This post is sponsored by Gravity Blankets and ShopStyle!

I used to be the kind of person who could fall asleep anywhere, at any time, with no problem whatsoever. Car ride? I’m knocked out. 8am class? My eyes can’t stay open. But over the past year or so, my sleep has been getting progressively worse. At first I thought it was just being a new mom, but our son has started sleeping through the night, and my sleep hasn’t gotten any better. There have been nights when I’ve tossed and turned for hours, unable to fall asleep until 2, 3, or even 4am. Over the past few weeks I’ve tried several different strategies to help me fall asleep more easily, and here’s what has worked.

1. Weighted Blanket by Gravity Blankets

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When I first heard about weighted blankets a few years ago, I thought they were a pretty strange concept. What good could a heavy comforter do? As someone who is often hot in her sleep, I didn’t think that weighted blankets were for me, but Gravity Blankets are not your ordinary weighted blanket! First off, the 100% cotton blanket in the Modernist x Gravity Blankets collection is 300 thread count and feels great on the skin. The blanket itself comes in two parts, a duvet cover and a weighted insert, meaning that you can machine wash the cover if idk say, your 8 month old decides to throw up on it. But most importantly, my Gravity Blanket gets. me. to. fall. asleep. FAST. No more racing mind at 2am — I fall asleep quickly and stay asleep deeply throughout the night. 

The Modernist x Gravity Blanket comes in two sizes and three different weights. You can select your perfect blanket based on your needs by using the weight chart and also whether you are wanting to use the blanket yourself or share a blanket on a queen/king size bed. Even though we have a queen bed, Jonathan doesn’t have any problem falling asleep so I actually just use the single blanket on my side of the bed. I also like the single because I can easily carry it to the couch if I want to relax while watching TV! If you’re not a blanket person but still want to experience the calming effects of weighted home goods, Gravity Blankets also makes weighted eye masks, weighted bathrobes (totally need one!), and flannel weighted throws. If you want to try Gravity Blankets for yourself, use my code IJEOMA20 to save 20% off your order.

2. Lavender Essential Oil

Another thing that helps me fall asleep more easily is adding lavender essential oil to a diffuser. It smells great, but more importantly lavender chemically quiets the nervous system, helping calm, reduce anxiety, and increase relaxation. I love turning on the diffuser before I wash my face for the night, so by the time I get in bed the fragrance has started to fill up the room. If I’m feeling really stressed, I’ll even dab just a drop of oil on the inside of my wrist, and breathe it in as I fall asleep under my Gravity Blanket.

Turning Off Screens an Hour Before Bed

This isn’t always possible due to the nature of my work (and I’m sure many of your work now since many of us now work from home), but I realized that the brightness of both my phone and computer screen impact my eyes ability to rest once it’s time for bed (to be fair, I didn’t realize this, my therapist told me!). Putting your devices in dark mode can help your eyes adjust, but sometimes it’s not the light from the screens itself as the fact that I’m still doing work 5 or 10 minutes before turning into bed. My mind needs some time to shut off and decompress, so I now try to stop working about an hour before I want to sleep. In that hour or half hour I’ll wash my face, do my evening skincare routine, and then do some non-screen related wind down activities — coloring, reading a physical book, or just talking to Jonathan.

Those are the three things that have helped me sleep better! Are you struggling with sleep? I’d love to know what strategies you use to help you fall and stay asleep!

Don’t forget to use the code IJEOMA20 for 20% off your own Gravity Blanket!