The Tortured Sleepers Department, Part II
Aka Shitters Sleep Bootcamp
Shitters. As we entered the new year, I had a few key resolutions—cutting down my takeout orders, getting in my steps, the usual suspects. But the biggest of all was getting serious about my sleep.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been horrible at falling asleep. Even as a kid, I remember lying wide awake in bed for what felt like hours, brain refusing any attempts to be quiet. And let me tell you, it sucks! It’s not that I’m not tired or that I don’t need the rest—I’m the first to say that my sweet spot is the full eight hours. But left to my own devices, I was either getting way less sleep than I needed, or sleeping in way later than I wanted to be.
For a while, that was okay. I had later work hours, so I could afford to sleep in, but I hated it. Not being able to fall asleep when I was in bed ranged from mildly to majorly frustrating, and waking up late made me feel behind from pretty much the minute I got up.
The final straw was my Oura Ring telling me that I got a grand total of 12 “sleep crowns” (scores of 85+/100) in the last quarter of 2024. TWELVE. Out of three months, that is twelve nights of quality sleep that started and ended at normal hours, simply because I couldn’t fall asleep when I wanted to (and, if we’re being honest, because I wasn’t really trying to hold myself to a good sleep routine). And I was sick of it!
So for the past month and a half, I’ve been hitting it HARD. I put myself on the strictest sleep routine I’ve ever tried, and per Oura, we are getting RESULTS (five sleep crowns in past week alone beats my previous monthly average of four…).
This routine is a lot, and likely won’t work in its entirety for everybody (especially for people with babies or pets or crazy work hours—I know that 8 hours and 38 mins of uninterrupted time in bed isn’t realistic for everyone!), but I was in need of a real reset, and so far this has provided one. If you also struggle with sleep, there are likely a few things here that may help you too:
Let’s start with my new bedtime. I originally set what I thought was a very realistic goal of lights out by 11 on weeknights, but as someone who wanted to be up by 7 and can take a while to fall asleep, this wasn’t giving me enough time to get in striking distance of eight hours. Lately we are in bed with a book or TV by 9:15ish, lights out ideally between 10-10:30. As someone who could often be found working into the AM hours, this was a huge change for me, but also a straightforward one—there’s no way to get enough sleep (at least in the hours I was hoping to) if you don’t make enough time for it. Call me a woman in STEM because that’s just math!
In terms of the room, I’m not a blackout shades person—I like waking up to sunlight in the morning (though winter is not helping my cause). But I do try to keep it cool and I turn on my air purifier at night for some white noise (between my sleep struggles, eyesight, and allergies, I have to wonder how I slipped through the cracks of natural selection, but that’s a question for another day).
And now for the sleep. As we’ve established, I’m great at staying awake, so I brought in several reinforcements to get me nice and sleepy! I start with this magnesium powder in water around the time I’m settling in to read. Magnesium is an essential mineral that can help you relax, and I find that if I take it before/while I’m doing something lowkey/not anxiety-inducing (like reading or watching TV, as opposed to working or shopping online), it definitely slows things down and gets me feeling tired. There are a few different pill/powder versions out there (pills are easier, but I like the ritual of a nighttime beverage, so I do the powder)—this one in particular has a nice flavor, and I find it reassuring that it’s also pregnancy/breastfeeding safe (I am neither of those things, but it’s good to know that you’re not taking anything too crazy).
Next are the melatonin gummies. Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate sleep. It’s not great to take it every single night (I skip it on nights when I’m already feeling pretty tired, which happens a lot more frequently now that I’ve been in a better sleep routine), but according to all the health professionals I’ve asked, if it’s a choice between melatonin and bad sleep, take the melatonin every time. I like this one because the dosage is low (2.5mg per gummy), it includes some more magnesium and L-Theanine, and it tastes good—now I think of it as my little nighttime treat! The serving size is two, but I usually only take one, so the package lasts me twice as long and I don’t get any of the vivid dreams or grogginess that can happen as side effects. I start getting pretty tired within 20 minutes of taking it, and to me, it’s critical to go to bed during that window. You can push past it to stay up, but in my experience, it makes it MUCH harder to fall asleep when you do eventually want to, so don’t!
Related Reading:
This is still one one of my favorite purchases—my neck and back have never felt better!
We also have some hardware involved! I know weighted blankets are old news, but this really does help me get relaxed before bed and settle in when it’s time to sleep. I had always assumed that heavier was better, but apparently they’re only supposed to be around 10% of your body weight?? This brand offers several weights, and I’ve found that the lighter options are so much less suffocating if you want to use it while you’re actually sleeping!
But the real pièce de résistance is the (very aptly named!) Sleep Crown (currently 20% off—RUN!!!!). This is a super soft, squishy, lightweight pillow that’s designed to go over the top of your head while you sleep, and it’s easily one of my top ten purchases of 2025 already. The combo of blocking light/muffling sound, the insanely soft material (bamboo jersey!), and the gentle weight really helps turn down the noise in my brain, and it’s so comfortable and cozy to sleep with. It’s on the pricier side, so I originally tried to use a weighted sleep mask to get a similar effect, but it wasn’t even close to the same (if you’re considering this at all, go for real thing—I didn’t realize just how nice it would be until I tried it for myself). Thank you to the angels on the Earlybird CBD team who introduced me to their fellow Austin brand!
And finally, wakeup. There are a lot of people who will tell you that you can’t hit snooze, you have to attack the day, etc. etc. But I’m no masochist! To me, there is nothing more luxurious than a few extra minutes in a cozy bed in the morning, so I budget it in. My first alarm goes off 10 minutes before I want to be up. I get that time to snuggle and be warm and cozy. But when alarm number two goes off, I’m out of there (and working to not reach for my phone, but one resolution at a time!).
Not that I need a new thing to add to the lineup, but if you’re a mouth taper, can you let me know what you think of it?? Did the shape of your face change? Are you getting the best sleep of your life? Is it not worth the hype? Tell me everything!
And that, my friends, is my new routine! A little intense? Sure. And to be fully transparent, I’m still navigating what this looks like when I have weeknight events or social things or even just a drink or two, but this was something I was really unhappy with, so it feels good to be making changes!
Also of note lately: Every recipe I’ve made from this cookbook has been quick, easy, and so tasty—perfect for weeknight dinners (the pork meatballs are a new staple)! Aurate gave us a 30% off code on most of their jewelry (PRIYANKA30). Been putting this seed and spice mix on EVERYTHING lately. The Caprese Martini at Jac’s on Bond continues to be one of my favorite cocktails in town. DYING to get my hands on this new release from my queen Gucci Westman!
Thank you for reading Shit I Bought and Liked! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please share, hit the like button, and/or leave a comment on this post—it helps other people find this newsletter and is very appreciated!
You can shop our favorite buys of 2024 here, or follow me on Instagram here. If you are a brand that’s interested in working together on a future post, drop me a note at priyanka.aribindi@gmail.com!
Love that your first step is to schedule enough time in bed, that's had for so many people.
I’m so glad to see this pillow designed to go on top of your head! I’ve been sleeping with a (regular) pillow on my head for years and I feel like such a weirdo. But it really works for all the reasons you say!