Stuff that actually helps when you're ill.

Essential not just for sleeping, but for sensory dampening — a way to zone out when daytime ward lighting and activity become overwhelming. The contoured cups keep all pressure off the eyes, which matters when someone is lying flat for long stretches.

A hanging wash bag keeps everything off shared surfaces and within reach. It is particularly useful when the trip to the bathroom also involves manoeuvring a drip stand, because the whole kit travels and hangs up in one go.

Ward wifi is patchy and rounds interrupt everything. Puzzles can be picked up and put down instantly, fill ten quiet minutes without much commitment, and work when concentrating on a full book feels impossible.

A four-hour infusion next to a beeping pump is exhausting. Noise cancelling turns a shared bay into something bearable, and doubles as a signal that someone needs a rest from conversation.

Standing wet in a shared bathroom trying to make a small stiff towel go round is nobody's finest hour. A big soft bath sheet from home covers you properly, dries you quickly and is the least glamorous, most appreciated thing in the bag.

After surgery, getting comfortable can mean supporting several sore areas at once. A U-shaped pillow can prop the back, hips, knees and legs without building a precarious nest of separate pillows, and the removable washable cover is useful during recovery.