Robin Zhao, Founder of Luna
Before founding Luna, I had a high-stress role at a hedge fund in New York City, and I was crossing my threshold of healthy pressure. The immense stress started robbing me of precious hours of sleep, and I found it challenging to relax and disconnect from work. While meditation and white noise machines provided some relief, I knew my body was craving real rest.
Shortly after I recognized my needs, I became consumed with researching sleep science and discovered Deep Pressure Touch, a therapy concept that claims gentle pressure on the body decreases anxiety. That’s when I invested in my first weighted blanket and immediately began experiencing serious improvements to my sleep. However, as a millennial, it was a huge investment – and I noticed the absence of affordable options in the market. Knowing that over a third of American adults do not get enough sleep, I saw an opportunity to create a weighted blanket brand that was accessible to those who shared a similar lifestyle to mine.
However, there are so many other ways to manage stress levels and get a restful night’s sleep. Here is my can’t-miss routine that I’ve developed over the years as I transitioned from hedge fund manager to founder of a rapidly-growing start-up.
1. Don’t eat dinner too close to bedtime. A meal communicates to your body that it’s time to wake up, so consuming a meal too late can spike your energy, not decrease it. Leave at least two hours between a meal and sleep.
2. Engage in low-tech activities in bed. The bright lights and over-stimulation of screen time has the opposite effect and will only keep you awake for longer. Reading a book before bed is a routine that can trigger sleepiness.
3. Take deep breaths through your nose. Slowing the cadence of your breathing can effectively calm the mind. I take 10 deep breaths using the box breathing technique.
4.Use a weighted blanket. The evenly-distributed weight releases serotonin (the happy hormone), increases melatonin (the sleep hormone), and reduces cortisol (the stress hormone). Its pressure quiets your thoughts to provide the deep sleep your body craves. The blanket’s weight should be about 10% of your body weight, so for single sleepers, the 15 – 20 lb weight is perfect. Anything more than that is great for couples.
Luna’s mission is to provide high-quality slumber through our premium weighted blankets. Enjoy an automatic 20% off on lunablanket.com when you click HERE or use code 20SLEEP at checkout.*
*Luna blankets are OEKO-TEX 100-Certified, meaning naturally-dyed and free of harmful
chemicals. The evenly distributed weight releases serotonin (the happy hormone), increases
melatonin (the sleep hormone), and reduces cortisol (the stress hormone). Its pressure quiets
your thoughts to provide the deep sleep your body craves. The blanket’s weight should be about
10% of your body weight, so for single sleepers, the 15 – 20 lb weight is perfect. Anything more
than that is great for couples.
