Tag: buying guides

PS5 vs. PS5 Slim vs. PS5 Pro: What’s the Difference, and Which Console Should You Get?

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The PlayStation 5 was arguably one of Sony’s most controversial designs. After a few years, I have to admit it’s growing on me. The only downside is its gargantuan size, which made the PS5 Slim a welcome redesign. The upcoming PS5 Pro further iterates on the design, adding some welcome hardware upgrades. If you’re unsure which model is for you, we have some insight.

Unlike past midcycle refreshes like the PS4 Pro, the PS5 Slim is more of a replacement than an addition to the lineup. When inventory of the original sells out, you’ll only be able to find the Slim. The Slim model doesn’t upgrade any of the core specs like processor or RAM, though it does come with a bit of extra storage; the original PS5 came with 825 GB of internal storage, while the PS5 Slim bumps that to a full 1 TB.

Meanwhile, the PS5 Pro is more in line with what we expect from a midcycle refresh. It features significant processing upgrades, a relatively large 2 TB of internal storage right out of the gate, and a price to match. At $700, the sticker shock is real. Let’s dive into the details.

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PS5 Slim: A Space Saving Successor

The biggest difference between the PS5 and the PS5 Slim is the size. The original PS5 was an absolute unit, easily one of the biggest consoles ever. The PS5 Slim is about 30 percent smaller by volume than its big brother, and like the original, the discless versions take up even less space. Here are the dimensions of all four models:

You can see a comparison of all four sizes here and rotate the models around in 3D space to get a sense of the difference. The drop in size is significant, and your entertainment unit will appreciate the extra space, though it’s worth pointing out that even the Slim models are still substantially bigger than, say, the Xbox Series X/S consoles.

Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft

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September 26, 2024
How to Preorder Sony’s PS5 Pro (Before a Scalper Bot Does)

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We’re barely done with the years-long period where it was almost impossible to get your hands on a PlayStation 5, and now Sony is launching the PlayStation 5 Pro. It has a more powerful graphics processor, better AI upscaling, and tons more storage, with a higher price to match. If you want to get your hands on one when it launches, though, it might take some effort.

It’s no secret at this point that scalpers are, metaphorically, armed to the teeth with tools that can snag dozens of PS5s before you can click the Buy button on one. There’s little reason to expect this new console launch will be any different. (Even if the $700 price makes it one of the most expensive consoles of all time.) Still, there are things you can do to improve your odds of nabbing one of these consoles. And while you’re at it, check out our Best PS5 Accessories and Best PS5 Games guides for more.

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When Do Preorders Start?

Photograph: Sony PlayStation

Preorders for the new PlayStation 5—as well as the extremely limited-edition 30th-anniversary PS5 Pro models designed to be reminiscent of the original PlayStation—will begin in stages. The PlayStation Direct website will get first dibs, followed by other retailers a couple of weeks later. Here are all of the important dates:

The PS5 Pro is $700 for the disc-less version. If you want to add a disc drive, it’s a separate purchase. You can read more about the differences between all the PS5 models here.

Tips to (Hopefully) Score Your Preorder

Photograph: Walmart

Unfortunately, there’s no way to guarantee that you’ll be able to get a console, even if you’re at your computer the minute sales go live. But there are things you can do to increase your odds:

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September 26, 2024
8 Best Shower Water Filters, WIRED Tested and Reviewed

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If you spend enough time on Instagram, you might begin to get the idea that the biggest problem facing America today is water, and what’s in it.

Over the past few years, a new generation of stylish filtered showerheads has arrived to hijack our collective social media feed—and possibly our subconscious—with a terrifying question.

Can you really trust the water that comes out of your shower?

The makers of these showerheads tend to make bold pronouncements about what your deteriorating pipes and chemical-filled shower water might be doing to your body, during what may otherwise be the only peaceful five minutes of your day. If you can rid yourself of the chlorine or contaminants in your water, the argument goes, it may be the cure for your most embarrassing problems: everything from frizzy hair to limp hair to dandruff, hair loss, eczema, dry skin, split ends, blackheads, and the heartbreak of psoriasis.

