Like about 60 million other Americans, I am sometimes prone to insomnia, which may have to do with my affection for caffeine, overall stressiness, and/or the fact that my cat is a big jerk who always wants to hang out and talk a lot at 4 a.m. To minimize my time spent staring at the ceiling for hours on end, I sleep with a lavender-stuffed teddy bear. You stick him in the microwave to warm him up, and the herbs inside (rosebud and hyssop and rosemary and so on, in addition to the lovely lavender) release their calming scent and gently help you drift off to dreamland. The whole nuking-the-teddy-bear ritual always feels a bit odd, but it works and generally keeps me from having to wake up at some dreadful hour and invariably end up contemplating the meaning of life (ick).

So many ThisNexters have their own inventive sleep solutions, a few of which are even more high-tech than my teddy bear. Like the Sleeptracker recommended by Jean and Ivar Zantinge: Worn like a watch, the device picks up on physical signals from your body, determines your best possible waking time, and then rouses you from sleep at just the right moment. And, having owned Select Comfort beds for two decades, Eric Hammond “can’t imagine going back to the other kind” (“No more sagging in the middle as the bed gets older and my wife and I each have our own ‘sleep number’ to adjust our sides of the bed to different firmness levels,” says Eric of his Select Comfort Air Bed).

...continued: Sweet dreams

Coolbuzz always has the most … um … amazing? products. Things you would never have imagined anyone would actually make, and yet here they are, waiting for you. Like a human-powered LED nose ring, or an inflatable movie screen, or a Click-and-Blink pocket eyelash curler (stop laughing, I’m serious). And they never forget the children, either. Consider this automatic crib rocker, a remote-controlled rocking system gently that creates motion automatically in a “harmonic rhythm to naturally soothe and settle babies to sleep.” It can even recreate the rocking motions of a mother’s womb, a mother’s heartbeat, a drive in the car or a boat on the water. Did I say amazing? I think I did

Since my shoulders have been chronically tense since I was about eight-years-old (seriously), I finally decided it was time to start getting regular massages. Those bimonthly trips to my chiropractor have worked wonders thus far, completely relieving the wrist pain I feared might be carpal tunnel. But - as evidenced by a bunch of shopcasts popping up on ThisNext - a solid massage can happen at home, too. All that’s required is a little know-how and the right products - and, of course, a very loving someone who’s willing to help you knead away all your tension and troubles. Just remember the value of reciprocation - or at least an I.O.U.

...continued: ThisNext's got all you knead

ClassyMommy offers a variety of very cool pics for the thoughtful parent, from the highly practical to the just plain cute. The “Bear Light” teddy bear/night light is just one example. “My daughter Mackenzie would love this,” ClassyMommy says, “especially if we remember to bring it on overnight trips when there is no night light in her bedroom.” Its removable silicone belly emits a soft glow of its own, even while the bear itself stays soft and squeezable. “An ideal companion on those late night trips to the bathroom,” Classy says.

Looking to lose weight? Spend more time in the sack.

OK, so it’s not that simple - but Connie Bennett at SUGAR SHOCK! Blog has just discovered a new study finding that women who sleep five or fewer hours a night may be a third more likely to gain weight than those who get adequate sleep.

We’re off to catch some ZZZs now…

One of my most cherished discoveries of the last few years: memory foam, which makes me feel as though I’m sleeping on a soft-but-supportive, wonderfully squishy cloud of perfection every night. So I’m slightly envious of Christine Miserandino at But You Don’t Look Sick? for her latest find: the Fibro-Pedic Memory Foam Mattress. Developed by a chiropractor, the mattress helps take the pressure off certain muscle points and supports the joints. And although those design features were created specifically for people who suffer from fibromyalgia (such as Christine herself), I’m convinced the product would be a dream for anyone fortunate enough to sink into the super-sweet foam.

Like ThisNext, Merlin Mann’s blog 43 Folders is all about “simple ways to make your life a little better.” That sometimes entails some seriously sound health and wellness advice, such as Merlin’s post about 12 ways to better sleep. We’re curious about trying out the post’s recommended “sleep restriction therapy” (reducing the amount of time you allow yourself to sleep until you fall asleep easily) and the practice of scheduling “worry time” during the day so that you can let go when it’s time to sleep.

But some of the most intriguing advice comes from the post’s 70-plus comments: one responder suggests counting backwards from 100 and spelling out the numbers; another likes to sip Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea; and one of our personal favorites talks about visualizing yourself as a stick of butter, melting in the sun. Just goes to show you how much good stuff one little post can generate - especially when it’s geared toward the many sleep-derived souls roaming the blogosphere.