14 Gifts to Help Sleep Better at Night

Although we supposedly spend one third of our lives asleep, you probably know someone who gets way less sleep than they should. Whether this person is your partner, best friend, mom, dad, or anyone else, a gift to help them sleep is certainly a welcome one. If you need inspiration on this front for your loved one’s next birthday, housewarming, or another big occasion, you can find it among the 14 sleep gift ideas below.

14 gifts to help sleep

The below sleep gift ideas are as likely to please your early-bird parents as they are your night-owl friends:

1. White noise machine

The tranquility of an entirely quiet room doesn’t always last – well, unless you run a white noise machine. White noise is highly effective at masking noises from air conditioners, passing cars, and any other sounds that can make it harder to fall asleep or stay asleep. That’s why these often compact devices make perfect bedside gifts for your friend or relative who’s a notoriously light sleeper.

2. Eye pillow

Eye pillows resemble classic sleep masks, but they can do so much more. Some eye pillows are infused with essential oils that can help their users relax as they prepare for a night of deep sleep. You can also find designs that are slightly weighted to help soothe the eyes. Your loved ones who have more trouble falling asleep than staying asleep may especially appreciate these unique masks.

via By Hand London

3. Essential oil diffuser

These small devices are aromatherapy staples that spread essential oils as vapors in the air. They can lead to an immersive, calming experience great for restless sleepers of all stripes. Essential oils for relaxation, including lavender, are widely available in stores and online.

4. Scented candles

For an even simpler aromatherapy experience, scented candles make an oft-appreciated gift to help with sleep. Infused with warming and calming scent profiles, candles offer a relaxing, comforting glow while filling the room with your loved one’s favorite scent -- or an aroma that’s directly linked to relaxation. If you’re concerned about falling asleep with a burning candle, you can gift a battery-operated or rechargeable scented LED candle instead.

5. Sleep mist

Sleep mist makes a great alternative to diffusers and candles. Your friend or relative can spray this mist around their room at night to release essential oils and other ingredients associated with calm. These vapors can help soothe your loved ones as they tuck themselves in for the night, helping them drift off to Dreamland with ease.

via Slip

6. Wake-up light

With a wake-up light, your loved one can simulate the sunrise to help with a more natural easing out of bed. Wake-up lights can be set to turn on with the morning alarm, simulating a sunrise and easing your friend or family member out of a good night’s rest. 

via The New York Times

7. Weighted blanket

Weighted blankets are especially potent sleep aids. Their extra weight as compared to typical blankets is correlated with easing anxiety, which can make it difficult for someone to fall asleep. They make especially great gifts for your friend who’s often told you about their sleepless nights and the thoughts that race through their mind when the lights are off. Weighted blankets are available in several weights, including 15, 20, and 25 pound increments. 

8. Meditation app

That same anxious friend could benefit from a meditation app (or many other kinds of meditation accessories). These apps can help achieve a sense of calm that can help with falling asleep, and for some people, may help them stay asleep, too. Meditation apps aren’t just for nighttime use: this beneficial practice can be incorporated into your loved one’s routine at any time of day, so they’re getting more use of your gift around the clock.

9. Journal

A journal is a great gift to help with sleep that also pairs nicely with meditation apps. Jotting down racing thoughts and worries about the next day’s tasks right before sleep is a great way to clear the mind of those anxieties. Noting the brain and body’s thoughts, responses, and tensions right after a meditation session can make future sessions more rewarding. Your loved ones can also use journals in all kinds of other ways – they’re the gift that keeps giving.

10. Relaxation tea set

Herbal teas such as chamomile tea are said to soothe people who drink them, thus making these teas great gifts to help with sleep. Relaxation tea sets often come with ample looseleaf or packaged tea, a teacup small enough to fit snugly on a nightstand, and sometimes a sleep mask to top it all off. They’re perfect gifts for that friend who knows they could use some natural help to fall asleep.

11. Super soft socks

Some of your friends and loved ones might prefer to sleep with socks on, and believe it or not, doing so can have health benefits. Socks make great sleep gifts for those friends, but you’ll need to choose your socks wisely. Stiff fabric can be itchy and trap too much heat for sleeping comfortably, so look for only super soft socks. With especially soft and fluffy socks, your friend or loved one can be on cloud nine the entire night.

12. Himalayan salt lamp

The soft, warm, fascinating glow of Himalayan salt lamps may help some people fall asleep. They make wonderful gifts not only at night but during the daytime for anyone who appreciates unique decorations and lighting. They’re especially good for your best friend who’s into collectibles or your partner who has a knack for interior design.

13. LED lights

Of course, it’s easier to sleep in rooms with no light, but rooms with a small amount of light can be calming too. That’s where LED lights come in. These low-energy lights can often shine in many hues, including sleep-friendly colors, and some are remote-controlled, meaning your loved one won’t have to get out of bed to use them. That said, other types of colored lights travel farther, shine with less of a “blob” effect, and project soothing, relaxing patterns.

14. Laser lights

Laser lights come in calming colors such as red, green, and blue that do more than just help your friends and family fall asleep. They also project fascinating, entrancing images of nighttime skies onto ceilings and walls to bring the outside indoors. Folks who get laser lights as gifts can see beautiful stars, auroras, and galaxies beyond without ever leaving home. The tranquility and “wow” factor that these lights provide can clear the mind’s anxieties and lead to great sleep.

Laser lights are also incredibly versatile compared to many other gifts that help with sleep. Here are just a few examples of great laser lights for sleep:

• Blue laser light – especially from a light bulb that fits into any ordinary lighting fixture – can be calming in any room. The BlissLights BlissBulb, for example, screws right into floor lamps, table lamps, or recessed ceiling lights. Once the bulb is in, your friend or relative just has to flick their usual light switch on, and voila – soothing skies in all directions!

BlissBulb Laser LightBulb

$9.99

Transforming your world is as easy as changing a lightbulb.

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• Portable lights let your loved ones take their new sleep gifts on the go. These lights, such as the BlissLights StarPort Laser USB, fit inside most jeans or jacket pockets. This convenience means your loved ones can enjoy these lights’ awe-inducing sights anywhere, any time – including right before bed.

StarPort USB Light

$14.99

One tiny light. Thousands of stars!

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• Aurora projectors bring the northern lights to your loved one’s bedroom for a night under one of nature’s greatest wonders, but indoors. As your partner, best friend, or parents watch the BlissLights Ark Ambient Aurora Light’s green auroras oscillate slowly against a soothing blue backdrop, they might find themselves dozing off without any effort.

ARK Aurora Light

$29.99

Transcend reality with a moving abstract aurora.

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• Galaxy projectors take your friends and family past the great outdoors into the universe beyond Earth. They project stars, nebula clouds, or both throughout entire bedrooms to engross and awe viewers, leading to relaxation that’s perfect for sleep. The BlissLights Evolve is the leading laser light in this field, and you can get it for your friends and loved ones in just a few clicks.

Sky Lite Evolve: Smart Galaxy Projector

$49.99$39.99

The latest evolution in smart galaxy lighting.

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BlissLights are great gifts to help sleep

Not everyone can get to sleep or stay asleep easily, and if you know folks who struggle with sleep, you can buy them all kinds of neat gifts to help them get their Z’s. Here at BlissLights, our laser projectors are especially unique sleep gifts. Our laser lights’ patterns and colors are as astonishing as they are calming, so your friends and family will love using them for a pre-sleep reset. Browse our collection to find the perfect laser light to ease your loved one into a restful night’s sleep.