But many filtered showerheads are quite good at removing the abrasive chlorine compounds that cities add to your tap water to kill bacteria. And so this was our focus. About half the country’s water systems, including New York and Seattle, use chlorine to disinfect the city’s water supply. But most major metropolitan areas use a more stable substance called chloramine that’s thought to be less carcinogenic. But chloramine is more difficult to filter out—and not all shower filters succeed.

In fact, the differences in performance were shockingly big in some cases. So, let’s say you don’t like chlorine in your water? And you live in a city? These are the showerheads we recommend.

For more ways to level up your bathroom, check out our guides to Best Bidets, Best Electric Toothbrushes, and the Best Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products for Your Home.

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How We Tested and What We Tested

We solicited independent lab data from the makers, where it existed. We also used digital and chemical tests designed for pools and aquariums and avoided painfully unreliable home test strips. The upshot is that you probably shouldn’t expect these shower filters to soften the mineral hardness of your water or remove most substances.

So what do these showerhead filters actually do, in a way we can measure? They filter chlorine and chlorine compounds, mostly through chemical reactions. Pretty much every American city adds low concentrations of chlorine or chlorine compounds to drinking water to kill potentially harmful bacteria. This is all well and good when the water’s still in the pipes. But chlorine’s not exactly great for your hair or your skin, and few people like to drink it. Some are also especially sensitive to the taste or smell, or prone to skin reactions.

That’s where home filters come in. The most prominent shower filters rely in part on a zinc-copper mixture called KDF-55, known to be quite effective at neutralizing pure or “free” chlorine. Other common substances used to treat chlorine and chlorine compounds include calcium sulfite and activated carbon. The most effective filters use these in some combination.

What Shower Filters Probably Don’t Do

The market for filtered showerheads remains young and largely unregulated, and performance claims are only rarely backed up publicly by independent data. We made lots of requests, but few shower filter companies hand over their lab results. (Thank you, Aquasana, for being an exception.)

Some makers told us that independent labs and certifying bodies have been backed up, and that data is forthcoming. Many offered customer satisfaction surveys instead. This all means that some skepticism is warranted.

After all, a filter must be relatively small to fit into a showerhead. And yet it’s being asked to filter gallons of water each minute, pushed out at both high temperature and high pressure. A showerhead filter poses a daunting engineering challenge, as compared to countertop water filters that treat only a small amount of water at a time—or a bulky reverse-osmosis device that can plug into your under-sink plumbing.

We’ve seen little evidence that the most common types of showerhead filters have much effect on the softness or hardness of water, or on calcium buildup. In fact, some early academic studies present evidence that they don’t. The shower filters we tested also had very little effect on the sum total of dissolved solids in our water, according to measurements with a TDS meter—i.e., the filters aren’t removing a large amount of materials or minerals from the water.

I wasn’t able to test claims by some companies that these filters remove heavy metals like lead and arsenic, which thankfully aren’t in my pipes. But if you believe you have dangerous lead or arsenic in your water, you probably shouldn’t try to fix the problem with a mail-order showerhead. Talk to a water treatment professional or your public health authority.

If you live in a major US city, chlorine is likely not what your city uses to treat the water in its pipes. New York, Chicago, Seattle, and Phoenix use chlorine, sure. But Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, and most big cities in Texas don’t.

More than half of American big cities use a substance called chloramine, a more stable and enduring chemical that’s harder to filter and test. To test, I got out my handy digital water colorimeter and a somewhat nasty chemical indicator, and then tested the ability of each shower filter to treat chlorine compounds in the water.

First I tested the total chlorine in the water without any filtering, then I tested the water filtered by the showerhead. I did each test multiple times to account for imprecision or fluctuations in municipal chlorine levels. In most cases, I did this over multiple days. (One showerhead’s filter broke from its own weight on the second day of testing. I felt comfortable not recommending this showerhead, despite only one day of middling test results.) As we update this guide, we’ll continue to test the most effective showerhead filters to see how their efficacy changes over time—and add any new shower filters we’re able to recommend.

