The gift of sleep is priceless….so why pay a lot of money for a gift when you can make one with the love in your heart? Show your friends you care by giving them a meaningful gift to help with their sleepless nights.
Here are some free or DIY gift ideas with a wide range for every type of person! Check out our virtual gift ideas, thoughtful gift ideas, and DIY crafts all for a good night’s rest!
The Sleep Gift Breakdown
Virtual & Silly Sleep Gifts
Create a YouTube playlist titled “For When [Friend’s Name] Can’t Sleep” and share it with them.
You can decide whether you want the theme of the playlist to be calming or funny. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Videos that remind you of inside jokes you share with your friend
- Soothing, sleep-inducing music
- Beautiful nature videos that you find calming
- Wholesome clips of cute puppies to cheer your friend up
- Hilarious memes/vines
- Informative videos to satisfy a curious mind
Curate a playlist to make your friend laugh, relax, and eventually help them drift off into dreamland.
Make an audio recording of yourself for your friend to play when they can’t sleep.
You can be as silly or as serious as you’d like with this. They’re tons of free ways to record your voice so pick one and decide on your content (keep in mind that not all recorders will allow for editing). You can record a funny memory, a calming visualization practice, or a guided sleep meditation for your friend. Simply record yourself, save it, and send it to your friend with a description of your gift so they know to play it during sleepless nights.
Photoshop your friend’s face on a Sleepless in Seattle movie poster.
Sleepless in Seattle is a classic romance movie, and what better way to honor your friend’s sleepless nights than a nod to the 1993 box office hit featuring an insomniac heartthrob pining for more?
There’s no lying, this gift idea will take some finessing unless you’re already a photoshop pro. It’s up to you whether you think you’re friend would prefer to be Tom Hanks or Meg Ryan…
Take a look at the different Sleepless in Seattle movie poster styles and let your creativity take charge. This gift could be virtually sent or you could print it out, depending on how proud you are of your work.
Thoughtful Sleep Gifts
Write your friend a “Good Night” Poem.
With some inspiration from Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, you can craft a custom poem for your friend that they’ll love. Like any DIY project, you can be as creative as you’d like–there are no rules. If you like drawing or painting, you can add some imagery to go with the words.
Throw your friend a sleep-themed movie night.
Schedule a movie night as a gift for your friend. Pick a movie where sleep is in the theme or the plot. Check out this list of 6 Critically Acclaimed Movies that Feature Sleep. Unsurprisingly, many of the sleep-themed movies are pretty intense. It’s not likely that this gift will help your friend have a good night’s sleep since they’re likely to have nightmares, BUT it will be a super cool time together, so that should count for something, right? Bonus points if you have snacks.
If you’d like to be able to give your friend a physical gift for this theme, you can always put a handmade “Movie Night Coupon” in an envelope for them to open.
Remember, if you’re friend lives far away, you can still have a long-distance movie night together.
Low-Cost DIY Sleep Gifts
Minimal Cost for Materials, Unless You Already Have What You Need Around the House!
Plant for Your Friend’s Nightstand
Hopefully, you’ve got a plant you can easily propagate with a little bit of soil. For the planter or pot, you can get creative by using an old jar or mug in your house. It would help if you know how much sunlight your friend’s bedroom gets, but if you’re unsure, go with a plant that is hard to kill.
DIY Sleep-Promoting Essential Oil Reed Diffuser
At first glance, this may seem complicated, but there’s a chance you might already have the ingredients laying around. Plus you can even use chopsticks in place of reeds. Use the DIY Reed Diffuser Guide to craft a diffuser. Try to use essential oils for a better night’s sleep for a more relaxing gift for your friend.
DIY Aromatherapy Sleep Spray
This essential oil room spray is very similar to the previous gift idea, the reed diffuser, but in case you don’t have the right ingredients for the reed diffuser, check out this DIY Aromatherapy Sleep Spray. You might find that you’ve got the ingredients on hand!
Easy-to-Make Sugar Scrub
If you have sugar, olive or coconut oil, and essential oils, then you can easily make your friend a sugar scrub to help them have silky smooth skin before bedtime. Incorporating calming essential oils will give them bonus aromatherapy for relaxation that they’ll surely appreciate.
Embroidered Pillowcase
You’ll need to plan this gift idea in advance since it’ll take quite some time to learn; however, if you’re a natural crafter, this might come easy to you! There are so many options for designs like these floral pillowcases or these 15 other ideas.
DIY Heating Pad or Bed Warmer
Heating Pads are perfect for cozying up in bed whether you’re feeling achy or cold. If you’ve got some extra fabric and sewing supplies laying around the house along with rice, you’re ready to make your friend a warm and cuddly gift for bedtime! Make a heating pad in 6 easy steps.
Hand-Crafted Dream Journal
A beautiful dream journal is a gift that doubles as inspiration. There are plenty of reasons to keep track of dreams or write a reflective journal entry at night. Craft a cool dream journal for your friend that they’ll love to keep on their nightstand. The easiest way to do this task is to decorate a regular notebook (if you’ve got one laying around). You can also make a small booklet with string or twine or a hardcover journal.
Giving your friend a gift to help them with their sleepless nights is a great way to show you care. There are plenty of thoughtful ways you can make your friends feel special. Gift giving doesn’t have to be expensive – just thoughtfully creative.