- Avoid caffeine in the afternoon.
- . Create a routine.
- . Exercise.
- . Wear socks.
- . Get spiritual.
- . Visualize.
- Beddit
- Best gadgets to help you sleep better — getdatgadget
- Burrow sleep kit sofa bedtime set
- Fitbit charge 4
- Garmin vivosmart 4
- Runtastic sleep better — приложение-трекер сна
- Sleep hacks
- Sleepace reston
- Sleepscore labs’ sleepscore max
- Withings aura
- Withings sleep analyzer
- . Get a sleep-friendly blue light bulb.
Avoid caffeine in the afternoon.
Having caffeine in the morning is not so likely to disrupt your sleep at night, but you should avoid consuming caffeine after mid-afternoon. This is one of the most common sleep tips because it can really have a huge impact on the quality of your sleep.
Why? Caffeine’s stimulant effects are disruptive to high-quality sleep. And with the popularity of energy drinks and specialty coffee drinks, it isn’t too difficult to continue to consume caffeine after the morning hours, even if your coffee cup has been put away. I know I am guilty of craving a latte at 3:00 pm, but it is best to choose caffeine-free tea instead.
. Create a routine.
Build a pre-sleep ritual that allows your body to de-stress and subconsciously tells your mind to relax because it is time to go to sleep. Pre-sleep rituals can include a variety of things, but a common routine may include:
. Exercise.
Get some exercise several hours before you go to sleep. Exercising releases cortisol, which helps stimulate the brain. Exercising during the day will help you sleep, but don’t exercise too close to your bedtime or the cortisol may keep you awake.
This is a Goldilocks situation. You don’t want that exercise to be too early, or too late, but “just right”.
. Wear socks.
People who tend to have cold extremities may find it hard to sleep if their feet start to get cold in the middle of the night. Wrap them up with some warm socks before bed to prevent this.
. Get spiritual.
Say an evening prayer, meditate, or practice yoga before bed. Purposeful breathing and light stretching are all great methods of getting a little spiritual peace before going to sleep.
. Visualize.
To help yourself relax, work on visualizing a peaceful place. Maybe that is at the beach or in the mountains. Wherever you can find peace, visualize the sounds and smells of that place and imagine you are there to get some stress relief.
Beddit
Thin as two sheets of paper, the Beddit Sleep Tracker is unnoticeable. It doesn’t touch your skin and once installed, requires no further hassle. All you need to do is slip the sensor under your bed sheet. Located where your heart is, Beddit measures the person who’s physically on top of it. It covers a measuring area of around 75 centimeters so as long as you stay on your side of the bed, you’re fine.
In the morning, check your sleep data from your smartphone. Beddit keeps tabs on your sleep time, sleeping patterns, resting heart rate, breathing frequency and snoring time. The tracker also looks at all the important elements of your sleep and summarizes them into one simple number – the SleepScore. Reaching the green-zone means you’ve had a good night’s sleep and are ready for the day’s challenges.
Read more
Amazon*
Best gadgets to help you sleep better — getdatgadget
Having trouble getting restful sleep at night or while traveling? Usually technology such as computers and TV are a big no-no when it comes to falling asleep because they do just the opposite. They keep your mind active and make it even harder to fall asleep. However, not all technology is bad for encouraging sleep. We have picked a selection of gadgets that are specifically designed to help you sleep better. Some are designed to help you in the bedroom while a few others are for helping you catch some z’s while traveling.
Ever felt that you haven’t slept a wink when you wake up in the morning to your blaring alarm? Sometimes the waking up properly is just as important as getting enough sleep.
The Philips Wake-Up Light slowly adjusts light intensity to simulate a sunrise to gently wake you up. This is a more natural process and closely simulates how our body clock actually functions.The use of alarm clocks is unnatural and foreign to our bodies.
Besides waking you up gently, the Philips Wake-Up Light also simulates a sunset when you are ready to sleep. The light slowly lowers in intensity to help you fall asleep. (Read more)
Buy from Amazon.com
One of the most common reasons for sleep interruption is loud noises. To counter this, the Ecotones Sound Sleep Machine creates even more noise. Although it may sound illogical but what keeps you awake is not the loud noises but the fact that your brain is picking up the sound and concentrating on it.
