{"id":45613,"date":"2026-02-22T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=45613"},"modified":"2026-02-16T14:39:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T21:39:25","slug":"retro-recomendo-sleep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/retro-recomendo-sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"Retro Recomendo: Sleep"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our subscriber base has grown so much since we first started nine years ago, that most of you have missed all our earliest recommendations. The best of these are still valid and useful, so we\u2019re trying out something new \u2014 Retro Recomendo<\/strong>. Once every 6 weeks, we\u2019ll send out a throwback issue of evergreen recommendations focused on one theme from the past 9 years.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown noise for better sleep<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I use a simple and free app called Soundly Sleeping<\/a> to play brown noise while sleeping. It muffles the wheeze of my CPAP machine and other unwelcome nighttime noises. (Brown noise is mellower than white noise). \u2014 MF<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silicone earplugs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mack\u2019s moldable silicone earplugs<\/a> are superior to squishy foam earplugs because they completely seal the opening to your ear. They do a fantastic job of blocking out sound. These silly-putty-like plugs have saved my sleep many times when staying in noisy hotels and Airbnbs. \u2014 MF<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Non-Sleep Deep Rest tracks<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR), also known as yoga nidra, induces deep relaxation while maintaining awareness. If you\u2019re too tired to nap but can\u2019t fall asleep, I\u2019ve found that one of these free 9-minute NSDR tracks<\/a> produces a similar restorative effect. The guided breathing slows my heart rate, while the body scans draw my focus away from external stimulation into a state of pure rest. \u2014 CD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wake up earlier, naturally<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I wasn\u2019t sure I\u2019d like the Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock<\/a>, but in just a month it\u2019s trained me to wake up earlier\u2014naturally. I set the alarm for my desired time, and the light gradually brightens about 20 minutes beforehand. That\u2019s usually when I wake up. When the wake-up light doesn\u2019t work, I get woken up by the sounds of birds chirping. Either way, I\u2019m never startled or grumpy. \u2014 CD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bargain mattresses<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Auto tires are such a bargain at Costco that many folks get a Costco membership just for the tires. Mattresses are a similar bargain. You can get high quality branded mattresses \u2013 including classic bedspring models \u2013 for a lower price from Costco than from almost anywhere else. And Costco will deliver to the room, set up, and haul away your old mattress at no extra cost. And you can order them online.<\/a> \u2014 KK<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheap nightlights<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve spread these ultra-cheap Uigos LED nightlights<\/a> throughout our home. They are bright enough to guide me in the dark, but not too bright to use any measurable energy. A six-pack is $10. \u2014 KK<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recomendo – issue #502<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13684,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[2323],"tags":[2324],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45613"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13684"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45613"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45613\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45614,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45613\/revisions\/45614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}