10 Items You Should Keep On Your Nightstand For A Good Sleep, According to A Sleep Expert

Getting a good night’s sleep is critical to our health, and yet it feels out of reach for so many people. It could be the result of lifelong insomnia, having an infant or small child in the home or even random external stimuli like living on a noisy street. Whatever the cause, the ramifications of a lack of sleep are far-reaching and can have serious health implications. There are, however, small lifestyle tweaks that can be made that might aid in a better night’s sleep, including, surprisingly, adding a few helpful items to your nightstand.

To get a better understanding of how we can all get quality rest, HuffPost spoke to Susan Rubman, a clinical psychologist and assistant professor of clinical psychiatry and sleep medicine at Yale University. She noted that there are a few basic things we should be doing as a nightly baseline to ensure better sleep quality:

1. Maintaining a consistent wakeup time.

2. Avoiding caffeine or stimulating substances prior to bedtime. (Caffeine has a six-hour half-life, so her recommendation is to not have any within six hours of bedtime.)

3. Go to bed when you’re sleepy, as opposed to trying to force it when you aren’t. Sleep is not an at-will behavior. We can eat when we’re not hungry, but can’t really sleep unless our body is prepared to sleep.

4. Make your environment sleep-friendly — cool, dark and quiet.

A surprisingly important part of your sleep environment involves your bedside table and its contents. Having sleep aids easily accessible while banishing items that might disrupt rest is a key component. “It’s important to make sure that the environment in the bedroom really sets the stage for getting into bed and going to sleep,” Rubman said. “Clear clutter away and reserve the nightstand for items that are helpful for sleep.”

Since we are all unique creatures, Rubman noted that there is a lot of variability between what individuals might need on their nightstands, but there are many things that can be universally helpful. This includes a pleasant light source that isn’t too bright, any medications you may need through the night so you don’t have to get up and hunt for them, a glass of water and reading materials. Objects like earplugs, a good-quality sleep mask, aromatherapy and a sound machine can also make a big difference.

Rubman’s own nightstand includes practical items like hand lotion, a spot for her glasses and a glass of water, alongside items that are personally pleasing, like a small memento from a vacation, a handmade ceramic bowl for her jewelry and a crossword puzzle.

Below, we’ve rounded up a list of items for your bedside table based on Rubman’s recommendations. They just might be exactly what you need to get the rest your body is truly craving — and at the very least, having a thoughtfully organized nightstand will give you a bit of peace of mind.

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