The sound of a dripping tap is the bane of many insomniacs. On the other hand, the sound of rain is very therapeutic for helping people sleep. Why is this so? Your brain can pick up the sound of a single repetitious drip but it cannot pick up the sound of individual drops of rain water. Once your brain can no longer focus on a single sound, it turns itself off and this is what helps you sleep.
The Ecotones Sound Sleep Machine generates white noise to cancel out individual sounds such as a noisy radiator or sounds from a construction site. It may seem strange to reduce the distraction of sound by creating even more noise but it is a scientifically proven method. That is why the Ecotones Sound Sleep Machine is a best seller on Amazon. (Read more)
Buy from Amazon.com
Sleep sound CDs are a huge sellers. However they do not work on everyone and most people have their own special preferred sounds. If you are not sleeping on your own, putting on sleep sounds may disturb your sleeping partner. On the other hand, headphones and earphones are uncomfortable
A practical solution is the PillowSonic, a flat speaker for placing under your pillow without causing any discomfort. It is like your own private speaker for listening to anything you like without disturbing anyone else including someone who is sleeping right next to you.
The PillowSonic has an added advantage of being a silent alarm that will wake you and only you. (Read more)
Buy from Amazon.com
The Dreamate Sleep Aid uses a hybrid of Chinese traditional therapy and Western medical knowledge to help induce sleep. It is a device that is worn on the wrist about an hour before bedtime. The device uses the ancient technique of acupuncture to relax the body and soothe the mind. Acupuncture is a proven and still widely used Chinese therapy method that is used to promote better blood circulation and thus help relax the body.
Like most sleeping aids, the Dreamate may not work for everyone but it is definitely worth trying before resorting to sleeping pills and other drugs. (Read more)
Buy from Amazon.com
The main function of the Lark Silent Alarm Clock is as a silent alarm clock. It is worn around the sleeper’s wrist and it will gently vibrate to pull the wearer out of deep sleep. Like the Philips Wake-Up Light, gently waking up a person from sleep gives the sleeper a more restful sleep that is more beneficial.
However, the Lark Silent Alarm Clock is more than just a simple alarm clock. It is also a smart device that connects via Bluetooth to an app that runs on your iOS smartphone. With the help of the app, the Lark Silent Alarm Clock keeps track of your sleeping pattern. If you prefer, you can let the app decide on when is the best time to wake you up to give you optimal sleep. (Read more)
Buy from Amazon.com
Some of us have no problems sleeping on the bed but have the most horrible time when trying to sleep while travelling especially on long haul flights. The cramped seating arrangement on an airline is probably the worst position to be in if you want to sleep. While it may not replace a recliner seat in the Business Class, the Evolution Travel Pillow is your best friend when it comes to sleeping on a plane.
The Evolution Travel Pillow from Cabeau re-looks at the design of the horse shoe travel pillow to come up with a design that removes all the flaws while incorporating innovative features that are designed to promote sleep under very challenging conditions. The use responsive foam gives ample support but when collapsed, takes up a fraction of the space. It also means that there is no need to blow it up.
The high neck support gives support to the head and prevent it from falling to the side. The pillow can also be adjusted to give support to the chin.
It is difficult to describe the comfort of a pillow using mere words but what speaks louder than words is the fact that the Evolution Travel Pillow has earned the reputation of being the best neck pillow in the world. (Read more)
Buy from Amazon.com
You like it a few degrees cooler but your significant other likes it a little warmer. Do you give in or do you compromise? With the ChiliPad cooling and heating mattress pad, it is neither. You can both have your preferred temperature by setting the respective halves of the Chilipad to the ideal temperature.
The ChiliPad uses water to heat or cool down the mattress pad. The temperature can be adjusted in 1-degree increments from 46° F to 118° F. Using the ChiliPad for temperature control is also much more energy efficient than to use an air conditioner or heating system to control the temperature of an entire room. (Read more)
Buy from Amazon.com
The Evolution Travel Pillow is undoubtedly one of the best neck pillows ever designed. While the neck pillow design has been around for a long time, there is more than one way to skin a cat. The Travelrest Travel Pillow throws everything we know about a travel pillow to come up with an unorthodox travel pillow design.
