Last week, I posted a picture on Instagram of my nightstand. I posted it because I think that the things a person has on their nightstand say a lot about that person.
Nightstands usually have limited room, so only a few things will fit, and they are usually things that a person deems important enough to need right before, during or right after sleeping.
A got a lot of questions on my Instagram post about the various items in my picture, so I decided to share here rather than try to respond to each question individually.
This is definitely one of my more random posts, (like when I shared what I keep in my purse) so if you aren’t interested, hop over here and find some good recipes for dinner, or learn how to make some lotion bars. 🙂
On the Nightstand
Wake Light: A Wake Light is a natural way to wake up if an alarm clock is needed. Light and nature sounds gradually increase until bright and loud enough to wake you up. I find this much less jarring than a traditional clanging alarm.
Sleep Mask: We keep our room really dark so I don’t always have to use this, but for times that hubby comes to bed after me, I keep this around so I don’t wake up. I have an older version of this one that I’ve used since college and it still works great.
Orange Sunglasses: I wrote about them here, but orange sunglasses help minimize exposure to blue light at night, which can help keep melatonin levels in the proper range and lead to deeper sleep. Since I often am working on a computer at night, I wear these and use programs like f.lux to minimize blue light exposure.
Wet Brush: The most gentle brush I’ve found and the one I use on my daughters’ hair to avoid the drama of their tender-headedness.
Fertility Monitors: I’ve written before about why I don’t use hormonal contraceptives and the natural alternatives I use to space pregnancies. Right now, I’m trying to fully recover from my autoimmune disease before we consider another so I’m using multiple fertility monitors. The white one with the screen is the OvaCue which tests both saliva and vaginal pH and is the most accurate I’ve found. I also use the Fertile Focus Microscope which detects hormone changes from saliva and the iBasal (looks like a thermometer) which charts based on temperature.
Massage Roller Ball: Even with a standing desk, my shoulders get tense from spending time on the computer. This thing helps tremendously. I also use this thing during labor and it is wonderful. They don’t fit on the nightstand, but I also use the Rumble Roller and the Body Back Buddy to release muscle tension at home.
Hydroflask: It wasn’t there when I took this picture, but I also usually have my Hydroflask on the nightstand when I’m sleeping in case I get thirsty. I reviewed them here and my favorite is the 40-ounce insulated one with a wide-mouth straw lid.
Occasionally: An essential oil diffuser but it is on my dresser right now. Also, I occasionally keep salt lamps on there but have it on the dresser as well.
Also, the cord for my earthing sheet runs behind the nightstand and plugs into the ground outlet.
In the drawer (not pictured):
Flashlight: I’ve always keep a flashlight by the bed which has come in handy a few times when power has gone out or when we heard the dog making strange noises at night and had to check it out. I have this one in my nightstand and a similar one in my purse.
Books I’m currently reading, but I usually stick to spiritual reading or really light reading before bed. I love health books and even medical journals but find that those get my mind going and make it hard to sleep. Anyone else have this problem?
Coconut Oil and Lotion Bars: Because those are in pretty much every room of my house.
Magnesium Oil, Relaxing Essential oils, and Organic Socks: To rub magnesium oil on my feet (and my kids’ feet) at night to help improve sleep. I’ve been tracking sleep with an Oura Ring and it proves magnesium definitely improves my sleep score.
Journal: I find that sometimes journaling at night helps get projects off my mind and helps me sleep. I also keep post-it notes or a small notebook with my journal so as I think of to-do items I can write them down so I’m not thinking about them while I’m falling asleep. I love these leather journals since they are good quality and look nice on a shelf if you happen to keep them once full.
What is NOT on it:
Cell phone or charger or any electronic device.
An alarm clock with glowing letters or light of any kind.
A computer.
Sleep Environment
I take our sleep environment very seriously and try to keep our room dark, cool and with minimal noise. I don’t like having electronics near our bed (one reason I use the Oura — you can use it in airplane mode) and I definitely won’t ever have a TV in the bedroom. I write more about my sleep environment in this post.
Your turn- what items do you keep by your bed? Tell me below!
what autoimmune disease are you battling currently? I just had our first baby and was diagnosed with hashimoto’s right after her birth. Now I’m in a similar predicament, wanting to be my healthiest for baby #2…
I also have Hashimioto’s.
i WANT TO KNOW ABOUT FERTILITY MONITOR AND DONT WANT TO USE HORMONAL CONTRACEPTIVES ARE MAKING ME SICK AND I AM GETTING FRUSTRATED
This post has a lot of information about them: https://wellnessmama.com/14832/fertility-monitors/
Thank you for all your helpful alternatives for health benefits.
There is news, Jesus is coming soon and He don’t want no man to perish. Give your life to Him. He loves you and died for us all. This is His alternative for everlasting life. God Bless
What do you sleep on? Do you have an organic mattress? I’m trying to narrow down if our mattress/pillows is a source of health concern in our home.
Yes, we have an organic mattress… This is a post I made about it:https://wellnessmama.com/6014/organic-mattresses/
I thought that was a hazemat helmet at first glance! I thought , boy that gal is prepared!! LOL!
My bedside table only has a lamp, baby monitor, and phone. The phone was a necessity as I was using the OvuView app as contraceptive. It worked for about four months. Then I wasn’t as strict about taking my temp and charting the cervical changes, etc. So now we are expecting in March. Our second and third children won’t even be two years apart.:( At least we know to stay on top of charting next time. Do you not use a baby monitor? Also, since your children are relatively close together, how did you prepare them for a new sibling?
What a great picture! I wonder what we’d come up with if we all took similar pictures and learned from each other.
On mine — A candle, lighter (safer than matches in the bedroom), and turned-off iPhone.
We’ve chosen to live without electric lights for over a year, now, which means I ditched the wake light, sleep mask, and orange glasses that used to be important to us, as well. At some point we decided to just get rid of the source of the problem, and shifted to candles-only after dark. 😀
So neat to see them in use, though — I love the way there are multiple routes to the same goal!
Hi Katie, just want to let you know that your site has been extremely helpful to me these past several months. I’m only 23, but I’ve been struggling with health issues (irregular thyroid, fatigue, infertility etc.), and I’ve been working on a healthier natural lifestyle to combat those issues. I have a question unrelated to your post. I want to start making my own toiletries and I was wondering if it was important to buy organic (as opposed to non-organic) carrier oils. I know it’s an investment, but the organic oils are twice as expensive! On the Mountain Rose Herbs website, for example, 8 oz of non-organic sweet almond oil is $5.25, while the 8.5 oz organic is 11.75. What is your opinion? Does it matter?
I think it’s pretty much always better to get organic if you can.
Having a mini-sized nightstand on my side of the bed, the only thing on it is a telephone (landline) (work requirement). That leaves plenty of room for one of the cats to nap there, too.
His nightstand has a small lamp, a clock (no alarm), and his Bipap machine.
We’ve never had a TV in the bedroom, and never will. All the electronics belong elsewhere.
Is a wake lamp worth it?
I think so…