Get Better Sleep With These Essentials Under $100

If you’re looking for a new duvet that won’t break the bank, look no further. The Utopia Bedding comforter is sturdy, with a similar construction to higher-priced duvets. While it’s not as fluffy as the Buffy Cloud Comforter and doesn’t come close to the warmth of the Brooklinen all-season down, it does make for a practical option that can take you from April through September in four-season locales or if you’re somebody who doesn’t get too cold. However, with the lower price, the polyester fill and shell, which are designed to repel bacteria and mites, are less breathable than pricier options that use natural fibers.

The Sunbeam Royal Ultra heated throw is made of soft, lightweight polyester, similar to felted wool. The wires, which conduct heat throughout the fabric, are thicker and more visible than the wires in the other two blankets our evaluator tried. The Sunbeam has four controls and the difference between each is distinct. At its lowest level, the blanket feels just slightly warm, as if it had been sitting in the sun. At its highest, it feels like it just came out of the dryer a minute ago. It heats up quickly—when our evalutor turned it on to the second setting, they would it took about 90 seconds before they started to feel the warmth.

The Bedsure Electric Heated Flannel Blanket Throw is thin but light. Though it’s cozy, it resembles an inexpensive fleece blanket you’d find at a grocery store. One side is striped flannel and the other is linty fleece. The flannel is not the best quality, but it does get hot. And it has the lightest wires of the blankets we evaluated. 

The YnM blanket has a cotton cover and doesn’t come with a duvet cover, though YnM sells covers separately. The beads are glass. YnM says you can wash and dry it by machine on the gentle cycle but strongly recommends washing the duvet cover rather than the inner blanket. Color options depend on the size and weight you choose. Make sure you click on the on-page coupon to get the lowest price at Amazon.

The cover of the Luna blanket is cotton; it doesn’t come with a duvet cover. Luna says you can wash it in cold water on the gentle setting and hang it to dry or tumble-dry on low heat. Bonus: It’s sold in 24 colors.

The Elegear Revolutionary Cooling Blanket was CR’s top pick because it kept us the coolest in our tests and was comfortable, soft, and well-made. It features smooth Arc-Chill 3.0 Cool Fabric on one side and Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified cotton on the other side.

This small plug-and-play sound machine from Magicteam is sized just right—like a deck of cards if cards were square. It delivers good sound quality and variety, packing in 20 sounds, including nature sounds and even a freight train. The controls, just five buttons, are intuitive to use, although one evaluator said they were quite small and a bit difficult to see in low light. And it has a timer in case you don’t want it playing all night.

This white noise machine is super-simple, with only one sound that emerges from a small fan in the (rather bulky) dome-shaped case. Because it’s a physical fan, you might want to place it on a book instead of directly on your desk or bedside table, because it could cause those surfaces to vibrate. 

The Jall Wake Up Light Sunrise Alarm Clock is at least half the price of other clocks we tested, but from an ease-of-use standpoint, this model comes out on top. It has two independent alarms (so you can set them for different times depending on your routine), seven alarm tones (including “wind bells” and birds chirping), an FM radio, and a fall-asleep mode that simulates a sunset (though no white-noise option). Check the on-page coupon to save 5 percent.

The iHome Zenergy Sunrise Bedside Therapy Machine (iZBT3) feels more like a great sound machine than a true sunrise alarm clock, thanks, in part, to its Bluetooth speaker. While it has plenty of features, we found that it’s hard to set up: The controls are confusing, and the buttons don’t respond immediately. Fortunately, this device is easier to use once you’ve programmed it. Press snooze, and you’ll temporarily halt the sound and the light at the same time. This wake-up light’s best assets are, in fact, its sleep offerings, complete with 15 soothing tones (from melodies to nature sounds) and a guided breathing exercise. The machine also offers a sunset mode, though its inability to fade the light or sound gradually over time (it simply shuts off) may be jarring to some users. 

Folks who run cold might like the Baloo Sleep Stone Mask; this mask is big, poofy, and cozy, and CR’s Angela Lashbrook appreciated its noise-muffling properties during our evaluation of the best sleep masks. She found it to be extremely comfortable, as if she had wrapped a duvet around her face. It might not be a great all-season option, however. Because the mask basically covers the entirety of the average-sized forehead, it might be too warm in the summer, unless you’re the kind of person who sleeps with the air conditioner blasting arctic air from June until September.

The Mzoo is lower-priced, well-designed, and effective at blocking light for most face shapes and head sizes. CR’s team of evaluators had a wide range of preferences and needs, yet most agreed that the Mzoo mask was a great option.

Silk! For $10! It’s real and so cozy. It blocked all light without pressing down uncomfortably against our evaluator’s nose. We tried the single-strap version, which kept the mask in place for most of our evaluators throughout the night. It felt luxurious despite the price.

CR’s Tanya Christian, a home editor who has reported on sleep staples like CR’s best pillows and mattresses for side sleepers, has always been in the practice of protecting her hair with a scarf at night, but this satin-lined sleep cap was a bit of a game-changer. “I like having my hair off my neck and away from my face and pillow when I sleep,” Christian says. “This cap allows me to wrap my hair up with minimal effort in just a few seconds. Plus, it pretty much guarantees me a good hair day in the morning.” 

Sometimes something as simple as a little boost to the olfactory system can help you relax before bed. In fact, a 2015 study conducted on college students with self-reported sleep issues found that inhaled lavender essential oils combined with sleep hygiene improved their quality of sleep. Cue scented pillow sprays.

I currently have three—yes, three!—herbal-scented pillow sprays on my bedside table, but my favorite is Deep Sleep by ThisWorks. While it’s a combination of lavender, vetivert, and wild chamomile, the lavender is the strongest scent—though not cloyingly so; just one whiff, and I feel like I can breathe easier and deeper. I spray it lightly on my pillows and sheets before jumping into bed and sometimes even when making my bed in the morning. 

It’s hard to go wrong with a pair of cozy slippers. In our review of popular slippers, three out of four CR evaluators found themselves head over heels for the Lined Crocs. “I am pleasantly surprised that these are extremely comfortable,” said Ginger Cowles, a managing editor. These clogs, as Crocs calls them, feel stable and secure, with a thick, textured sole that doesn’t slip and provides ample distance and insulation from frigid floors in the winter. They’re also machine-washable (in cold water only), though we haven’t tried that ourselves. A foam strap can either be pulled over the front of the shoe, transforming the Crocs into a slide, or over the back, making the shoe more secure on your foot. 

For more options: We Tried Ugg Fluff Yeahs and 7 Other Popular Slippers—Here’s What We Loved (and Loathed)