Sleep: it’s the best time of the day for some, while for others, sleeping doesn’t come so easily. So, we’ve found some revolutionary apps and gadgets to help you chase down those precious Zs.
1. Sleep Cycle
Sleep Cycle is a cheap way to get more Zs. Simply download the app and sit your phone on the edge of your bed and it will monitor your movements, pinpointing the times you were restless as well as when you’re at your most relaxed. It then creates a chart from which it works out when is the best time to wake you. And because you’ll be woken from your light sleep phase, you’ll be more alert and a lot less drowsy.
Available for iOS and Android
2. Lark Pro Sleep Monitor
Lark turns your Apple device into a personal sleep solution, and includes the world’s first silent ‘un-alarm’ clock and sleep monitor. It also includes a wristband that gently nudges you awake each morning. The app side of this high-tech gadget monitors your sleep patterns and, with the help of your personal sleep statistics, coaches you towards a better night’s sleep.
3. White noise machine
From dripping taps to passing cars, these subtle sounds may not register during the daytime, but during the night are very disruptive for sleep. White noise machines are a popular way to block out these sounds, by providing gentle background noise to which your mind can unconsciously tune out the world around you. Supposedly, it has something to do with the first soothing sounds we recall in life – womb sounds. There are many white noise machines available at a price, such as these from www.sleepsolutions.com.au, but to save yourself some dough, why not turn on a fan, or leave a transistor radio in your room tuned into a ‘non-station’?
4. Sleep Genius
Sleep Genius is more than just a sleep tracker: it also helps you to fall asleep to ‘pink noise’, which is a softer variation of white noise. Developed by neuroscientists to track the sleep patterns of astronauts, this revolutionary app also induces sleep through neurosensory algorithms and binaural beats, which induce a sensation not unlike being rocked to sleep like a baby.
5. Night lights
You may have read that blue light is detrimental to sleep, but pulsing blue LED lights, such as the NightWave Sleep Assistant, can help induce rhythm in your breathing, lulling you into a relaxed sleep state. The device is based on relaxation techniques developed through cognitive behavioural therapies used to treat those with serious sleep disorders.
Another way to combat sleep problems is to install low-blue lights in or just outside your bedroom. Heck, why not install them throughout your house? The bulbs provide more of an amber glow that is less likely to interfere with your ‘winding down’ phase before you go to sleep.
Do you know of any tech that can help our members get a better night’s sleep? Why not let us know in the comments below?
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