How to Get Quality Sleep

With all the uncertainty and anxiety pervading our world right now, it’s no surprise that a good night’s sleep is more important than ever. Fortunately, there’s a slew of gadgets, applications and services that can help enhance the quality of our shut-eye. Below, we round up six ways to get a great night’s rest. 

Invest in a Sleep Aid Device

The Dodow device is said to train your brain to go to sleep. Shaped like a disc, the metronome shines a blue ring of light onto the ceiling that shrinks and expands repeatedly. By matching your breathing to the speed of the pulses, you’ll encourage your heart rate to slow down and your body to move towards the alpha state – the first step on the way to slumber. Someone who normally takes 60 minutes to fall asleep will purportedly take no more than 25 minutes to do so using the Dodow, gaining about 100 more hours of sleep per year.

Try a Story-telling or Mindful Meditation App

If you’ve counted hundreds of sheep but still can’t get to sleep, consider downloading a storytelling or meditation app. There are numerous options available, including Slumber and Calm, which can be found on the Apple and Google Play stores. Both Slumber and Calm offer a combination of soothing sounds (think ocean waves, falling rain and rustling leaves), bedtime stories and meditation recordings to help you relax and drift off to sleep. With the Calm app, bedtime stories are often narrated by celebrities including Matthew McConaughey, Kelly Rowland and Harry Styles.

Take a Cat Nap

There’s a saying in Chinese that goes “zhongwu bu shui, xiawu bengkui”, meaning that not napping at noon will lead to collapsing in the afternoon. A noontime nap is believed to be beneficial for productivity: in China, it’s not unusual to walk into schools and offices at midday to see lights dimmed and people snoozing at their desks. The rest of the world is now waking up to the benefits of cat napping. In Japan, companies such as social media app developer Gaiax and consumer goods giant Nestle have opened lounges specifically designed for employees to take company-sanctioned midday naps. In Singapore, you’ll find this practice at Shopee.

Book a Sleep-Inducing Massage

In Tokyo, stressed-out workers flock to massage parlour Goku no Kimochi for its heavenly Sleep Ride treatment. Therapists here are trained to massage the layers of connective tissues on your scalp to stimulate the production of the feel-good hormone, dopamine. The technique is supposedly so effective that clients fall asleep in less than 10 minutes. In Singapore, you can try the Deep Sleep Dry Head massage at Moomin, which is said to help relieve anxiety and insomnia.

Say Goodnight with a Weighted Blanket

Weighted blankets are based on the concept of deep-touch pressure therapy and are designed to provide users with a sense of comfort and security. The weight purportedly stops you tossing and turning and helps you relax. Gravity Blankets led the way in 2017 with its quilted version, available in three different weights. Today, plenty more options abound, such as the Bearaby Napper (which looks more like a hand-knitted throw) and the LUNA organic weighted blanket. 

Sleep Well When You Stay with Frasers Hospitality

You’ll have plenty of help getting a good night’s sleep if you’re staying with us at Frasers Hospitality. All our residences feature beds that boast mattresses with pocketed coils and body contouring foam for a more comfortable, supportive sleep. At selected properties, you’ll also get to take your pick from at least five pillow options. These include a Swedish memory pillow that responds to temperature and keeps you cool; a hypoallergenic version that keeps allergy symptoms at bay; and a candy-cane-shaped upper body pillow, recommended for side sleepers. All our properties also use goose or duck down feathers in their pillows and duvets (no synthetics). Inquire at your favourite Frasers Hospitality locations worldwide. In addition, if you happen to be staying at a Fraser Suites property, make sure to avail of The Retreat to sneak in a well-timed cat nap. Exclusive to Fraser Suites, The Retreat is fitted out with body massage chairs and foot massage devices, making it a great place to relax and unwind. Still struggling to get some quality shut-eye? Sleep expert Kathryn Pinkham shares easy tips to fall asleep faster.


Adapted from Fraser Cachet Issue #36 © Frasers Hospitality and SPH Magazines. Updated in December 2022.