Thirteen Remarkable Items for Improving Your Sleep Quality Significantly
By Sahil Rizwan, BuzzFeed Staff, India
In the pursuit of better sleep, a plethora of sleep aids are readily available in India. Each serves different needs based on their mechanisms and practical usage. Here's a comparative overview of various sleep aids:
- Contoured orthopaedic pillows improve sleep posture and reduce neck or back pain, supporting spinal alignment. Beneficial for people with musculoskeletal discomfort during sleep but do not actively induce sleep. A contoured orthopaedic pillow, priced at ₹999, is one such option.
- Eye masks block out light to enhance melatonin production, useful for light-sensitive sleepers or shift workers needing darkness to initiate and maintain sleep. A super-comfy eye mask, priced at ₹299, is an affordable choice.
- Chamomile tea is a mild herbal relaxant that may promote sleep onset through calming effects, but scientific evidence is limited. A pack of 20 chamomile tea bags, priced at ₹171, offers a convenient solution.
- Foam and silicone earplugs reduce noise disturbances; foam earplugs mold to ear shape and are cheaper, while silicone earplugs are reusable and may offer better durability. Effective for blocking environment noise, improving sleep especially in noisy settings. A pack of 10 corded foam earplugs, priced at ₹122, is an affordable option, while silicone earplugs, priced at ₹818, offer better reusability.
- White noise machines provide consistent background noise to mask disruptive sounds, promoting sustained sleep for those sensitive to noise fluctuations.
- Draft guards and blackout curtains minimize external disturbances like light, drafts, and noise, creating an optimal sleep environment. Blackout curtains, priced at ₹939, are especially effective for light-sensitive individuals. A door and window draft guard, priced at ₹265, is also available.
- Weighted blankets provide deep pressure stimulation which can increase relaxation and reduce anxiety, aiding sleep onset and quality in some users. A weighted blanket, priced at ₹1,199, is one such option.
- Sleep headphones allow listening to relaxing sounds or white noise without disturbing partners, helpful for those relying on audio cues to sleep. Sleep headphones, priced at ₹1,399, are a convenient choice.
- Lavender essential oil and aroma diffusers offer aromatherapy with lavender, linked to mild sleep-promoting and calming effects, though evidence is mainly anecdotal. An aroma diffuser, priced at ₹429, is a practical option.
- Supplements like melatonin, magnesium, and ashwagandha (native to India) have varying benefits:
- Melatonin targets circadian rhythms and helps reset sleep schedules, effective for jet lag or shift work, though may cause morning grogginess[2][4].
- Magnesium calms the nervous system and muscles, helpful for stress-related sleep problems but has broader, less targeted effects than melatonin[2][4].
- Ashwagandha improves overall sleep quality and reduces time to fall asleep by influencing GABA receptors and reducing stress, with supporting studies from Ayurveda and modern research[3].
Choosing the best sleep aid in India depends on your specific sleep problem:
- For environmental disturbances: blackout curtains, draft guards, earplugs, eye masks, white noise machines
- For stress or anxiety-related sleep issues: weighted blankets, ashwagandha
- For circadian rhythm disorders: melatonin
- For physical discomfort: contoured pillows
- For mild relaxation: chamomile tea, lavender oil
These aids can be combined (e.g., a blackout curtain plus earplugs and chamomile tea) for enhanced effect. Prescription sleeping pills are stronger but have risks and are not included here as the query focused on non-pharmaceutical aids[1].
No single aid suits everyone; effectiveness varies by individual, cause of sleep difficulty, and consistent sleep hygiene practices remain crucial for better sleep.
[1] "Non-pharmaceutical sleep aids: A review of their efficacy and safety." (2020). Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
[2] "Melatonin: A Review of Its Effect on Sleep and Circadian Rhythms." (2018). Sleep Medicine Reviews.
[3] "Ashwagandha: A Rasayana for Anxiety and Depression." (2014). Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine.
[4] "Melatonin and sleep: Effects of age and chronic administration." (2005). Sleep Medicine.
- Improving health-and-wellness through better sleep, a variety of sleep aids can be found on Amazon India, catering to different needs.
- Contoured orthopaedic pillows, available on Amazon India for ₹999, aim to improve sleep posture and reduce pain while not actively inducing sleep.
- Those sensitive to light might find relief with sleep aids like eye masks, priced affordably at ₹299 on Amazon India, which block out light to enhance melatonin production.
- For those seeking a natural option, chamomile tea, available on Amazon India for ₹171, may promote sleep onset with its mild herbal relaxant properties, despite limited scientific evidence.
- Fashion-and-beauty lovers can shop for comfortable sleep headphones on Amazon India, priced at ₹1,399, allowing undisturbed listening to relaxing sounds without disturbing partners.
- In the food-and-drink category, health-conscious consumers can explore essential oil aroma diffusers on Amazon India, priced at ₹429, offering aromatherapy with calming effects linked to better sleep, primarily through anecdotal evidence.
- Home-and-garden shoppers on Amazon India can find draft guards and blackout curtains, effective in minimizing external disturbances for an optimal sleep environment; blackout curtains are priced at ₹939, while door and window draft guards are available at ₹265.
