Sleep is one of those things that is important to your health, but it’s so easy to neglect. It’s not just about how many hours you sleep, but also the quality of sleep you get. If you wake up feeling exhausted and groggy every morning, you may need a little extra help getting a good night’s rest.
Fortunately, there are gadgets on the market, from smart alarm clocks to white noise machines, which can help deepen your slumber and let you wake up feeling more rejuvenated. Let’s look at some of the most popular gadgets that fight insomnia and help you get a better night’s sleep.
Smart Night-Lights
When the sun goes down and you’re trying to fall asleep, smart night-lights come in handy. The two most useful features of a night-light are its simplicity and subtlety, both of which are features of smart night-lights.
Once set up, smart night-lights create a gentle glow that’s not too bright or harsh. You can even set them to turn on at a certain time of night or when a certain event occurs (like when you come home from work). And you can turn it off with ease through an iOS or Android smartphone app. If anyone ever gave you advice on how to improve sleep quality, they mentioned how natural light regulates your circadian rhythms and sleep cycle. Smart night-lights help you do that.
Sleep-inducing night-lights use LED technology to emit a range of soft hues that help your body wind down for bedtime. Some are also equipped with varying color options, as well as other functions such as music and aromatherapy. You can set the light to gradually fade over 15 minutes to an hour, so your body gradually unwinds, and you drift off to sleep easier.
Smart Thermostats
If you find yourself tossing and turning at night, you’ve probably tried the obvious things–changing pillows, using different sheets, wearing a sleep mask, or dropping the temperature of your bedroom. But what if these things don’t work and you still struggle to fall asleep?
Maybe you need to change how you regulate the temperature in your bedroom. Lowering the temperature in your bedroom during nighttime hours can make a significant difference in how rested you feel during the day. The ideal sleeping temperature for most people is between 60-67 degrees Fahrenheit (15-19 degrees Celsius). Lowering your thermostat’s setting will help you achieve these optimal sleeping temperatures by providing an inviting environment for falling asleep fast and staying asleep longer throughout the night.
How can a smart thermostat help? Many smart thermostats are hooked up to an app you download on your phone. Using the app, you can schedule a temperature change from anywhere. So, you can cool down your bedroom well before bedtime to ensure you have a comfortable sleeping environment. A good place to start is by setting the thermostat to 65 degrees F at bedtime.
White Noise Machines
If you have trouble sleeping through the night, you might be a victim of the “cocktail party” effect: when your brain tries to focus on one specific stimulus, but it gets bombarded with all sorts of surrounding distractions. The solution is white noise, which helps drown out other sounds that could keep you up at night.
What separates white noise from random background and environmental sounds is that it’s more constant. It covers the whole audio spectrum evenly, instead of just emphasizing frequencies, which helps relax and calm your nervous system.
White noise machines vary in size and shape, so check what’s available before deciding what could work best for you. What matters most is that the machine has a selection with high-quality audio output (low distortion), as well as various tones and levels to choose from. There’s no universal “best” setting for everyone when it comes to white noise, so do some experimenting.
Acupressure Bracelets
Acupressure bracelets are based on the principles of acupressure, which claims to treat a wide range of ailments with the stimulation of pressure points on the body. It’s an ancient healing art that traces its origins back to China, India, and Japan. Reflexology is a similar practice that targets organs inside the body by massaging areas on the feet that correspond to those organs.
In theory, if you wear an acupressure bracelet while you sleep, it can help alleviate common sleep problems, such as insomnia, snoring, and restless leg syndrome. The beads are supposed to stimulate pressure points on your wrist (including one located near your thumb) as you rest peacefully.
But keep this in mind. There’s no conclusive scientific evidence that these devices do anything for slumber other than look pretty. Plus, some people worry that wearing a bracelet or jewelry during sleep could restrict movement in emergency situations or accidents. However, these concerns seem unfounded in this case, as most bracelets are designed with a memory-wire clasp that is easy to remove in an emergency.
Acupressure bracelets are inexpensive (usually between $10-20), so it certainly doesn’t hurt to try them out for yourself before deciding whether it works for you.
Sleep Masks
Sleep masks cover your eyes and block light from disturbing your sleep. It’s hard to block out all sources of light from a bedroom. A sleep mask at least blocks that light from entering your eyes. Sleep masks are also ideal for travel because you can use them for napping on long flights and trains, and for taking a nap in your hotel room. They’ll give you an extra boost of restfulness on your journey so that you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to start your day.
The Bottom Line
Sleep is critical to your health and well-being and the worst approach is to take sleeping pills. Try natural approaches like these first. You might get benefits by dialing back the temperature of your bedroom, turning on a white noise machine, or wearing a sleep mask. Whatever you do, make sleep a priority.
References:
- “Best White Noise Machines – Sleep Foundation.” sleepfoundation.org/best-white-noise-machines.
- “What Is Circadian Rhythm? | Sleep Foundation.” 08 Apr. 2022, sleepfoundation.org/circadian-rhythm.
- Circadian Rhythm Disorders – What Are Circadian Rhythm Disorders? | NHLBI, NIH. Nih.gov. Published March 24, 2022. Accessed April 26, 2022. nhlbi.nih.gov/health/circadian-rhythm-disorders
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