Today is World Sleep Day, a day celebrating the health benefits of a good night’s sleep and drawing attention to the severity of sleep conditions. Getting enough sleep is easier said than done, so I’ve enlisted the help of a few vaguely-beauty-related products over the last few years- everything from body lotions to silk sleep masks, sleep teas to inhalers. The product I’m asked about most? Pillow sprays.
Do sleep sprays really work? And if so, how? I’ve tried and compared two very popular sleep sprays to properly put them to the test. I thought these might have a bit of a placebo effect on me so I’ve tried each spray for a couple of months in different circumstances, both with and without teas, meditation and any other sleep aids to really decipher whether or not they’ve had any kind of effect on me.
Sleep sprays have existed for centuries, however as far as commercialised sleep sprays go the This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray is the OG. This pillow spray’s powers come from an “aromatherapeutic blend of Lavender, Vetivert and Camomile” which have been used, literally, for centuries and have been clinically proven to calm the mind.
It’s important to note that I don’t have any sleeping disorders, so what works for me may not necessarily work for you. That said, this DOES work for me. My biggest issue is physically falling asleep (am always heavily caffeinated/looking at phone/tightly wired) so switching off is what I find the most difficult. This doesn’t claim to actually sedate you, which I think is important- what it does claim is that it will calm you with the aim of easing you to sleep, and I find that to be exactly what it does. As I don’t have a sleep condition the only aid I need is to actually get me to switch off and stop running through tomorrow’s to-do list, so this sleep spray ticks that very specific box for me.
A more recent addition to my sleep routine is the REN & Now To Sleep Pillow Spray which relies on slightly similar ingredients to the aforementioned Deep Sleep Spray- in this case, Frankincense, Hops and trusty Lavender. Where the This Works Deep Sleep Spray helped me actually fall asleep, I found that the REN alternative eased me in to a more restful slumber. When I use this on its own I still have difficulties physically falling asleep, however I don’t find myself tempted to hit snooze when my alarm sounds- I feel as though I’ve had a deeper sleep and my energy levels are higher because of it. The first time I tried this and felt its effects the morning after I thought it may have been a coincidence- repeated use over a couple of months have proven that this is not the case.
My advice, as with anything across the beauty sphere, is to try a few products and combinations to see what works for you, and if your problems persist it’s important to seek the advice of a qualified expert.
For someone who doesn’t have any serious sleep issues or disorders, yes, a sleep spray works- really, really well.
