This article introduced me to cognitive shuffling, a very simple word‑based visual exercise that helps the author fall asleep faster. You pick a random, emotionally neutral word like “duck,” picture it, then move to another unrelated word, and keep gently shuffling through these images until you drift off. I’ve been trying this for about a week now, and one of two things keeps happening: I either slip into a liminal hypnagogic state where the imagery shifts and takes over until I fall asleep, or my mind gets quickly bored by not getting to make associations with the non‑linear images and just shuts down into sleep. It might not be my favorite entry into sleep, but it did work and could be helpful to those struggling with insomnia. — CD

We live on a fairly busy street, and in the summer our fans do a good job of drowning out traffic noise. But in the colder months, we rely on sound machines instead. I used to play white noise through my phone, but I worried about damaging the speaker at high volumes night after night. This $25 Hotmoon Cocoon 2 solves that. It has 40 sounds, including white, pink, green, and brown noise. I'm a fan of brown noise — it's less harsh and more mellow than white noise. — MF

The Hatch Rest Go, a tangerine-sized portable sound machine, offers high-quality white noise and soothing sounds for better sleep. It's USB-C rechargeable and provides a richer sound than smartphone apps. My nephew and his wife successfully use it for their infant. Impressed, I also purchased one and now use it nightly. — MF

My wife has been using a Memory Foam Knee Pillow for years. It’s much smaller than a regular pillow and can be used between your knees or to prop up one leg. As a side-sleeper, it keeps her spine and hips aligned, and it helps her sleep more comfortably. I bought one a couple of weeks ago, and I’m getting the same benefits. — MF

Here is a 5-step plan for waking up earlier and with more energy shared by u/FrankOppedijk on Reddit. The key advice I found is once you decide how many hours you need for sleep and develop your relaxing bedtime routine, you start by shifting your wake up time by 5 minutes each day, and you energize yourself using various techniques like natural bright light, drinking water, an activating breathing exercise like Bellows Breath, or quick heart-pumping exercise. I found it very encouraging. — CD