Sweet dreams

Hello, my friends! I hope you had a beautiful holiday celebrating happiness, health, and sweet potato casserole. You know what they say about the holidays, right? It takes a day to celebrate and a week to recover?

That’s why we’re focusing on sleep today. If you’ve ever been A) a parent to a newborn B) a neighbor to a night owl or C) a college student, you know how important those eight hours are. Let’s talk about how to make them count.

—Lindsay

You're Getting Very Sleepy...

There’s a reason sleep deprivation is a centuries-old form of torture: The feeling of knowing you need sleep but finding it impossible to close your eyes and shut off your racing mind is, and I think this is the scientific term, the absolute worst.

That’s because sleep is vital to a healthy body and mind, and science agrees.

• Our brains and essential body systems require sleep (in both quantity and quality) to rejuvenate and reset regularly.

• When our bodies don’t get that, we’re foggy, slower, less capable of processing information or adapting to new circumstances, and even more susceptible to things like depression and lowered immunity.

Sleep is super important, and we know that you know that. But how do you make sleep easier, short of counting sheep? We’ve got you covered at any age.

For the babies

We’re firm believers in following your instincts and choosing what’s best for your family. For some parents and caretakers, that means considering sleep training for our littlest family members. Those two words—sleep training—tend to be a can of worms, so let’s understand what the method really is, shall we?

Sleep training is designed to teach babies to be comfortable sleeping for several hours through the night on their own starting around 4–6 months. If they wake up? They’ll learn to self-soothe (in theory).

Some of the most popular sleep training methods:

• The Ferber Method (aka check and console). You continue to check on your baby at preset intervals throughout the night but never feed or rock them to sleep (which would mean they aren’t falling asleep on their own).

• The Extinction Method (aka cry it out). Fair warning, this one tends to be controversial. But the name says it all—you let the baby cry it out (with some variations that permit a little consoling here and there).

• The Fading Method. You continue with whatever method you were using to help your baby fall asleep (such as rocking or nursing), but decrease the amount of time you spend doing it until, in theory, you don’t have to do it at all.

For the bigger kids

Solid sleep habits are like Wordle or knitting or baking homemade pie crusts—practice makes perfect. And consistency is key, especially when it comes to a bedtime routine that helps your kids feel comfortable alone in their own space. Some ideas to nail your bedtime routine?

Clock quality time. Before bed, spend some extra one-on-one time with your child. Many kids tend to get clingy at bedtime because they feel the need to connect with the adult in their lives. Try creating a special time together that your child can count on before being alone at night.

Empower strong sleepers. If they’re old enough, try giving your kids more ownership over their night and morning routines. For example, allow them 10 extra minutes to read in bed before lights out, or give them a color clock that signifies when it’s cool to get out of bed the next morning.

For the biggest kids (you, the adults)

Are you ready to hear it? You sure?

Scrolling your phone for an hour before trying to fall asleep isn’t helping you get better rest. That doesn’t mean we don’t all do it. So what does help you get more sleep? Simple shifts:

• Create a sleep oasis. Make your bed. Dim the lights. Keep it cool. Do whatever feels best for a quiet, calm, sacred space just for sleeping. No bed laptops allowed!

• Tweak your daytime. Eliminating afternoon caffeine and increasing physical activity early in the day helps you fall asleep when the time comes. Make these changes gradually.

As adults, we tend to focus all of our energy on making sure everyone else is sleeping well. But our rest is just as important—so hit snooze one more time.

What parent doesn’t want 30 more minutes of sleep a night?

We know—it sounds too good to be true. But our friends at Apollo Neuro have created an incredible wearable that uses gentle, soothing vibrations that let your nervous system know that you’re safe and in control so you can fall asleep faster and stay asleep through the night.

You can use the Apollo Neuro app to choose from different vibration modes that can boost your mood and give you more energy, focus, and calm. The result?

• 40% less stress and anxiety, on average

• 19% more deep sleep, on average

• 14% more REM sleep, on average

• 30 more minutes of sleep a night

• 25% better focus and cognitive performance

Over time, your body learns to recover from stress more quickly, so you can relax, sleep better, and find deep, meaningful focus—any time and anywhere. It’s like a wearable hug, there for you when you need it most.

Wear it on your wrist, ankle, or clip onto your clothing for a safe, non-invasive experience appropriate for both adults and children. Today is the last day to save up to $200 with Apollo’s Cyber Monday sale, check it out here!

Simple sleep hack. Ever wake up in the middle of the night and just can’t get back to sleep? Trust me, this little hack works.

Celebs: they’re just like us, if all of us have an egg fridge at our bedside? Check out these famous sleep routines and maybe steal a tip or two.

Keep it local. On this Cyber Monday (and throughout the holiday season), don’t forget to spread the shopping love to your local small businesses. More people than usual plan to do at least some of their holiday shopping locally, which we love to hear!

Discounted toys...say less. Check out our very own East Fam's toy shop, Teddy & Bear—get up to 45% off today. 

Cozy wishes. Sending you all the good sleep vibes for a warm and comfy week ahead. See you Friday!