a hot washcloth—there’s something about the hot steam of it that makes me feel like my face is actually really getting clean, rather than just splashing water in my face. Feeling like I can actually wipe away the dirt? I love it. I’ve been a fan of Origins face products for years—I should be their spokesperson, because everything I use is from Origins! Lately I’ve been into the Original Skin Cleansing Makeup Removing Jelly because it’s really gentle. My skin tends to be dry, and that’s really not drying. And then I really love the High-Potency Night-a-Mins Resurfacing Cream. I also love Weleda Skin Food; sometimes I’ll put that on too.

Origins High-Potency Night-A-Mins Oil-Free Resurfacing Cream

Sephora

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Original Skin Cleansing Makeup Removing Jelly

Sephora

$24

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I don’t do any serums. I feel like I should, but I don’t. Sometimes I will use an oil, the Night-a-Mins oil. For me it’s all about getting the hydration, and then getting eye cream. The eye cream I use is also Origins—Planstcription, I think.

Flossing, as a Lifestyle

I floss, and then I brush, and then I use mouthwash. I always have flossed. My mom has always been like, “You gotta floss!” since I was tiny. It’s a weird thing that’s not hard for me to do because I started doing it so young, I think. I love Glide floss. It doesn’t snap, it doesn’t get caught! It’s really good. Again, super basic—I love green Listerine! And for toothpaste I’m a Colgate paste fan. I usually do that right before I fall into bed.

Sleep It Off

I usually need nine hours of sleep, which I know is really indulgent! But I’ve just found that I’m the type of person who needs a lot of sleep. When I’m doing the show, I try to go to bed around midnight and then get up around nine. But when I’m not doing the show I go to bed at around 11 p.m. and get up at 7 or 8—I’m more like a waking-up-with-the-sun kind of person.

Screen Time

My phone is tempting, of course. When I’m really being the best version of myself, taking the best care of myself, I use a battery-powered alarm clock and I try not to look at my phone in the 30 minutes before I go to bed, or in the first 30 minutes after I’m awake. I’m an early riser, so it’s better for me to go to bed sooner, but my fiancé is actually on the opposite schedule from me—he could stay up all night and be happy about it. We’ve found a happy medium, and we’ve been slowly making our way through The West Wing, which is his favorite show. He was like, “You must see it.” Sometimes the curtain is at 7 p.m. rather than 8, so if I get home kind of early and there’s not a long stage-door line after the show, then I’ll indulge and I’ll have my cup of tea while we watch that.

In the Bedroom

We just got a Saatva mattress, and we love it! It’s the one sad thing about this escape, that we’re like, “We miss our mattress.” I’m really a fan of 100% cotton sheets, I don’t care if they’re linen or just a really nice thread count, but I love natural-fiber sheets. I like it to feel cool and crisp. We have a king-size bed, which feels crazy in a small New York apartment but has been really awesome for helping us to be able to both have a good night’s sleep. Neither of us is a super petite person—my fiancé is really tall and really broad-shouldered, so he needs room to be able to spread out. A big bed has been an amazing luxury for us that’s been really helpful. Also, he was used to just sleeping with a duvet and I’m very into having a sheet—there were things like that that we’ve had to learn to accommodate one another on. He’s coming around on the sheet!

The Saatva Classic Mattress

Saatva

$799

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When the Lights Go Down

We have blackout shades—it was like a hilarious thing in our relationship. He was like, “We have to get the ones where you have the remote and you just press it, and it comes down,” which are a bajillion times more expensive than ones you just walk over and do yourself. But I was like, “Okay! If that’s like a priority for you, okay!”

It has actually been this amazing indulgence, because we have a very small apartment, but it has high ceilings, and I would not have been able to just reach up and pull them down. We have a little button that you press and then the room just becomes this great cocoon. Especially since I am someone who wakes up with the sun easily, if I’m working really late at night and I have to be able to sleep in, the blackout shades are really helpful.

Jenny Singer is a staff writer for Glamour. You can follow her on Twitter.





