Many things play an important role in helping you get a restful night’s sleep, and one of them is your nightstand.
I am being serious, really.
Optimizing your bedside table can contribute to a restful sleep, well not in terms of sleep science, but rather in an organizational one. If you are a light sleeper like me, you know that a distant car alarm or even the slightest disturbance can snap you awake.
A thoughtfully set-up nightstand can function as a hub—housing everything you can need within reach to relax, unwind, and drift off peacefully and improve your sleep quality.
But what exactly should you keep on your nightstand to ensure an optimized night routine and easy transition to restful sleep?
Whether you are a minimalist at heart or like to keep your bedside table well-stocked, there are key items you can keep on your nightstand that can make all the difference in your nightly ritual.
Just a quick heads up – Some of the links here on this blog are affiliate links. Meaning that, as an Amazon Associate, if you purchase anything through these links, at no extra cost to you, I may earn a commission.
How to Create a Bedtime Routine That Aligns With Your Sleep Window
10 Must-Have Bedside Essentials for Restful Sleep
1. Alarm Clock
An alarm clock on your bedside is an essential tool for maintaining a consistent wake-up routine. Unlike using a smartphone, which comes as a digital distraction at your bedtime, an alarm clock establishes a clear boundary between your sleep environment and digital gadgets to promote healthy, restful sleep hygiene.
Many modern alarm clocks now offer advanced features that further help you improve your sleep quality, like the Philips Smart Sleep Light includes a gradual sunrise and sunset stimulation to wake you up gently and helps you wind down in the evening as well.
The Hatch Restore sunrise alarm clock also comes with a library of soothing sounds for wake-up, sleep, and guided meditation as well.
Image credit to Dmitry Ganin
2. Sleep Mask
A sleep mask is an absolute necessity for me to have on my nightstand these days. And no, it is not because traveling has made me grow dependent on it, but I am highly sensitive to light, and it requires a dark setting for me to sleep better. Sleeping with an eye mask on helps to keep me asleep from any light disruptions that can lead to fragmented sleep like streetlights, electronic devices, or early morning brightness if you are not a morning person.
You can try the Bucky 40 Blinks sleep mask with light, padding, and countered shape which won’t apply pressure on your eyes, or a 100% silk mask which can give a soft and comfortable feeling all night.
3. A Good Book
Reading a book has now been instituted into my evening wind-down rituals that help me transition into restful sleep with deep contentment and peace. Instead of using digital gadgets that can affect our melatonin secretion, cozying up with a book gives you a mental break, a screen-free way to relax and calm your mind race from thoughts and concerns.
Image credit to Marcos Paulo
4. A Journal
To me, guided journaling has become a significant part of not only my nighttime routine but an ongoing wellness ritual for life as well.
Just giving a few moments to The Five Minute Journal of my evening practice allows me to cultivate a deeper contentment in my day.
Guided journaling practice has pushed me to build an attitude of gratitude, a feeling of appreciation which has supported me mentally and emotionally. These shifts into a positive mindset have also prompted me to go to bed with more contentment and gratitude.
And if you wish to dig deeper try The 5-Minute Gratitude Journal. It comes with daily writing prompts that urge you to go deeper into your daily experiences with life and build a daily gratitude habit.
5. Earplugs or White Noise Machine
With never-ending construction work going around in the area, I really find it hard to sleep at night as well as work during the daytime. But having a pair of noise-reducing earplugs coming in handy has considerably improved my disrupted sleep.
They can offer a high noise reduction, but you are not turned deaf. You can still hear things you should like any alarm or emergency sound while definitely lowering the intensity of voice that can disrupt your sleep.
6. Sleep Tracker
A sleep tracker is essential for understanding your sleep pattern and making an informed decision to improve it.
It can give you a detailed insight into your sleep cycle, duration, and quality of each stage of sleep—light, deep, and REM.
Using these data, you can identify patterns and pinpoint factors that might be disrupting your sleep to make a suitable lifestyle adjustable.
There are many popular brands like Oura Ring, Woop, and Fitbit, that can help you track not only your sleep quality but your heart rate, stress, and your activity hours to help you improve your overall health.
7. Pillow Mist
Pillow mists are infused with essential oils like lavender, chamomile, or eucalyptus mostly due to their calming and therapeutic effects.
The gentle, pleasant aroma isn’t only a sensory delight, but it can reduce your daily stress and anxiety, especially lavender that helps to lower your heart rate and relax your muscles.
Spraying lavender pillow mist on your sheets and pillow before you tuck in can lull you into a relaxed state for better sleep.
Image credit to Emilio Garcia
8. A Night Lamp
Having an adjustable light allows you to set the right ambiance in your room to create a calming environment.
You can adjust the lamp brightness to suit your comfort level or dim the light to reduce stimulation that mimics the natural sunset, which can cue your body to wind, by helping production of melatonin.
This feature is especially helpful for parents caring for young children or who tend to get up frequently during the night.
Philips portable table lamp comes with many light colors changing options from warm to cool tones to set the relaxing ambience. Philips smart sleep lamp includes light that can stimulate sunset and sunrise. It also features relaxation sound, FM radio, and other useful features.
9. Bottle of Water
Clearly, it’s a no-brainer to keep a water bottle or a glass pitcher on your side table. It saves you from those groggy, half-asleep searches through the kitchen when you wake up in the middle of the night with an unexplainable urge to drink water, which always ends up with trouble finding your way back to sleep. So, save yourself the trouble of going to sleep all over again.
10. Candles
Keeping non-toxic candles on my bedside table is an aesthetic pleasure for me which as well helps me create a more relaxing environment.
The soft and warm glow of candles instead of harsh overhead lights reduces eye strain and increases relaxation to romanticize bedtime rituals.
But be careful to use them safely and never leave any burning candles unattended or near flammable elements.
Make the Most of Your Nightstand
Each person has a different sleep routine and their response to stimulants as well. While all the items listed here have helped me improve my sleep quality, it is up to you to find what might benefit you the most along with having a little touch of luxury.
