The Products Helping Me Restore My Joy & Health at Summer’s End as a Woman in My 40s

At this time of year, I tend to go outside more — grasping onto those last beach days and enjoying cooler nights. I also invite my friends over to my roof deck for drinks (probably nonalcoholic cocktails). It’s been decades since we could all last sit cross-legged on each other’s dorm room floors, so I need some more folding chairs like these from KingCamp, with extra lumbar support and padding. They’re not too close to the ground, so we can get back up again.

I’m not putting away my summer beach reads just yet, especially now that I’ve discovered the beauty of reading sunglasses. My husband always wears his sunglasses over his reading glasses, but I am too vain for such shenanigans. Peepers makes several very cool styles like this, and you can choose between using the whole lens as readers or just the lower half (if I call those bifocals, my decrepit bones will turn to dust and I will fly away with the wind).

I don’t know a topic my friends and I discuss more than insomnia these days. We’re constantly swapping tips with each other. When my doctor recommended I try magnesium glycinate, I couldn’t wait to tell everyone how well it has worked. I wake up less in the middle of the night, and if I do, I fall right back asleep, like I used to in my thirties!

If it’s not my hormones, aching bones, or racing thoughts keeping me awake, it’s my husband’s snoring. Recently, I made the very mature decision to stop jabbing him with my elbow in the middle of the night and instead buy a pair of these very cute earplugs. (I already own the Experience earplugs, which let me enjoy loud concerts as an old lady.) These are really comfortable, and because they include a range of ear tip sizes, they stay in while I sleep. Now both of us can sleep through the night.

Hatch just gave me this brand-new product to test, and I’m optimistic about how it will help me sleep. I already enjoy the gentle way it helps me wind down with meditation and music, then wakes me up with a gradually brightening light, mimicking the dawn. Those features are also available in the Hatch Restore 3. What’s new with this clock is that it tracks my sleep without me needing to wear anything special. Instead, the clock itself senses my movement and breathing to tell me when it’s time for bed, to wake up, and about my sleep cycles. (Also very cool: I can tell it that my dog and husband share the bed with me, so it won’t mix up my movement with theirs.) Rather than making me worry about an arbitrary sleep score, it helps me compare my habits to my goals and suggests new bedtime routines based on my patterns.

So, I don’t think I snore, exactly, but I do know that I sometimes have trouble breathing at night, when dust or seasonal allergies block my nasal passages. I was just introduced to this amazing little gadget last month, and I’m in love. My first inhale while wearing it was so deep that I felt a little lightheaded. The device comes with little reusable magnet pads that you stick on the outside of your nose (not inside, as I’d feared). When you click on the black strip, it pulls those magnets out just a little bit, but enough to make your nasal passages feel wide open and clear. You can also wear these while exercising, and many professional athletes have started endorsing them. I’m looking forward to trying that next, if I can get over how silly it looks.

On my last big vacation, I wore flimsy shoes, took 20,000 steps a day, and gave myself a wicked case of plantar fasciitis. The idea of a summer in hefty arch-supporting sneakers made me sad. I’d be missing out on all the cute, strappy sandals and sporty ballet flats! Then I found Archies Arch Support Slides. They live up to their name and hug my arches almost as much as my doctor-prescribed orthotics, and they have a bit of a lift in the heel, which is also a recommended feature for anyone suffering from plantar fasciitis.

The special foam they’re made of gradually molds to your feet for extra comfort. It also makes them very lightweight, so they’ll be easy to pack for my next trip to anywhere with a beach, pool, or warm weather. Meanwhile, they look cute as heck! I’m loving the bright red pair I bought (which are currently sold out), and I’m eyeing a second pair, maybe in peach or trendy brown, to be my indoor slippers.

It’s still too early to report on whether it’s actually helping ease my plantar fasciitis, but I do like the comforting warmth it provides in the meantime. It also forces me to lie down and relax for 20-minute stretches. For travel or moving around the house, there’s an adapter that lets you plug the device into a rechargeable battery pack.

Sure, I look for the running shoes that will make me feel faster and lighter on my feet, the way I always have. In middle age, however, I have added stability to the top of my criteria. After a catastrophic knee injury, I’m afraid of falling, twisting an ankle, or even just moving in a way that will cause pain. I tested these Diadora sneakers earlier this year, and they absolutely live up to the brand’s promise that the sole will “reduce gait asymmetry and enhance overall balance.” I feel confident in every step. My podiatrist (of course, in middle age, we say things like “my podiatrist”) just gave these sneakers his seal of approval, too. Now that the weather is warmer, I also like that the mesh upper keeps my feet cool.

Injury prevention can only go so far, and eventually, I will wind up with a throbbing muscle or joint pain. Apparently, simply walking too much on vacation is enough to make both of my overdramatic ankles act like I pulled a Kerri Strug (and if you get that reference, you are also in your perimenopause years!). While rest, ice, compression, and elevation are the first prescription for this type of injury, I don’t always have time to sit still. These flexible ice packs have an adjustable strap that lets me walk around the house while still getting that sweet, sweet pain relief. You can microwave the very same pack for soothing heat on those muscles later.