Psst! I Think I Just Stumbled Upon a Genius Sleep Solution ...

https://s.yimg.com/os/en-US/blogs/partner/sleep-main_Full.jpg
https://s.yimg.com/os/en-US/blogs/partner/sleep-main_Full.jpg

Calling all insomniacs, light sleepers, and tossers and turners! I have the strangest, and potentially most helpful, little sleep-better tip for you--and you can try it (for free) tonight!

Did you guys see the super-fun collaboration between Glamour's editor in chief Cindi Leivi and Arianna Huffington, of the Huffington Post? I'm eager to read their posts here on Vitamin G in the coming month. I think we're all going to learn some fascinating things about healthy sleep. Stay tuned!

So, before I get to my own little sleep tip, first, some back-story: I've shared a little about my sleep issues here before. In short, I have two little boys (1 and 3) who love to wake up at night (you know, nightmares, hugs, milk, etc.) and a husband who snores--bless all of their hearts. The result? A very sleepy me.

The problem really isn't all the night-wakings (well, one could argue that this is a problem), but rather my inability to fall back asleep after the night wakings. I sometimes find myself laying in bed for 30 minutes to an hour after tucking in one of my kids, unable to fall asleep, listening to the rain on my roof (I live in Seattle--need I say more?) and the sound of my husband snoring:

But, a funny thing happened: Over the holidays when things got really, really busy (deadlines, gift buying, kids birthdays), the laundry got backed up, as laundry tends to do. I swear, it breeds. And, suddenly I had a few piles of unfolded laundry on my bed, and and at midnight, I was too tired to fold it (apparently my snoozing hubby was too). So you know what? I just went to bed--with heavy piles of clean laundry piled high on top of my duvet cover.

Check out the strange, strange sleep habits of the stars ...

Guess what? Tucked in with my laundry (which was, at first, tough for me--I'm a bit of neat freak/perfectionist), I felt so comfortable and got drowsy fast, and after getting up that night for the kids, I slipped back into bed and, again, dozed off in an instant.

Am I telling you that clean laundry has voodoo powers? No. But, after doing a little research on this strange phenomenon, I learned that there could be something to the idea of having a feeling of (light) weight on top of you while you're sleeping. Some experts believe it may release a hormone--serotonin--that helps you feel sleepy/sedated.

You can even buy weighted blankets, I found, (apparently they are even thought to help kids and adults with autism and autism spectrum disorders), made by product manufacturers who promise they will give you a better night's sleep. You could also make your own--here's a how-to--or just, um, use your laundry.

Could this be sleeping genius?

Tell me, have you ever tried this/found this to be true?

MORE FROM GLAMOUR: