{"id":7104,"date":"2019-06-05T10:28:51","date_gmt":"2019-06-05T14:28:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theothershift.com\/?page_id=7104"},"modified":"2021-11-23T01:54:32","modified_gmt":"2021-11-23T06:54:32","slug":"sleep-aids","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/theothershift.com\/tools\/sleep-aids\/","title":{"rendered":"Sleep Aids"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If you’re anything like us, you crave a few extra minutes of shut-eye before the next shift. But actually falling to sleep and staying asleep is an entirely different beast. We want to help by providing you our must-have bedroom items that ensure the 7-9 hours sleep you need, is always a reality.<\/p>\n
The 6 items we recommend all shift workers must have when trying to sleep odd hours (or not so odd hours) are:<\/strong><\/p>\n *Side note…Blue light blocking glasses are also a must, but we have an entire section dedicated to them, which you can check out\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n We previously never cared about the type of pillow we used. Thankfully, neither of ever had an issue with neck or back pain and to this day, still don’t.<\/p>\n However…<\/em>were we excited to lay our heads down on a cheap pillow every night? No.<\/em> Did it help us relax after a long, stressful and out of control shift? No.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n We recently read something interesting in The Barefoot Investor<\/a> (which is an incredible, non-intimidating, personal finance book that is highly recommend) that we spend 1\/3 of our day sleeping… So why not treat yourself?<\/em><\/p>\n Even though the author is all about saving money he recommends buying a pillow you LOVE despite the price tag.<\/p>\n Purchasing a pillow which gets you excited, makes you feel good and actually stands the test of time is not only good for the soul, but also for your wallet.<\/p>\n After reading this, it totally changed our outlook and now we DO care about the type of pillow we use.<\/p>\n So after a thorough pillow search, we finally settled on the Snuggle-Pedic Supreme Plush Ultra-Luxury Pillow<\/a><\/strong> (click to see the link via Amazon). And why was that? Let us tell you:<\/p>\n If I’m completely honest, nothing beats a room with no windows. This was a big deciding factor on where we currently and while it might sound like a prison cell, the door can’t be locked from the outside!<\/p>\n However, we did not have this luxury previously and I’m guessing most of you don’t either.<\/p>\n Blocking out the light is HUGE when trying to sleep during the day. This is the thing that is keeping your sleep hormones awake, stopping them from really working and doing their job.<\/p>\n We think you can do better than using foil and black trash bags to block out the sun. In our experience, the amount of time and money you’ve spent on tape and bad moods, while unraveling the foil and sticking these bags together, make the blinds below worth every penny.<\/p>\n There are two choices we recommend depending on your window set up and current arrangement.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n With these pleated shades, you cut the paper size to fit your desired window. They do come with a string to open and close but we wouldn’t be rushing to use this daily. They are paper after all…<\/p>\n A tip when cutting, place them over the entire window rather than just inside. This way there is more chance of blocking out the light.<\/p>\n To make these blinds stick, make sure the area is VERY clean prior to use. Some use alcohol with a damp cloth allowing it dry naturally. While others have used thumbtacks, 3M tape or black gorilla tape to keep them in place. These blinds do come with adhesive tape, but it’s not overly effective in keeping the blinds up long term.<\/p>\n For a reasonable price and a little bit of work, you can achieve total darkness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/a><\/p>\n If you’re like Dan, you might think oil diffusers smell nice but are just not your thing. <\/em>However… We urge you to give it a shot.<\/p>\n The difference lavender and vanilla has made to not only our sleeping experience, but other shift workers we have met, is huge.<\/p>\n Lavender, in particular, has been proven to help us relax and aid in falling to sleep quicker, which is something we all crave.<\/p>\n There are two different diffusers we recommend. The first one is actually a model we had set up in the emergency department and the second one is a recommendation from Em’s sister who is (lucky for us) very much into the world of essential oils.<\/p>\n The Doterra brand is unbelievable. They have great customer service and quality products which last. We have used it and still use their doTERRA Lavender Essential Oil<\/a> <\/strong>and it works great. You can often buy a multi-pack of their oils and save a few dollars if you’re savvy enough to be on the lookout for sales.<\/p>\n This diffuser is a little more expensive than option two but we think the quality is better. It suits our decor and importantly the aroma spreads out to fill more of the room then the VicTsing option. Purchasing a diffuser is not something you buy very often so, in our opinion, spending a little more and making it last is worth it.<\/p>\n\n
Pillow<\/h2>\n
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Oil Diffuser<\/h2>\n
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