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Casper Glow Light Review: A Ticket to Deeper, Better Sleep


Picture this: You’re finally in bed after a long day of working at home, there’s 15 minutes left of Tiger King, and your eyes are starting to feel heavy. You turn over to your partner and coo, “Babe, can you please turn off the lights?” Neither of you wants to leave the soft folds of your bed sheets and perfectly fluffy pillows, but someone has to be the sacrificial lamb. Now, imagine the same scenario where neither of you has to exit the warm cocoon. Instead, a self-dimming, warm light lulls you both to sleep as the credits start to roll. The. Dream.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, that’s totally fair. Allow me to introduce you to The Casper Glow Light. I wrote about them earlier this month, but with coronavirus precautions in full swing, they’ve quickly become a staple in my new wind-down routine. The Glow Lights quickly trick my mind into off-mode after spending hours hunched over my laptop in a dimly lit apartment (who would ever think I’d miss working under fluorescents?).

These clever night lights are about the same size as my two-year-old succulents, and they are unlike anything else I own, making them one my favorite sleep discoveries. My home is the furthest thing from “smart”—for one, I’m paranoid of having too much tech in the house and for two, I think having a Siri or Alexa can be more hassle than they’re worth. But I made an exception to bring these little cuties into my place while testing products for Sleep Month—and what first sold me was the fact that, well, you can name them.

Before the lights arrived, I felt like any expecting parent would. I had a running list of names, but it wasn’t until they were fully charged and glowing that I had my epiphany. It was like they woke up and spoke to me. They come with preset names when you first sync them to the Casper App—I believe mine were Soho and Broadway—but I quickly changed them to Lux and Lumin (Latin names, obviously, because they’re chic) and grouped them as Solaris. (PS: The more Glow Lights you have, the more groups you can create.) Maybe it sounds silly to you but these were never just lights to me. I don’t have room for pets (or kids for that matter) in my current New York City apartment, so personifying these inanimate objects is as close as it gets for me and my boyfriend. And just as my mother mixes up mine and my brother’s name, I regularly forget who Lux and Lumin are (they look so alike…) but I love them both equally.

One of the most glorious things about the Casper Glow Light is that everything is synced to an app. It’s super easy to turn them on or off with a single tap. You can manually adjust the brightness by giving the lamps a gentle twist, or if you’re like me, you can use the digital controls and call it a night. I like to play with the settings—adjusting the brightness to my mood (from ‘Not bright at all’ to ‘As bright as can be’) and setting timers (15 minutes to 90 minutes) for when I want to sleep. You can also set wake-up alarms, which slowly fill your bedroom with soft light in the morning as opposed to the stress-inducing sound of a phone alarm going off at 6:30 a.m.

Other than setting timers to lull me to sleep or slowly wake me up, another way I get to use out of the Glow Lights is by using them as reading lamps. As mentioned, the lighting situation in my apartment is kind of dark—think moody, warm light—which makes it hard to read in the evenings. Since the Glow Lights are portable, I can keep one by my side or even hold it in my hand to illuminate the pages. The lights are also great for running into the bathroom or scurrying into the kitchen in the middle of the night. I can just give them a little shake and be on my merry way. Another great thing is that they hold their charge—unlike batteries on other home tech products I’ve tested. I’ll usually leave my Glow Lights on their charging dock when not in use, so they tend to last a few days without needing a recharge.



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15 Wellness Products Helping Our Editors Get to Sleep This Month


March has been quite the month—and there are a lot of feelings to feel right now. But before social distancing and supermarket scrambles became our new normal, Glamour editors spent the better half of the month discovering all of the products you need to get more sleep. Looking for the best bed sheets? We found them. Shopping for your first-ever mattress? Here’s a list of all the best mattress-in-a-box brands worth your money. Trying to make your space a haven for plants? Plantfluencers (yep, it’s a thing) flexed their green thumbs and told us which leafy babies will actually thrive in your bedroom.

From the softest pajamas ever to a life-changing weighted blanket, here’s all the stuff that’s reminding us what a real night’s sleep feels like.