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September 26, 2024
6 Best Radios (2024): Portable, Stylish, For Emergencies

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Buy a radio and only picking up static? There’s a few things that could be at play.

Radio signals travel miles and miles to reach your home and radio of choice, but depending on the distance or the placement of your radio, you could be picking up a worse angle on the frequency. Radio signals bounce around and are reflected back and forth by obstacles, including objects in your home and even your own body. There’s no way to guarantee which spot in your house will get the best signal for the station you love best, but even moving a radio over a couple of inches can suddenly improve your signal.

I test areas on the same tabletop in my home, but sometimes find a different antenna picks up signal a little better an inch to the left versus another radio. Each radio has a different antenna design, and each radio shape will come into play too: how tall is the radio itself? and how much higher does the antenna go past it?

Some antennas seem to just be better than others: Sangean and Studebaker radios, for example, have consistently performed well in my reception tests. Telescoping antennas, which all the radios we recommend have, are often best for picking up a signal, but soft wire ones can work great if you get them in the right position. I usually get the best results by running a wire antenna up a wall to replicate my telescoping antenna testing, and they’re easy to run up the back of some shelves if you want something discreet.

You also have to ask yourself about the station you’re trying to pick up. How far away is it, and what kind of setup do they have? You can check Radio Locator to see what stations your area should pick up and how far away those stations are broadcasting from. From my testing in San Diego County, I found major stations in Los Angeles and Tijuana could be easier to pick up—likely from a better antenna system, since the height and design of an antenna relates to how well it projects a signal—than some local stations that were much closer to me. With every radio I tested, I found my local Christian Contemporary station that’s merely ten miles away was harder to pick up than major radio stations based twice as far.

My testing is based on consistency, so I didn’t hunt around to get a better signal for that local station beyond adjusting each radio a few inches on my testing tabletop. But you can, and you might have to try a few different parts on a bookshelf or a room to find where you can best get the radio signal for your station of choice. Portable radios make this a little easier since you don’t need to worry about a cord while finding that perfect spot, but I often found that even a couple of inches can make a world of difference in a radio signal.

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September 24, 2024
The 5 Automatic Litter Boxes We’ve Tested and Recommend (2024)

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Automatic litter boxes vary depending on the brand and litter box type. Generally, they have sensors, either by motion or weight, to tell when a cat has entered or exited the litter box. Usually customizable and controlled via app on your phone, or on a more rudimentary timer system, the cleaning cycle will begin a short time after the cat has used the box. With the dome-shaped litter boxes, the cleaning will happen via a cycle where the litter spins and rotates around the spherical interior; the bigger soiled clumps will be deposited into the waste basket while the clean litter passes through the grates and gets recycled back into the litter box.

The Neakasa M1, for example, rotates backward and then forward (rather than a spin cycle) to sift the clumps from the clean litter, depositing the larger clumps into the waste basket. The Pet Zone Smart Scoop is the most rudimentary on our list, simply using a rake attachment to scoop the bigger clumps into a waste receptacle in the back.

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September 23, 2024
The 11 Best Meal Kit Delivery Services We’ve Tested (2024)

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PRICE: Despite any marketing claims to the contrary meal kits cost more than buying groceries. However, they usually cost less than take-out and are healthier. If you want to gauge whether the trade-off is worth it the good news is that much like mattress-in-a-box companies, meal kit companies usually have some running promotions. Most meal kit pricing models offer bulk discounts: The more meals you purchase per week, the lower each serving’s price will be. We go into detail on dietary restrictions and subscription costs below. If you ever want to skip a week or cancel, you can find that information in the account section on your chosen service’s website.

WIRED: Meal kits are convenient; I didn’t have to worry about planning dinner or panic-eating junk food after forgetting to eat a proper meal during the day. Learning to cook with one of these services can instill confidence and impart basic knowledge. If you’re busy, or can’t be bothered, meal kits may be just what you need to get cookin’, and cooking at home is never a bad thing. Meal kits may be right for you if you’re cooking for a small household, if you work nontraditional hours, if you hate figuring out what to make for dinner, if you want to stop ordering out all the time, or if you are trying to develop your cooking skills.

