9 bedtime essentials a sleep doctor uses to wind down

“My nighttime skincare is way more important than my daytime. I think that's very common for people,” Tahir says. “First, I wash my face with the Lipikar Wash AP+ Moisturizing Body and Face Wash.” 

It’s designed for ultra-dry skin, so your skin will stay moisturized while you sleep for up to 24 hours.

P.S. “It’s great for those suffering with eczema,” Tahir says. She pairs it with La Roche-Posay’s Lipikar Eczema Cream, which helps relieve itching and hydrates for up to 48 hours.

“Next, I use the Paula’s Choice exfoliating toner, which I really, really love,” she says. “I've tried all of them, and I swear this is the only one that truly does work with pore minimization and irritation.”

“After that, I use [SkinCeutrical’s] P-TIOX SkinCeuticals serum, a peptide serum, which is a game changer,” Tahir says. “I actually cut down the majority of how much I inject into my face and the products I use at night after using the P-TIOX. I absolutely love it.”

According to the brand, it’s proven to reduce the appearance of nine types of expression lines and leave skin looking radiant.

“I was recently introduced to Stripes, which I'm loving right now,” she says. “Stripes has a really, really good Dew As I Do face cream. It’s unbelievable. It’s hydrating. It’s refreshing.

“What’s interesting about it is it has a scent, and I have asthma and allergies, and I can't really do a lot of scents at night, but this one does not irritate me. We are in prime time asthma allergy season, and this does not bother me. I usually have to use no-scent things, but I'm a girl, and sometimes I just want to smell good.

“After that, occasionally, a couple times a week, I'll do a castor oil over it. I usually use just a generic castor oil, but that kind of helps seal the moisture in. I tend to use that more in the winter when my skin is a little bit dry.”

“This has been my holy grail night cream for two years now,” Tahir says. 

The best part? It’s made for all skin types, including sensitive skin, so you can help restore healthy-looking skin after a day that asked for a little too much of it.

“Stripes also has this really good body oil that I absolutely love,” says Tahir. “It’s called the Full Monty, and it has a scent. I like that I can finally wear one that doesn’t irritate me.” 

The oil has ultra-hydrating ingredients like squalane (Stripes’ plant-based powerhouse), vitamin C, and Kakadu plum oil that help moisturize and nourish skin, making it a luxe and nourishing treat before bed.

“We know the ideal bedroom temperature is about 67 to 69 degrees, and that's not just about adjusting the thermostat. It's what's up against your skin,” Tahir says.  

“The bed sheets I've been using for the past few years are cotton sheets from Boll & Branch. My husband and I love these sheets.

“Because I have asthma and allergies, I need very breathable, organic, simple, no blended fabric materials because those flare all of my asthma, and then I'm up all night, unable to breathe. They're really good for my breathing because they’re organic, 100% cotton.

“I found that so many materials are blended now. For people who are very sensitive to materials, you really need to find a pure fabric for the most part.” 

Plus, “they’re thin, so you're not overheating and sweating at night, which is a common cause of sleep disruption,” Tahir says. 

“And they come in nice, neutral colors; they're very simple. I like a very clean palette when I'm going into my room at the end of the day. I have alarms in the ICU, kids at home. You're just always on the go, so I like a clean, quiet, calm palette at night.”

“My brain really associates sleep time with that environment that I create at home,” Tahir says.  “The sheets are already the way I want them to be, the lights are dim, and I usually have a candle lit in the background.

“I'm a big candle person, and they do not irritate me. I love them. I feel like my psyche just needs them to really relax, and I've been known to burn candles all day safely. I always said if I didn't have two little kids, I would just have candles all over the house.”

For Tahir, the perfect candle has to pass two tests: set a calming mood and not pick a fight with her asthma or allergies.

“I love the Nest ones — the grapefruit one specifically. It's very refreshing. Again, it doesn't irritate my airways, my asthma, or my allergies.

“I also really like the Le Labo Santal 26. That one's a really luxurious one that is just another nice scent that I can tolerate, which, for decades, has been a struggle for me.”

“My wind-down activity now, instead of reading, usually what I'm doing is preparing a list for the next day,” Tahir says. “We all have so many things to do the next day in this era of hyperstimulation and constantly seeing things that you need to do, busy schedules, and trying to do it all. I've now resorted to making lists for the activities and tasks, and things I want to get done the next day, and I do that every single night.

“So, I get my notebook out, and that has become one of my favorite activities at the end of the day, organizing my next day. And sometimes when I'm writing that list, I have the list from the night prior on the page before, and it's kind of nice to see how much was done and how much wasn’t. 

Plus, it’s one of few things these days that doesn’t involve a screen, the pre-bed use of which is linked to poor sleep quality and insomnia. 

“Call me old-fashioned, but I don't use a computer to type my list out. I don't pull out the notes page on my phone,” Tahir says. “Screens, after a full day of being constantly stimulated by them, almost feel like they're yelling at me at the end of the day,” For the past over a year now, I’ve had my Moleskine notebook. I go through multiple of those a year, and it's basic pen to paper. I have control over pen and paper. I'm controlling what's happening. I'm organizing it. It's a way for me to control the chaos for the next day.

“[Moleskines] fit really nicely into my purses as well as my work bag. And they don't get messed up. The cover is bearable to my rough use, you know? I love them. They come in all different sizes. I have a few diff