6 Nightstand Essentials to Have

By Victoria Robertson on October 4, 2019

When it comes to stocking your nightstand table, it’s important that you have all the essentials within reach, but that you also limit your essentials to items that will help you sleep rather than keep you entertained.

One of the biggest pitfalls of stocking a nightstand is an individual’s desire/mistake of stocking it with items that you don’t actually need to fall asleep, but rather that will keep you awake and distracted.

With that in mind, below are six nightstand essentials you should definitely keep on your nightstand.

Photo Via: Pixabay.com

1. Light/reading light

Many people have a light switch upon entering their room, but they don’t actually have one within arm’s reach. This leads to having to get out of bed to turn off the light when you’re ready to fall asleep, which can actually wake you back up.

So, to avoid this issue, you should have a light within arm’s reach at your nightstand. Whether you choose to use a lamp or a small book light is up to you, but a light should be at your nightstand, just in case you need to turn it on for a second or turn it off and roll over for a good night’s sleep.

2. Clock

While it’s tempting to look at your phone to see what time it is, this often leads down a long tunnel of distractions, which end up keeping you awake longer. Rather than using your phone to tell time, you should have a clock on your nightstand that you can glance at.

This way, you’re not only cutting out those harmful blue lights from your phone when you’re trying to fall asleep, but you’re also able to quickly check the time without distraction, ensuring you don’t get sidetracked and fall asleep much faster than you would have previously.

3. Notebook

While not everyone keeps a dream journal, it’s always a good idea to have a notebook (and pen) by your bed so you can jot down notes, to-do list items and any other thoughts you have that would normally keep you awake.

In doing so, you are freeing your mind of the burden of those thoughts without forgetting them, ensuring you can sleep soundly and wake up to a fresh to-do list, completely stress-free. If you don’t typically stress the little things, this notebook can be a place for your cool ideas, interesting dreams or simply to write an entry into before you fall asleep.

4. Water

One of the main reasons people wake up and get out of bed in the middle of the night is for a glass of water. Rather than waking yourself up, walking to the kitchen and pouring yourself another glass, keep your glass at your bedside table.

This way, you can satisfy your thirst without fully waking up, allowing you to easily roll back over and fall asleep again. So quit losing sleep because you need water! Keep it on your nightstand and you’ll be just fine.

5. Book

It can be hard to fall asleep sometimes, which is why a good book is a great thing to have on your nightstand. Keeping a book within arm’s reach gives you an outlet to clear your mind without involving screens, such as your phone or the TV.

While the latter items can (and probably will) keep you awake, a book will slowly clear your mind of all other things, making you much more tired than you were before you started reading. It still takes a bit of time, but it’s a good, natural way to bring on sleep.

6. Humidifier

Last, but definitely not least, you should have a humidifier at your nightstand to keep your skin happy and healthy. Discomfort is typically a big reason that people lose sleep, so ensure your skin is comfortable with a humidifier by your bedside, keeping the air around you perfect as you sleep.

In addition, many people leave chapstick and/or lotion at their nightstand. This ensures that, when something is wrong and you’re uncomfortable, the solution is directly next to you. Again, this isn’t a necessity, and it largely depends on the amount of space you have on your nightstand, but it’s always a good idea to promote health, especially in an area you spend a lot of time in.

Again, stocking a nightstand is as easy as ensuring you fall asleep quickly and stay asleep. Avoid using too many electronics when you’re going to bed, and instead, make sure that everything you need for a night of sound sleep is within arm’s reach.

The above six items are a great starting point, but when it comes to nightstand essentials, you’ll also want to make sure you’re including anything else that you need to keep yourself in bed and ready to sleep through the night.

So get to stocking and sweet dreams!

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