I’m a sleep coach — 5 bedtime essentials, from $5, I stock up on every Prime Day to get the best night’s rest

Woman holding a bottle of Dr Teal's Calm Blend Sleep Spray for Pillows and Bed Sheets next to two white pillows on a bed she is about to spray

(Image credit: Dr Teal's)

I freely admit that as the Managing Editor of Sleep for Tom’s Guide I get sent a lot of cool bedtime gear. But there are some sleep essentials I’ve come to rely on so much that I happily fork out for them. And the big Prime Day sales are the time when I add shedloads of them to my basket.

As a Certified Sleep Science Coach I know that no product on this planet will help you sleep better longterm if you don’t have good sleep hygiene and keep a regular bedtime. That said, there are some brilliant conduits to good sleep that I recommend, and I’m sharing them here.

These are all cheap sleep essentials that work, but if you have the budget and you’re serious about investing in good sleep for the forseable, make sure you buy the best mattress for you body, needs and budget next time you’re shopping for a new bed. (There are some great Prime Day sleep and mattress deals around today too.)

For now, here are the 5 bedtime essentials I stock up on during every Prime Day sale to sleep as well a possible…

1. The Ultimate Brain Health Puzzle Book for Adults: $12.99 $4.83 at Amazon
I have a busy brain and despite hammering home the same sleep cues for several years, some nights I can’t switch off enough to fall asleep (most healthy adults take around 10-20 minutes to fall asleep). As an ex-insomnica that spooks me, but I’ve found a brilliant ‘can’t sleep failsafe’ that works for me: a boring word search book. Yep, pen and paper. It only takes about 20 minutes of word searching for my eyes to start drooping, then straight into bed I go. There are load of word search books on sale this Prime Day, but this Brain Health Puzzle Book is pretty good for $4.83 and it has lots of word searches in it.

2. Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea 6 Boxes: $22.28 $18.94 at Amazon
My husband knows when I’m drinking this tea before he even sees it because it has a distinct smell and taste, but it’s also one of the best sleep teas I’ve tried. The mistake that I made when first getting into sleepy teas was drinking them just before bed – you can imagine what that did for my bladder and how broken my sleep became as a result. Ironic, right? So don’t be like naive old me – drink your sleepy tea at least a full hour before bed so a full bladder doesn’t wake you up. Again, this isn’t a massive discount on the Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea but under $19 for six boxes is still a bargain.

3. Doctor’s Best Magnesium Lysinate Glycinate 200mg: $18.19 $15.46 at Amazon
I’ve been taking a magnesium glycinate supplement for several years and recently asked several experts if you can get enough magnesium from a varied diet or should you supplement. I’ve since decided that magnesium works for me so I’m going to continue with it – but at a lower dose of 200mg and then I’ll get the rest of my daily needs (310-350mg for women, 400-420mg for men) from food. Doctor’s Best is the brand I use, but do your own research and speak to your health practitioner first as magnesium supplements aren’t suitable for every person.

4. Dr Teal’s Sleep Spray with Melatonin, Lavender and Chamomile: $29.99 $17.49 at Amazon
I’m a sucker for smells – good ones – and this pillow spray is heavenly and much cheaper than the This Works Deep Sleep spray (I love that too, but I was spending a fortune on it so wanted a cheaper alternative, though it is $23 at Amazon during Prime Day). Dr Teals is the brand behind all those lovely big bags of epsom salts and magnesium bath elixirs, and this melatonin, lavender and chamomile blend pillow spray is a top seller. I spray it over my sheets too and the scent lingers into the night, giving me a calming hit to fall back asleep quickly if I wake up. This Prime Day deal of $17.49 (was $29.99) is the cheapest price I’ve seen in 2025 for three bottles of Dr Teal’s Sleep Spray, so worth stocking up on.

5. Breathe Right Nasal Strips: $19.99 $13.99 at Amazon
My toddler is working hard on building up his brand new immune system, but that also means he’s a walking germ motel and every month he’s bringing home a new bug. Nasal strips help me to breathe easier (and snore less) at night when I have a stuffy or blocked nose, which seemed to be every other week during last Fall and Winter. You can buy specialist nasal strips for snoring but in all honesty they have a similar dilating effect yet cost much more. I stock up on a few boxes of these Breathe Right strips in the bi-annual Prime Day sales because they’re expensive without a decent discount.

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Claire is a Certified Sleep Science Coach and the Senior Sleep Editor at Tom's Guide who curates our mattress buying guides and oversees our rigorous mattress testing procedures. Claire has over 16 years’ product review experience and is connected to a wealth of globally renowned sleep experts including mattress designers and buyers, neuroscientists, and doctors of sleep medicine. As the Managing Editor of our Sleep and Mattress Team, Claire is responsible for all mattress and sleep content published on Tom’s Guide and is our expert on Saatva, DreamCloud, and Nectar mattresses. Claire is also certified to advise people on how to choose a mattress that suits their needs and budget, as well as helping them to create a nighttime routine and bedroom environment that helps them sleep better.

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