In our continuing quest for achieving better sleep, we happened upon the Klova sleep patches. They offer two packs of four sleeping patches as a trial for the price of shipping. The patches can be worn anywhere on the body and are packed with sleep-friendly ingredients, including hops, valerian, l-theanine, and melatonin. The patch is designed to release these nutrients while you sleep, up to eight hours.Two Zeel team members, Tessa and Flo, decided to try the patch for four nights and log their experience.
Tessa’s sleep journal
I’m a stimulant addict — 300-400mg of caffeine per day, a daily dose of ADHD medication, and usually a 3 pm sugar fix. I need the energy — my work requires intense focus for long periods of time, and I have a rigid workout schedule: 50 minutes of cardio and 30-45 minutes of weight training, six days a week. Falling asleep doesn’t come easily to me. Usually, I’ll go to bed around 11 pm but won’t fall asleep until 1:30 am – 2:00 am.
Patch 1 (Monday)
After a hectic 13-hour Monday, I sat down on the couch armed with Goldfish crackers and a tub of Snickers ice cream and slapped a patch onto my foot. The cynic in me didn’t expect much. I went on with my evening. Plot twist: I drifted off to 90s television around 10:30 pm and woke up three hours later with a melting tub of ice cream on my lap. “Was the sleep patch magic,” I thought to myself, “or was it the sugar crash?”. I definitely felt a little woozy, but I went right back to bed. Despite my chronic back pain waking me up once or twice, I woke up feeling somewhat fresh.
Patch 2 (Tuesday)
A typical Tuesday – 10-hour work day and two hours of exercise, ending as usual: back on the couch armed with snacks. Another day, another mix of sweet and salty carbohydrate-rich foods my parents would never allow in the house growing up. I put the sleep patch on around 10 pm. This time, I made it through at least five episodes of The Office… or however many it takes before Netflix displays the dreaded “Are you still watching this?” text on your screen.
Three hours later, I was still wide awake. I went to bed and tossed and turned for a while. The next morning I woke up with less energy, and not feeling refreshed.
Patch 3 (Thursday)
I was determined to have one day in this sleep journal that didn’t depict me as a sugar-addicted couch potato, so when I came home on Thursday evening I only ate fruits and maybe a handful of crackers. #Fitgoals. I also worked out after work instead of doing it at 7 am, so I had slightly more energy upon hitting the couch.
I put the patch on around 11 pm, fell asleep by midnight, and woke up feeling a little tired. I woke up several times during the night, but it was due to back pain, rather than restlessness.
Patch 4 (Friday)
Let me tell you, there’s no better combination than a belly full of Spanish tapas and a sleep patch. Hard to say whether my peaceful slumber was attributed to the sangria, the cheese-covered filet mignon, or the sleep patch. Perhaps, I discovered the magical sleep trifecta… because on Saturday morning, after 10 hours of blissful sleep, I woke up feeling like a brand new woman.
Conclusion
The patch produced the most significant effects the first night. It didn’t hurt my sleep quality and might have helped it a little. But given my crazy night-time snack and drink rituals, it’s hard to be sure. I would certainly try the sleep patches again for a longer period of time, perhaps coupled with a better pre-bedtime routine.
Flo’s sleep journal
I was very excited to try out the sleep patch. I’m lucky to have a fairly regular sleep schedule — I fall asleep around the same time every night and can usually guarantee 7-8 hours of sleep on a regular basis. My problem is that I always wake up exhausted, even on the weekends when I’m allowed the luxury of sleeping in. I’m hoping that the patches will help to improve the overall quality of my sleep.
Patch 1
I applied the patch to my forearm immediately before bed and hoped for the best. I fell asleep relatively quickly and woke up to my alarm about seven hours later. Upon sitting up, I found myself very nauseous and dizzy, as if I didn’t get enough sleep. This feeling lasted through the morning and finally dissipated around lunchtime.
Patch 2
Alarmed by my reaction to Patch #1, I took a closer look at the instructions on the box. I realized that it advised you to apply the patch 1-2 hours before bedtime. I followed this to a T and applied the patch to my upper back two hours before bedtime. I woke up the next morning without any nausea (yay!), but I still felt exhausted. Frustrating to say the least.
Patch 3
Safe to say I was not excited to try the patch after the first two nights, but I was still slightly curious to see whether my experience would improve with time. I applied the patch to my abdomen two hours before bedtime and fell asleep normally. I woke up about 7 hours later and felt fine. No more or less rested than usual.
Patch 4
I applied the final patch to my leg about an hour before heading to bed. The next day was Saturday, so I was excited about the prospect of sleeping in. I fell asleep around 10 pm and woke up the next morning, once around 6:30 am and again around 8:30 am. I logged about 10 hours of sleep and felt (as you’d guess) fantastic.
Summary
My experience seemed to improve over time, which makes sense, as the patch is meant to be an addition to your regular routine. Since I am someone with a fairly regular sleep pattern, I’m not sure this product was for me, but it was fun to try it anyway!
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