In 2007 I purchased the End Tiredness e-book which contains a bunch of good information about how to feel less tired and need less sleep (I keep a copy of the e-book saved online here for my personal reference).  Anyway, one of the many take-away’s from this book is that good sleep follows when you get everything else in your life right (eg - diet, exercise, stress), which explains why good sleep can be so elusive!

Blue (SAD) Light:

This light source has been life-altering for me.  I wrote a blog entry about it here.  It helps you feel tired when you are supposed to feel tired, and thus get the sleep you need (and often wake up without the aid of an alarm clock!).  It is also terrific for pre-acclimatizing yourself to time zone changes when traveling.  I recently saw a lightweight model on Amazon for under $100.

SleepTracker Sleep Watch:

The End Tiredness program and the makers of the SleepTracker watch agree: you feel terrible when your alarm goes off if you are in the wrong stage of sleep.  The End Tiredness people suggest you painstakingly determine the length of your unique sleep cycle, and set your alarm such that it goes off after a set number of cycles.  The SleepTracker watch simply lets you choose a window of time when your alarm needs to go off, and it wakes you when you are in a light stage of sleep within this window.  It makes sleep exciting.  It works.  I’ve had trouble downloading the data to my PC, and the watch lacks basic digital watch functions like a timer mode, but it does one thing well - wake you up at the right time for your body.

StressEraser:

The SleepTracker helps you wake up at the right time, but it doesn’t help you fall asleep and it doesn’t inherently improve the quality of your sleep.  The StressEraser makes it impossible to keep your eyes open for more than 15 minutes, and helps you stay more relaxed all the time if you use it consistently.  I know, I tried it out for a week before I gave it to my parents for Christmas.  I really need to buy myself one. 

Eyeshade:

I’ve read in a lot of places that true darkness is essential to good sleep.  You can install blinds that block out 100% of light, or you can just buy an eyeshade that fits your face well.  By far the best eyeshade I’ve owned is the TempurPedic version.  It conforms to your face and nothing blocks out light better.  Downsides are that it is bulky, expensive at ~$40, and not machine washable.  For travel I started using the Eagle Creek model, which is under $10 and much lighter (though it’s not quite as good at blocking light and slips around easily if you toss and turn).  My friend Evan suggested another option.

Earplugs:

I started buying earplugs to wear to concerts, and eventually I started wearing them for sleep.  Apparently even when a noise doesn’t wake you up it makes your sleep less restful (raises your blood pressure, you go into a lighter level of sleep, etc).  Plus who wants to wake up to a siren, a lawn mower, or people stomping around in the apartment above? 

1. -Moldex: I discovered this brand of earplugs at a concert at Cafe du Nord, and I bought a huge box.  They are comfortable, but protrude a bit and so can get knocked out of your ear if you flop around at night.
   

2. -World’s Finest.  That really is the name.  This is what I use currently.  They stay in, and they are particularly good at blocking the droning noise on planes.  
   

Sunlight Alarm Clock:

I’ve stopped using this wonderful device because my room is really bright and I need to use an eyeshade, but if your room is dark this is a nice way to wake up.  Basically it’s like having a gradual sunrise on your dresser.  Kind of the same concept as the sleep watch - you won’t wake up from a deep sleep stage but when you’re at a light stage of sleep the bright light should rouse you.  A side benefit is that it has a sunset function which is nice to fall asleep to: you become drowsy naturally as the light gets dimmer. 

Sleep CD:

Steven Halpern’s Sleep Soundly CD is amazingly good at inducing sleep.  Doesn’t work so great if you’re using earplugs, but if your house is quiet or if falling asleep is more important than staying asleep, this CD is worth purchasing.  I gave a copy to my friend Jody and he swears he’s never heard the end of the CD.  I use it whenever I need to sleep on a plane.

Other Sleep Inducers:

I haven’t needed any of these since I started using my blue light...

1. -Melatonin:  Great for use when changing time zones.  I don’t like to use it two days in a row though, as more than one day in row makes my brain feel sluggish.  I like the Twinlab 2mg tablets. Twinlab has a 3mg size, and other companies go up to 5mg, but I find 2mg to be plenty.
   

2. -Nighty Night Tea: Any decaffeinated hot tea before bed can help you wind down, but there are a bunch of teas that specifically help you fall asleep.  My favorite is the Nighty Night type, and Trader Joe’s has a pretty good kind too.  Incidentally, the company that makes Nighty Night also makes my favorite tea of all time - Roasted Dandelion.
   

3. -Zenbev:  I haven’t tried this yet, but a magazine ad caught my eye so it’s on my list.  Basically it’s a drink mix that your body converts into melatonin.  The main ingredient is Tryptophan, which is also found in turkey, and you know how tired you feel after Thanksgiving dinner...
   

Breathe Rights:

You still see professional athletes wearing these (NFL linebackers, in particular).  When you need that extra edge - big meeting tomorrow? - I think breathe rights can help you feel more refreshed in the morning.  The more oxygen that gets to your brain, the better, right?  Also great to use if you are congested or want to reduce snoring.

Fresh Air:

Anyone who has gone camping knows how good it feels to breathe fresh air whist sleeping.  If your room is small or doesn’t have good circulation, do you really want to spend eight hours per night breathing in the same air you just breathed out? 

                      Source: SleepTracker Manual, numbered pg. 3 (see pg. 2 for explanation)