TIRED: Nothing beats learning how to cook the old-fashioned way, so be sure to try that, too. It’s cheaper and you learn more if you pick out fruit yourself or break down a whole chicken for $5. You simply don’t get that experience if everything arrives at your door and the chicken parts come prepackaged. Planning and shopping is an integral part of the art of cooking. Meal kits are also generally more wasteful than traditional home cooking, and often more expensive. Meal kits may be the wrong choice for you if you are on a tight budget, if you’re cooking for a large household, or if you want tighter control over the specific ingredients you’ll be using.

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September 21, 2024
The Best iPhone 16 Cases and Accessories (2024), Tested and Reviewed

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There are so many cases. Here are other ones I’ve tried that I don’t like as much as the picks above but might be suitable for you.

Casely Bold ($35) and Classic Cases for $25: I like the Casely Classic more than the bold—the buttons don’t feel as mushy, and the hardshell plastic feels nice. Both have a nice cutout for Camera Control, with raised edges around the screen, and good MagSafe support. They also look fun! There’s even a collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art so you can get your favorite painting on the back of your iPhone. Forget the trek to New York.

Apple Silicone MagSafe Case and Clear MagSafe Case for $49: If you want to stick with official Apple cases, these are fine. They’re just a bit expensive for what you get. The silicone cases tend to pick up pet hair and dust very easily, so they feel icky. The Clear case works well, but the buttons require more force to press than our picks above.

OtterBox Symmetry Soft Touch MagSafe ($60), Symmetry Ultra Slim MagSafe ($50), and Symmetry Cactus Leather MagSafe ($60): All of these cases have a big gap for Camera Control, which I don’t love. It just looks awkward and is not symmetrical (ironic). The Soft Touch feels very nice but has mushy buttons. The Ultra Slim doesn’t have that problem but it’s slippery, and the Cactus Leather model is solid overall. Just know that cactus leather isn’t necessarily as environmentally friendly as marketed.

Wave MagSafe Case for $48: You can choose from a lot of colors, but this is an otherwise dull-looking case. The Action Button is a little harder to press and the whole thing is a bit slippery, but everything else works fine. The edges around the screen are raised and the MagSafe connection is good. The main reason to buy the Wave is because it’s made from biodegradable materials (wheat straw), and the company is a member of Surfers Against Sewage 250 Club, a charity that works to keep the UK coastline clean. Wave Case is based in the UK, so do note the international shipping fee.

Speck Presidio 2 Pro MagSafe Case for $50: I tried an array of Speck cases and they’re all solid, but my favorite is the Presidio 2 Pro. I funnily found it grippier than the Presidio 2 Grip. It checks off all the other boxes, with a roomy, sloped cutout for Camera Control, though the power button is slightly harder to press. Speck has a proprietary locking system called ClickLock that makes the MagSafe system more secure but you need to pair it with Speck’s accessories to get it to work. I think if you tend to use MagSafe wallets, then this might be useful, as it does hold the wallet more securely than standard MagSafe. But for people mounting the iPhone, go with Peak Design’s SlimLink.

Spigen Tough Armor MagSafe Case for $26: It’s been years and Spigen has not figured out a way to make this kickstand work in portrait and landscape orientation. (It only works in the latter.) Other than that, this is a fine case, if a bit bulky, with clicky buttons, and a spacious and sloped cutout for Camera Control. The design’s a bit dull.

Burga Tough Case ($24) and Burga Elite Case ($85): Burga’s Elite case is very slippery; there are some grips on the edges but they don’t help much. There’s a spot to attach a lanyard though. The buttons are clicky on both these cases, with raised edges around the screen, and a cutout for Camera Control. The Tough and Elite cases do not have MagSafe support, so if you want a case without it, here you go. (Why?) That said, the company does sell an Elite MagSafe case ($90) but the price is a little ridiculous. At least there are lots of designs to choose from.