Sleep is a $70 billion industry—we throw our money at a dreamier night’s rest, promise ourselves we’ll prioritize it, and then gripe when we’re still, inevitably, so tired. Despite our collective obsession with sleep, we seem totally unable to get more of it. In fact, we’re clocking fewer hours than ever. So, this month, we’re taking a look at what’s getting in the way—and what to do about it.

All products featured on Glamour are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.



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11 Best Sleep Masks to Help You Doze Off Whenever, Wherever


Holly Golightly’s light blue eye mask from Breakfast at Tiffany’s will live on as the best sleep mask in our minds. But for those who don’t dream of magically waking up and looking like Audrey Hepburn, there are other options. A silk pillowcase and matching sleep mask may be the most indulgent, but a cashmere version can pair with your comfiest pants, and a weighted eye mask may be the most travel-friendly (especially if you need to sleep your way through the jet lag).

Whether you need the best sleep mask to block out the light from your partner’s late-night Instagram scroll or one to keep the early morning sun from disturbing your morning routine, here are 11 of the best sleep masks to add to your nightstand, stat.

Sleep is a $70 billion industry—we throw our money at a dreamier night’s rest, promise ourselves we’ll prioritize it, and then gripe when we’re still, inevitably, so tired. Despite our collective obsession with sleep, we seem totally unable to get more of it. In fact, we’re clocking fewer hours than ever. So, this month, we’re taking a look at what’s getting in the way—and what to do about it.

All products featured on Glamour are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.



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Why Do I Sweat When I Sleep?


A night spent tossing and turning, waking up to damp sheets, pajamas that stick to you—all signs you might be a hot sleeper. But why do I sweat when I sleep, you ask? There are a lot of factors that could be at play here, according to experts. It might be an easy fix, like too-warm pajamas. But if you’re sweating through your sheets every night regardless of what you wear to bed, it could be time to talk to your doctor.

“When you sweat while you’re sleeping, your body is losing water while it should actually be in a state to conserve fluids since you don’t have any fluid intake at night,” explains sleep scientist Roy Raymann, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at SleepScore Labs. “While some minimal perspiration is normal at night, sweating that can be easily noticed or even wake you up from sleep might need some special attention.” You may have sleep hyperhidrosis—the medical term for excessive night sweating.

Below, we asked the experts to help us map out common causes of night sweats so you’ll never have to ask yourself “Why do I sweat when I sleep?” again.

It’s your pajamas.

The first thing to do is check your pj’s, says Michael Breus, Ph.D., a sleep specialist and author of Good Night: The Sleep Doctor’s 4-Week Program to Better Sleep and Better Health. Are they made of polyester, a fabric that can contain body heat? What about socks? They can trap extra body heat.

What to do about it: Take your socks off and switch to a lighter, more breathable fabric like cotton. (Or if you’re up for it, try sleeping in the nude.) Breus also recommends Cool-jams moisture-wicking pajamas. “I use them when I travel, when it’s less easy to monitor the temperature in a hotel room,” he says. “They work well.”

The room is too warm.

This may be stating the obvious, but your bedroom should feel comfortably cool. “The optimal bedroom temperature is around 65 degrees Fahrenheit,” Raymann advises.

What to do about it: The solution here is straightforward: Lower the temperature in your room. About 30 minutes before you go to bed, crank the thermometer down to 65. If that’s still not enough, add some air flow. “A box fan or an overhead fan is definitely helpful to get a cooler breeze going over the body,” Breus says.

Your bedding or mattress aren’t a fit.

It’s very likely you and your partner have different sleep needs, Raymann says. If you’re sweating, it might be because the comforter or mattress that keeps your partner perfectly comfortable is too insulated for you.

What to do about it: If it’s just you in bed, the fix is simple: Get a mattress and bedding with low insulation. If you share with a partner who runs cold, look for a dual-zone comforter that has different levels of insulation on each side. Breus also recommends trying products like chiliPad, a pad that goes under your sheet and can run cool or warm.

You hit the gym too close to bedtime.

Regular exercise is great for sleep but not if you do it too close to bedtime. “During exercise, your body warms up,” Raymann says. “For sleep, your body needs to get rid of that extra heat.”

