6 Sleep Products for Better Athletic Performance

Snooze you lose? We don’t think so. Despite your digital to-do list pinging you to think otherwise, you do need that precious eight to nine hours of sleep per night. Yet, on average, American adults get only 6.9 hours, says naturopathic doctor Rebeccah Shalev, at Holtorf Medical Group.

A 2007 National Sleep Foundation poll of women found that 67% report sleep problems at least a few times per week. This number jumps to 84% for pregnant and postpartum women, and 50% report waking up feeling unrefreshed at least a few nights per week.

That’s a problem, says Shalev, because women who report sleep problems almost every night “are significantly more likely to have missed a day of work in the past month, drive drowsy, use sleep aids, and be classified as obese.”

But what can help you get that full night’s rest (or power nap) when your schedule is packed to the brim? We picked a few items, from athlete-approved sheets and pillows to a high-tech “smart” bed and even sleep clothes, to help you say sayonara to insomnia for good.

If your sleep regimen begins the minute your head hits the pillow, it’s far too late. These Shower Tablets contain calming lavender oil and coriander seed oil to encourage your sleep hygiene to start with a shower. That’s ideal, says allergist and asthma specialist and immunologist Neeta Ogden, M.D.

“If you don’t rinse your hair, nose, and eyelids at night, you’re dragging the day’s allergens that accumulate on your body into bed with you, and you end up breathing it in all night.”

Since these are also free of synthetic fragrances and parabens, you have plenty of reasons to catch deeper ZZZs. ($7 for 3 tabs, auracacia.com)

Why not love every time you turn in for the night? Bear makes sleep products that are designed to offer a cooler, healthier, and more restorative sleep.

Case in point: the Bear Pillow, a supportive, cool-to-the-touch pillow that contains Double Ice Fabric and mesh-panel technology, which combine to provide optimal cooling and airflow for more comfort during sleep.

Pro athletes like Ironman champion Sarah Piampiano and CrossFitters like Elisabeth Akinwale are fans of the brand.

Bear’s technology doesn’t stop at its pillow. Bear’s mattress uses a high-tech fiber called Celliant, which recycles body heat into infrared energy, promoting better blood circulation, muscle oxygenation, and recovery.

All its products use eco-friendly materials, which help minimize emissions of volatile organic compounds, which can be found in high concentrations in other foam products and can contribute to headaches, difficulty breathing, skin irritation, and even cancer. Plus, they’re free of formaldehyde, mercury, phthalates, and flame retardants. ($95 for pillow, bearmattress.com)

Here’s a smart bed for smart women who want a mattress that seems to know exactly what you need to get superior shut-eye.

Made for optimal recovery, and with a long list of pro athletes as avid users—like three-time Ironman world champion Mirinda Carfrae—the ReST Bed name is short for “responsive surface technology”.

The mattress is covered with a medical-grade sensor cloth that can automatically detect nearly 2,000 pressure points and movement in your body throughout the night.

That means that if excess pressure builds under one part of your body as you sleep—like your shoulders or your hips or knees—the ReST Bed gently adjusts for you to improve circulation, muscle oxygenation, and recovery.

What’s more, this game-changing ReST bed has five zones utilizing its air-tube system, so your head area can be softer than your shoulders, lumbar, hips, or legs, for example, which means you get far more customization compared with other adjustable beds. The Split King has separate control sides for couples.

Bonus: This is no ordinary point-and-click—there’s an app for that, of course. So before you start winding down, you can set up the bed via Wi-Fi on your phone to support particularly sore areas from your hard day’s work and training. And ReST tracks your sleep for the most accurate metrics on your sleep out there. This is a bed that will last a long time and comes with a super-solid 10-year nonprorated warranty. (From $2,800 for twin, restperformance.com)

Consistently rated one of the top sound machines on Amazon, and from the creators of the original sound machine, this beddy-bye sleep aid has three settings: bright white noise, deep white noise, and gentle surf, plus you can fully adjust the volume. The USB rechargeable device is small and can be placed or hung anywhere in the bedroom, so you can quickly cut out the cars, loud neighbors, and snoring SOs with the touch of a button, whether you’re far from home or right at home. ($35, marpac.com)

This high-performance sheet set is made for women like you who train tirelessly, pushing muscles past lactate thresholds, and thus may need help recovering.

But the pro-sleep technology is about more than a buttery soft feel against your skin. The brand was started by two former female elite athletes and college basketball coaches who wanted to finally have the advanced activewear tech they trained in be designed for the bed. They opened the door for a new category of bedding that athletes are now going gaga for.

The science behind these super-stretchy, luxe sheets is all about keeping your cool. The term “thermoregulation” simply means the Sleep-Fit fabric will keep your body from sweating bullets as you rest.

Plus, it transfers body heat nearly two times better than cotton. The synthetic-blend material is also hydrophobic (meaning it repels water) rather than hydrophilic (attracts water, like cotton can), which means it’ll help keep your body cool and move sweat away from your skin. (From $159, sheex.com)

Partnering with Tom Brady, Under Armour has created its Sleepwear line to help your body recover faster.

It uses a ridiculously soft fabric lined with a bioceramic print that absorbs your body’s heat and reflects far infrared back to it. Research shows FIR may help prevent lactate release produced with exercise-induced oxidative stress; plus, it may help delay the onset of fatigue caused by muscle contractions.

No wonder both Brady and prima ballerina Misty Copeland are all over this. The Sleepwear—which ranges from cute, loose-fitting shorts and pants with pockets to long- and short-sleeve tops in gray, black, or maroon—also wicks moisture from the skin, which further improves sleep quality.

The slogan for this sleepwear is “Rest. Win. Repeat.” And after a few nights waking up wrapped in confusingly soft clothes without feeling sweaty, we were sold. This is one type of sleepwear that not even your birthday suit can top. ($60–$100, underarmour.com)