Smartish Wallet Slayer Vol. 1 for $30: This case has an integrated wallet that lets you store two to three cards and you can easily push them out from the gap on the left. I just don’t like integrated wallet cases in this style that add bulk and disable features like MagSafe and wireless charging, so it’s not for me, but maybe you don’t mind.

BodyGuardz Ace Pro MagSafe Case for $50: Do you want a lanyard? This case comes with one preinstalled (you can remove it). I found the case too slippery, and the buttons are flush with the case, which might contribute to that. At least they’re clicky. Camera Control also works well here, but the clear back attracts a lot of smudges. There’s also a completely clear version called the Accent Clear ($55), but I didn’t like it as much as the Totallee Clear case.

MagEasy Odyssey Strap M MagSafe Case for $45: This is pretty good value considering you get a protective case and a crossbody lanyard. You can even swap out the bumpers at the bottom for when you don’t want the lanyard, though how many times are you going to do this? You’ll more likely lose the spare bumpers. The Action Button is a bit mushy but the rest work well. I’d have liked more room in the Camera Control cutout though.

Incase Icon MagSafe Case for $60: I tried a bunch of Incase cases, from the Slim to the Halo, and the Woolenex material in the Icon is my favorite because it’s super nice to hold. It’s fairly grippy and checks off all the other boxes.

Mous Limitless 6.0 ($65) and Clarity 3.0 ($70): I have no major qualms with these Mous cases and you also have a few designs to choose from, like the walnut or the speckled fabric. There’s a big gap for Camera Control, and I think it makes the case look awkward, but otherwise, there are clicky buttons, fun textures, strong MagSafe connectivity, and a spot to attach a lanyard.

Casetify Ripple ($62), Bounce ($82), and Ultra Bounce Case ($102): Casetify cases are very customizable but the company has been leaning hard into its Bounce case design, where it accentuates the corners of the case for improved shock absorption. It just kind of makes the whole thing bulky too. The Ripple case is a bit more reserved, with the Ultra Bounce going balls to the wall crazy with multiple attachment points if you want to affix a keychain carabiner or a crossbody strap. It’s expensive and a lot. But at least the cases are solid with reliable buttons, good MagSafe support, and raised edges around the display.

Moft Snap Case MOVAS With MagSafe for $50: This is a very simple case. The buttons aren’t the clickiest, and you get a big cutout for the Camera Control button. It’s fairly slim, with raised edges around the display. I prefer the company’s accessories to its case, and you don’t need a Moft case to use them. That said, you do need it if you want to pair it with the brand’s excellent phone lanyard.

Belkin ScreenForce InvisiGlass Privacy Treated Screen Protector for $35: You only get one screen protector, and Belkin doesn’t include an alcohol wipe to help clean your phone. (You do get a microfiber cloth and dust removal stickers.) The application process is OK; it leaves some wiggle room for error. That said, the privacy effect is great. No one can see your screen if they’re looking at it from an angle.

OtterBox Premium Pro Glass Blue Light Guard for $50: This one is easy to apply, but there’s little room for error if you’re not careful. I accidentally put mine askew. It’s made of 60 percent recycled materials, and OtterBox has infused it with blue-light filtering tech. To my eyes, I did not notice a difference when comparing it with another iPhone model that did not have a protector installed.

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September 20, 2024
7 Best Bassinets (2024), Tested and Reviewed

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We’ve recommended the Snoo for several years. It’s the only true “smart” bassinet, designed by Dr. Harvey Karp, who is best known for his books on the “5 S’s” for getting kids to sleep. He described the Snoo to me as an extra pair of hands to rock a baby back to sleep and believes it can add an hour or two of slumber to an average baby’s night. In my experience, his claims check out.

The Snoo listens to your baby and reacts. Motion starts off as a slow side-to-side sway with a subtle waterlike sound that’s meant to mimic the womb, then gets more vigorous if they start crying. The most intense phase is a Jello jiggle, accompanied by more white noise. It has a straightforward app for iPhone and Android phones that records sleep patterns and lets you tinker with how the bassinet responds to your baby. If your baby’s distress reaches Level 5, it automatically stops after a minute or so and sends you a notification. I liked to lock it to a low level and tinker with its sensitivity a bit.