What to do about it: Schedule your workouts for the morning or afternoon hours, if your schedule allows. If you are going to do an evening exercise class, opt for something gentle like yoga that won’t raise your core temperature as much.

You had a late-night meal.

Those nachos may look good, but they can also cause night sweats—spicy meals can trigger a sweat response, Raymann says.



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10 Sleep Songs to Listen to When You're Lying Awake at Night


Here’s a picture: It’s midnight, you’ve been tossing and turning for hours, but can’t fall asleep. When this happens to me, I find that a playlist of sleep songs really does help me cross over to that glorious REM cycle I’m craving. But it can’t just be any ballad. It has to be a mix of soft vocals, subdued production, and simple lyrics. You know, the stuff dreams are made of.

These 10 tracks, below, always do it for me. Try them out the next time you have insomnia and see if they help you bop to sleep:

“Let’s get unconscious, honey” Madonna sings on this nineties classic—and after listening to it, you may do just that. I mean that in the most flattering way, of course. With its bubbly ambient production and hazy vocal delivery, “Bedtime Story” is an ideal song for unwinding. You could call it the perfect…well, bedtime story.

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Norah Jones, “Don’t Know Why”

Jones shot to the top of the charts in 2002 with this warm, sleepy ballad, and it still holds up nearly 20 years later. Her vocals are velvety smooth, and the piano production is equally as relaxing. The result? A downtempo track that feels like the first five minutes in a hot bubble bath.

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Sufjan Stevens, “The Dress Looks Nice on You”

Similar to “Don’t Know Why,” there’s a lulling quality to this Sufjan Stevens staple that will put you in a slumber-y mood. Maybe it’s the soft guitar plucks. Maybe it’s the soft synths in the background. Or Stevens’s muted vocals. It’s probably a combination of all three. Either way, this song lowered my blood pressure two points, so get into it.

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Charli and Carly are known for their uptempo party bangers, which is why it’s funny their only collaboration together is this haunting slow-jam. “Backseat” is the quintessential zone-out song—atmospheric and electronic, with a pulse that never gets too high. Even with its heavy synths and Auto-Tuned casing, you’ll fall right into your REM cycle.

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Beach House, “Take Care”

Beach House has a consistently chill discography, but “Take Care” is one of their finest tracks. It literally feels like riding down a winding road on a warm spring day. And you know what that means? Peace! And! Sleep!

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Any song on Kacey Musgraves’s Golden Hour album would work for this list (except maybe “High Horse”), but my personal favorite is “Oh, What A World,” a trippy country ballad with electronic tinges and twinkly production. It’s the sonic equivalent of a deep-sleep dream.

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Moore’s 2007 album Wild Hope was a significant departure from the candy-colored dance-pop that made her a star. In lieu of sugary-sweet hooks, she went full-on folk-acoustic—and the results were beautiful. Especially on “Extraordinary,” which sounds like the lazy Sunday morning you’ve always hoped for.

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Frou Frou, “Let Go”

For a brief period of time, Imogen Heap and producer Guy Sigsworth were a dream-pop duo known as Frou Frou. Their best song (which you no-doubt heard on soundtracks for The Holiday and Garden State) was “Let Go,” a synth-pop tune with luscious orchestral influence. It’s nothing short of stunning, and one of the most relaxing songs you’ll hear.

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Rihanna’s cover of this Tame Impala song is one of the highlights off her 2016 album Anti— and that’s saying something, because every track on that record is superb. Airy, experimental, and surprisingly soft, RiRi’s “Same Ol’ Mistakes” is a fever dream that will make you melt…then sleep.

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Britney Spears, “Out From Under”

Another Guy Sigsworth appearance. The iconic producer helped craft this rare Britney ballad—which is one of her best, might I add. She truly sounds angelic on the song. Listen once, and your stress level will drop significantly.

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Sleep is a $70 billion industry—we throw our money at a dreamier night’s rest, promise ourselves we’ll prioritize it, and then gripe when we’re still, inevitably, so tired. Despite our collective obsession with sleep, we seem totally unable to get more of it. In fact, we’re clocking fewer hours than ever. So, this month, we’re taking a look at what’s getting in the way—and what to do about it.



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