What non medical aids help you to get a better nights sleep?

[NotanotherboxofFrogs]

I thought of this as it is all the small things which add up and might help someone else, however small.

adjusted the height of pillow under my head to relax my neck better,
lifted another pillow to cuddle to support my arm from dangling over my chest - side sleeper
cushion between my knees, to support them
eye mask about to go on (but I'm still faffing around on MN)
YouTube continuous sleep sounds, my favourite is washing machine spin cycle sleep sounds

Devices plugged in and charging
Fan on the far side his the room with a large bowl of iced water in front of it.

So what do you

Sorry posted too soon.

What helps you to get a better nights sleep, that isn't a "medical device" but would be accessible if you needing to make yourself as comfortable and safe as possible.

With chronic pain, we have all developed our own workarounds for daily life so this is thread is for sharing these not just about sleep

I have a firm 'just the right height" memory foam pillow with a gel cooling pad tucked under the pillowcase on each side so I can flip it when it warms up.

A pillow between my knees

My iPad so I can listen to a podcast

I smoke a spliff. Not sure that counts as non medical. I'd say herbal!

I have some lavender/magnesium cream I rub on my legs. Far from fool proof but helps a bit. A cooling blanket. It has a silky side and a fluffier one. Better than kicking off and pulling up a duvet.

Medically speaking, I have slept very poorly for a long time due to multiple issues related to chronic disease.

I am now taking Pregabalin which I don't want to take but is giving me some really good sleep absent joint pain, very restless legs etc. My GP talked me into it and I am grateful.

Immovable works too but the sleep is less natural feeling.

Get some melatonin tablets, I buy mine online from Piping Rocks in America.

Immovane not immovable. Obviously I still need more sleep.

Melatonin is over the counter in Canada too, no restrictions at all. It does help.

Ear plugs and face mask make huge difference to not being woken up by light or noises.

Changing pillows often if you hold them in palm of your hand and they flop down they need replacing.

I found getting rid of duvet and using sheet and blanket helped me sleep better. Duvet felt to heavy on painful areas and getting to tangled up.

Good audio book to drop off to

Sleeping with legs raised on wedges helps me feel more relaxed and helps with actually dropping off.

How water bottle for 9months of the year again more calming relaxing heat than because I’m cold.

A weighted blanket

@CuntAmongstThePigeons 😂

I have a wedge under my pillow to raise my top half slightly (prone to reflux), and tried a lot of pillows before settling on a curved memory foam one.

An audiobook, tv boxset, or crashing wave sounds on a loop tend to help switch my brain off.

Audio books. Weighted blanket. U shaped body pillow for support. Heat pads and ice packs.

Melatonin and This Works lavender pillow spray.

I sleep much better with a heavier tog duvet. DP prefers a tog 3.5 all year around, so a few years back we got separate ones - he's is 3.5 and I have a 13, a 10 and 3.5.


OTC
Nighttime Sleep Aid (Diphenhydramine HCl 25 mg), Compare to Nytol , 72 Tablets
This stuff. From Piping Rock.

I use nasal strips and mouth tape. My sleep as improved so much

I have a big electric heat pad which is soothing for my back and pelvic pain (hip and ankle need ice!)

Peppermint tea in bed before I go to sleep.

Pillows at the right height, plus an extra to hug and one for between my knees if back/hip especially bad.

Very comfortable memory foam mattress (just back from holiday with lumpy beds and it's such bliss to be back in my own bed).

Window (with mosquito screen) open in summer.

Audio book to drift off to or occasionally a sleep story on calm.

I generally sleep OK though I have drugs to help too. However I'm always tired so maybe the hours that my watch tells me I'm asleep don't mean much!

I don't really need anything non medical as 150mg pregablin plus 150mg amytriptaline pretty much knocks me out. But I do shower before bed which makes getting in extra snuggly and I take regular sage extract to help with the hot flushes (I'm 50!)

Best thing though was upgrading to a king size bed. It's really a bit big for our bedroom, but we both get better sleep, and as dh has a cpap for his sleep apnoea as well as my pain, it's been a great buy!

I invested in a decent pillow (Dorma) and my neck has been much better - far less daytime headaches either which I think was posture related. Sometimes sleep with a pillow between knees if knees/hips are sore