Unlike every other bassinet, it requires a special sleep sack that connects to its sides and keeps babies on their backs. If the sack isn’t hooked up right, it won’t operate, which the company claims makes it “the safest baby bed ever made.” Stomach sleeping, overheating, and co-sleeping are all possible causes of SIDS.

At $1,695, it’s pricey, though you can also rent it for $159 a month from Happiest Baby. It looks the price, with a clean, modern metal-and-mesh aesthetic. But it’s not perfect. Sometimes it doesn’t react fast enough, and other times it seems too aggressive, particularly as your baby gets smarter. I also wish it had a cover to block some light. And since my child spit up a lot, I was sometimes short on sacks. (Be sure to get a couple extra.) The Velcro on the sacks could also stand to be a bit stronger. Finally, the Snoo is not completely invulnerable to hacking—no internet-enabled product can be. You can turn the Wi-Fi features off, though if you do, you won’t be able to tinker with the settings. As of September 2024, there are also certain features hidden behind the app’s new Premium subscription ($20 a month). If you buy the bassinet directly from Snoo or an authorized partner, you’ll get the Premium features for nine months—plenty of time for your kiddo to grow out of it, but it hurts the resale value, and means you’ll have to pay for it for your second kiddo. If you buy the bassinet secondhand, though, you’ll have to pay for the subscription the entire time.

This bassinet should work “from birth to 6 months (or when baby can get on hands and knees).” Read its User Guide here.

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September 16, 2024
The Best Audiophile Gear (2024): Headphones, Speakers, Amps, DACs

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I’m a pretty lazy listener, which is why I love modern streaming amps. These amps have controls for Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and other streaming services built directly into easy-to-use interfaces. Streaming amps have gotten really great over the last few years. It used to be that anything with an internet connection sounded terrible, but that’s not the case with the latest models. My high-end favorites right now are the Cambridge Audio Evo 150 ($2,999) and the Naim Uniti Atom ($3,799), which both feature gorgeous color displays and some of the best fidelity (and most glorious knobs) I’ve ever experienced. Both work with every major streaming service imaginable, and you can connect to them over Bluetooth too.

A good step-down option is Yamaha’s R-N1000A ($1,800) stereo network receiver. It’s loaded with high-end components like a SABRE ES9090Q DAC for high-resolution digital audio and enough A/B amplification for nearly any pair of speakers in your arsenal. Just as important, it provides rock-steady performance and loads of connection options, from tons of streaming services and internet radio stations to a turntable input and HDMI ARC for connecting to your TV. Its retro design, which skips a color screen for a slim digital display set below tactile knobs, stokes nostalgia while delivering excellent sound quality.

If you don’t have that kind of money, I highly recommend checking out the Canadian brand NAD. Its amps, like the NAD C 316 V2 ($399) aren’t the flashiest, but they sound amazing for the money. Like the Yamaha above, the C 316 even comes with a phono channel on board so you can hook up a record player—a nice touch, seeing how NAD’s model doesn’t have built-in streaming. If you want to stream, you can find the proper dongle to connect your phone to it.

Pro-Ject’s turntables are handsome, and they offer top-tier sound.

Photograph: Pro-Ject Audio

Vinyl is back! And turntables are more fun—and better-sounding—than ever. If you’re looking for a starter deck with audiophile-grade sound quality, I would check out options like the Pro-Ject T1 ($499) or Debut Carbon Evo ($599). On the higher end, we like the Rega Planar 2 ($775), which has a bit more open and dynamic sound, and U-Turn’s Orbit Theory ($999), which sounds fantastic thanks to extras like a custom-made magnesium tonearm, the part that sets the needle to the groove.

Get a phono amp to hook up that turntable.

