Sleep PicksThe one thing we'd buy for Off-Clock Sleepers
Free fix first. Then the one purchase that helps most, who makes it, and its honest downside.
Start free
Your body clock runs late. The free fix: one wake time every day, weekends included, and daylight within an hour of waking (outside if you can, ten minutes is enough), plus dim lights for the last hour before bed.
If you're going to buy one thing
A sunrise alarm
Philips SmartSleep (HF3520)
Why: It fades your room up to light over 20-40 minutes before the alarm: the signal morning daylight would give your body clock, on mornings when there isn't any. Wirecutter has rated it its top sunrise alarm for years.
How to use it: Set it 30 minutes before your wake time, and keep the wake time the same every day, weekends too.
The honest downside: Not cheap, bulky on a bedside table, and the built-in radio is nothing special.
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Worth a look next
Sound + sunrise in one
Hatch Restore 3 (the current model)
Why: A sound machine, a sunrise alarm and a dim reading light in one. Its predecessor, the Restore 2, was CNN Underscored's upgrade pick; the Restore 3 is newer and has fewer reviews so far. Useful if you'd otherwise buy two gadgets.
How to use it: Use the wind-down routine at night and the sunrise in the morning; ignore the rest at first.
The honest downside: Pricier than either gadget alone, and some content sits behind an optional subscription. You don't need it.
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Blackout curtains or a blackout blind
Any well-reviewed thermal blackout curtain
Why: Early light is one of the most common reasons Night-Wakers can't get back to sleep. Blocking it fixes the whole room, not just your eyes.
How to use it: Measure the window and add overlap on every side. Light leaks round the edges, not through the fabric.
The honest downside: Gaps at the sides and top undo most of the benefit; a curtain rail that wraps round, or a blind fitted inside the frame, helps.
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What we would not buy
Most sleep supplements (thin evidence, and some interact with medication; ask a pharmacist), anything promising to "cure" sleep in a week, and expensive "smart" bedding that is a normal product with an app bolted on.