We Challenged 3 PureWow Staffers to Get 8 Hours of Sleep Per Night for a Week (and Here’s What Happened)

Night 1: Yoga to the Rescue
“One thing I rely on is yoga. I really enjoy exercising, but I try to do things that are more grounding as opposed to running. My go-to before bed is the Legs Up the Wall pose, which is quite literally what it sounds like. I lie on my back with my legs up against the wall for five to ten minutes to reverse the blood flow and lower my heart rate. This helped me transition into a relaxed state before attempting to fall asleep. I slept for six hours this night.”

Night 4: Melatonin Take Two
“I’ve experienced some negative side effects from other sleep aids I’ve tried, so I only took half the recommended dosage of Orb, which is two capsules. Good news: Taking one capsule was plenty for me. I fell asleep in just 30 minutes and slept the entire night—more than eight hours—which I rarely ever do. My boyfriend even noted the following morning how I “slept like a log.” It was definitely harder to wake up when my alarm went off, but I think it’s because I was finally catching up on rest in a really deep sleep.”

Night 7: Pillow Mist for the Win
“Another thing I tried during this challenge was a lavender pillow mist. I spritzed it right before I went to bed so the scent was still strong, and it actually helped me fall asleep right away. Did it last the entire night? No, not exactly. But it’s great for the nights when I can tell I’ll be awake for quite a while.”

Night 3: Drifting Off with Lavender
“Ever since college, I’ve been an awful sleeper. I used to average only about three hours per night. It’s definitely gotten better since then, but my sleep patterns still aren’t consistent. The new bedtime ritual I’ve been obsessed with is my aromatherapy essential oil diffuser. I filled it with lavender oil and put on my nightstand, and every night I set it on a three-hour timer and hop into bed. The scent is so relaxing and really does help me fall asleep a little quicker, which is great considering it can sometimes take me over an hour to drift off. With this method, I slept for about five and a half hours.”

Night 5: Magic in a Capsule
“To be honest, I was a little skeptical before trying Orb only because I’ve tried so many other similar products and they haven’t done the trick for me. Let me tell you, though, these little guys actually work. I took two capsules about an hour before I wanted to go to bed. Thirty minutes later, I started to feel sleepy and more relaxed. I fell asleep quickly without tossing and turning (yay!) and mostly stayed asleep—I only woke up once. But overall, I slept for seven hours. I felt rather tired the next morning, but it wasn’t a groggy feeling, it was more like an “I never want this sleep to end” feeling. Would I take these again? For sure.”

Night 2: 1 Sheep, 2 Sheep, 3 Sheep…
“I have quite a bit of trouble staying asleep, so at first I tried to relax my mind by practicing meditation and breathing techniques before bed. Unfortunately, my attention span got the best of me and I lost track of counting before I could even get into a relaxed state of mind. So instead, I went back to my tried-and-true method of sipping on chamomile tea. Maybe it’s my British roots speaking, but I swear it’s the best way to ease my body and mind. Although, even with the tea, I woke up once and couldn’t fall back asleep for an hour and a half. But I slept well for about six hours otherwise.”

Night 6: Goodbye to Grogginess

“I didn’t drift off as quickly as I thought I would when taking Orb, but I think I expected them to instantly knock me out cold. However, I’m a really light sleeper, so maybe that had something to do with it. Overall, I got around six and a half hours of sleep, which is 30 minutes more than usual. And to the credit of the capsules, I woke up in the morning without any grogginess, so that was a plus.”