Photograph: Pro-Ject Audio

If you have a vintage stereo, it likely has a phono preamp built-in, meaning you can plug a turntable directly and get straight to listening. But if you have a modern stereo, you may need to buy a dedicated phono preamp to play your records through your headphones or speakers. Check both your turntable and your stereo, because setups differ, and some turntables come with phono amps inside them that you can activate by flipping a switch. Still, while some built-in options like the one inside the Orbit Theory above perform well, others may not sound as good as you’d like.

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September 15, 2024
Best Natural Sleep Aids (2024), Tested and Reviewed

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Lush’s Bath/Shower Set for $8-$40: I tested many products from Lush aimed at sleep—they have an extensive line of Sleepy products intended for shower, bath, and getting ready before bed. Like the spray and dust, the shower gel, bath bombs (muslin-wrapped and in cube forms), massage bar, and body lotion all have top notes of rich, calming lavender. (I particularly like Lush’s Sleepy scents because they don’t have that artificial, overly sweet lavender scent and are balanced with other subtle, essential oil-esque scents like tonka and chamomile). I really liked the massage bar, which was cut in a grooved pattern that made the bar feel like a tiny massage when rubbed on the skin. The bar itself smells like essential oil lavender and also contains chamomile and magnesium to promote healthy sleep. It left my skin covered in a waxy, oily hydrating sheen. The lavender-scented lotion is made of oat milk and cocoa butter, and infused with essential oils like almond, jojoba, and lavender. Because of the oils, the lotion on skin has a bit of an oily sheen to it, but it feels like a creamy body butter.

Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Extra for $4: Sleepytime Extra tea is a variation of the classic Sleepytime tea, which has been a major household name in commercial teas for more than 50 years. Sleepytime Extra tea is Celestial Seasonings’ classic blend of chamomile and spearmint, with soothing herbs like lemongrass, hawthorn berry, and tilia flower. There’s also added valerian root, which has historically been used as an all-natural supplement to help with insomnia and anxiety (although the claim hasn’t been tested by the FDA). The tea has a pleasant, mild spearmint flavor with a hint of citrus. However, I’m not sure if it really helped me knock out—I think just brewing a nice warm cup of tea automatically makes you feel cozier and sleepier. This didn’t make me immediately drowsy, but it was helpful for relaxation before bed, and just looking at that snoozing bear on the box makes me sleepy.

Emergen-Zzzz Nighttime Sleep Aid for $14: Emergen-Zzzz Nighttime Sleep Aid is the snoozy version of the popular Emergen-C Vitamin C supplement drink. Emergen-Zzzz has melatonin to help promote sleepiness, along with vitamin C and antioxidants like zinc and vitamin D for immune system help. (Melatonin is generally considered safe for pregnant people, but a doctor should be consulted.) You stir the powder into a glass of water and it fizzes until dissolved. The Berry flavor tastes very artificial and wasn’t my favorite. The product says it takes around 30 minutes to become effective and contains 3 milligrams of melatonin. I felt more relaxed and slightly sleepier after taking this, but it wasn’t as powerful as some others on this list. My issue with it is that it didn’t seem to make me stay asleep, as I woke up a few times during the night. However, I think this would help an average person without major sleep issues get to sleep faster.

Olly Sleep Gummy for $20: Olly is a super trendy brand whose gummy supplements consistently go viral on social media like TikTok and sell out fast. These are tasty: blackberry flavored with a hint of mint, and they contain 3 milligrams of melatonin; L-theanine, which eases anxiety and promotes a healthy sleep cycle; and botanicals like chamomile, passionflower, and lemon balm extract. (Melatonin is generally considered safe for pregnant people, but a doctor should be consulted.) The first time I took these gummies, I felt the effects and fell asleep easily. I woke up around 2 am and took two more and eventually got back to bed. The next night, after taking two I didn’t feel the sleepy effects as strongly and doubled the dose to four gummies (6 milligrams) and fell asleep after an hour or so but again woke up in the middle of the night and took more. Every time I took more, I did feel sleepier, so it was effective that way, but with so many people (both on the internet and in my real life) swearing by these Olly sleep gummies, I expected more. For someone who struggles with falling asleep as much as I do, they didn’t keep me asleep as effectively as some of the other products on this list.

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September 15, 2024