Technology can often be our biggest antagonist when it comes to getting a good better sleep. Doctors and sleep scientists recommend completely avoiding screens before bedtime and say you should sleep in a room without a television and preferably far away from your phone.
But there are gadgets out there which won’t simply be another time-suck that take up all your snoozing time. Getting those eight recommended hours can often be a battle and it’s important to arm yourself with the right artillery.
Normally this would involve buying a new mattress, high-quality bed sheets, and an orthopaedic pillow, but technology could also come to the rescue in this situation. So let’s take a look at five gadgets that will help you sleep better and easier.
1. Lark in the Dark Sleep Monitor
In the same way a personal trainer helps you in the gym and a nutritionist will aid you in the kitchen, an electronic sleep monitor can be your best friend and coach when bed time comes. Lark in the Dark takes the smart band approach to improving your sleep by tracking your nightly movements before waking you up with a gentle vibration that’s not as harsh as your regular phone alarm.
Meanwhile, an accompanying app gives you a breakdown of your sleep habits, including the quality of your sleep and how many times you woke up, before prescribing a sleep routine devised to help you get the best night’s rest possible. And like your fitness and nutrition, your sleep is one of the most important aspects of your overall health.
Source: Amazon
2. iPhone
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Yes, your phone is often your worst enemy when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep. Whether you’re texting, checking Facebook, scrolling through Twitter, watching YouTube, playing Candy Crush, penning emails, going down a Wikipedia click-hole, or the thousands of other self-imposed tasks we place at our fingertips, we just can’t seem to pull ourselves away from our phone screens and switch off for the night. But there are ways to turn the tables on your phone and turn it into a powerful sleep aid.
For starters, if your phone has a dimming function, you really should start taking advantage. Scientists have found that the hypnotic blue glow of our phones is a massive contributor to diminished sleep. You may also be unaware of the dozens of apps available to help you get a good night’s rest, such as Sleep Cycle and Sleep Genius, which improve your sleep and help you wake up at your most rested sleep phase.
3. LectroFan High Fidelity White Noise Machine
Source: Amazon
Like using your phone, creating noise at night seems somewhat counterintuitive to the whole sleep thing we’re trying to get going, but not only do many people report being unable to sleep without some sort of background noise, certain kinds of sounds and tones can actually be incredibly beneficial in promoting relaxation and restfulness.
You already be familiar with the classic white or pink noise machine, but things have advanced pretty far since a white noise option was first added to your clock radio. Modern noise machines, like our personal choice, the LectroFan High Fidelity White Noise Machine, not only go beyond a simple mesh of frequencies to block out other sounds, they can do everything from playing sleep-inducing hums to sub-bass tones, which target the sleep centres of the brain.
4. Aura Sleep System
Source: Amazon
One step above the apps and noise machines, is an electronic sleep system, such as the Aura or Beddi. These systems create the perfect environment for sleep inside your bedroom, collecting data about your surrounds, such as noise and light levels, and adjusting itself accordingly.
Notable features include special coloured lights, which promote the production of the important sleep hormone melatonin, sleep-inducing frequencies which mimic your natural circadian rhythms, and a series of monitors which work together to create a complete personal sleep profile, helping you better understand how and when you sleep and helping the system better improve those conditions.
5. Definity Digital Good Night
Source: http://ledt8bulb.com/lighting-science-good-night-led-a-lamp-definity-digital-bulb.html
When you were a kid, you may have had a night light to help you sleep. Well, just because you’re all grown up doesn’t mean you can’t still do the same, it just won’t be shaped like a Looney Tunes or Disney character. Of course, you can still do this if you feel you need to. After all, everybody sleeps differently.
We’ve established that light is bad for sleep, but it’s certain kinds of light that prevent you from getting proper rest. Special LED light bulbs like the Definity Digital Good Night, which was originally developed for NASA astronauts on the International Space Station and releases half the harmful blue light of traditional bulbs, don’t impede your body’s natural production of melatonin
