I spent months testing insomnia cures – then grieving for a pet made sleep impossible

<p>What sleep aids can’t fix; eco-friendly period products; and LED face masks, tested</p><p>• <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/info/2024/oct/10/sign-up-for-the-filter-newsletter-our-free-weekly-buying-advice"><strong>Don’t get the Filter delivered to your inbox? Sign up here</strong></a></p><p>You’d think that after a summer spent testing <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2025/sep/17/sleep-remedies-aids-tested">the greatest insomnia cures known to science and TikTok</a>, I’d be sleeping like a Calpol-stuffed baby. Well, for weeks, I wasn’t. I half-dozed by night and dragged myself through each day; slow, unsmiling and stripped entirely of mojo. Because just as I’d packed away the sleep aids, my cat, Iggy, died.</p><p>You’ve met Iggy. He was that hopelessly beautiful creature who served as muse, home office manager and testing director for every Filter article I’ve ever written, chiefly the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2025/feb/06/best-mattress">mattress reviews</a>. The <a href="https://go.skimresources.com/?id=114047X1572903&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fthefilter%2F2025%2Fmay%2F11%2Fikea-valevag-mattress-review-uk&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fthefilter%2F2025%2Fsep%2F18%2Fi-spent-months-testing-insomnia-cures">Ikea Valevåg</a> triumphed in his claw-sharpening test, but the <a href="https://go.skimresources.com/?id=114047X1572903&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fthefilter%2F2025%2Fmay%2F27%2Forigin-hybrid-pro-mattress-review&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fthefilter%2F2025%2Fsep%2F18%2Fi-spent-months-testing-insomnia-cures">Origin Hybrid Pro</a> was his favourite for sleeping, especially when it was propped up in the hallway awaiting collection by the appropriately named har