For one, it is not worn around the neck. It looks more like a tiny bolster with a mini pillow for resting your head. For those who hug their pillow when they sleep, they will feel right at home in their own bed with the Travelrest Travel Pillow. A strap holds the pillow securely in place while you rest your head and cuddle the pillow. While the Travelrest is an inflatable pillow, it only takes just a couple of puffs or air to inflate it.
Our word of advice is not to judge the Travelrest Travel Pillow by its looks. (Read more)
Buy from Amazon.com
Drift Light helps us sleep by going back to nature. It simulates the conditions that induce the human body to sleep – nightfall. Our bodies are naturally conditioned to wind down and relax as the day comes to an end and with the light of the day slowly fading. The Drift Light Auto-Dimming Bulb is the only bulb that simulates a sunset.
It slowly dims and shuts itself in 37 minutes, simulating the average duration of a sunset. The gradual drift from bright to dark helps prepare your body for sleep. There is also a Moonlight mode where the bulb doesn’t completely goes off. Perfect for the children’s room. (Read more)
Buy from Amazon.com
Burrow sleep kit sofa bedtime set
This kit includes all the necessities your guests need to sleep comfortably when they visit. This bed set includes a memory foam topper, quilted blanket, custom sheets, eye mask, pillow, and pillowcase. It’s so much more comfortable than that air mattress that, let’s be honest, probably has a leak somewhere since the last time you pulled it out.
Fitbit charge 4
Charge 4 (or its predecessor the Charge 3), is one of the best options out there for a person who is after a solid 24/7 activity tracker, and who does the occasional run here and there. You’ll find continuous heart rate monitoring (including resting heart rate), and the device will keeps tabs on your activity 24/7.
Garmin vivosmart 4
Runtastic sleep better — приложение-трекер сна
На Android и iOS появилось новое приложение от Runtastic — Sleep Better. Это будильник, который отслеживает циклы сна и помогает проснуться в самый подходящий момент.
Работать с ним очень просто. Нужно задать время, в которое вам нужно проснуться, указать, занимались ли вы спортом, ели ли вы перед сном, пили ли кофе или алкоголь, не подвергались ли стрессу и у себя спите или в гостях. Затем нужно нажать на кнопку «Старт», положить смартфон рядом с подушкой и постараться заснуть. Приложение будет работать в фоновом режиме, прислушиваясь к посторонним шорохам и пытаясь определить, когда вы выходите из цикла глубокого сна и когда просыпаетесь. В итоге оно построит график, на котором показано общая длительность сна, время, которое ушло на пробуждение, циклы и эффективность отдыха. Можно указать, как вы себя чувствуете и хорошо ли спали.
В настройках приложения можно выбрать мелодию звонка, настроить громкость, включить или выключить вибрацию и выбрать интервал в течение которого с работает будильник. В платной версии Sleep Better отсутствует реклама и доступны дополнительные опции: большой выбор мелодий будильника, анализ фаз луны (которые тоже влияют на сон), заметки и расширенная статистика.
Точность этого приложения наверняка ниже, чем у фитнес-браслетов, поскольку на него влияют посторонние факторы: пробежавшая по кровати кошка, бибикнувшая за окном машина и сопящий рядом друг или подруга. Скорее всего показатели Sleep Better будут несколько другими, чем у индивидуальных приборов.
К недостаткам приложения нужно отнести чрезмерно большой расход энергии — за ночь оно опустошает аккумулятор примерно на 30%. Поэтому придется либо ставить смартфон на зарядку перед сном, либо просыпаться раньше с таким расчетом, чтобы было время зарядить устройство.
Сладких снов.
Sleep hacks
If you’re like me, you probably want to try to how to cure insomnia naturally. You might not want to use strong sleeping pills or spend money on sleep gadgets until it is a last recourse. You want to try everything before you spend money or take unnatural pills.
For all of you we have some sleep “hacks” that are some lesser known natural sleep remedies that can assist in bring about the sleep you crave, without resorting to buying sleep gadgets.
Sleepace reston
Originally an Indiegogo funded gadget, this is a strip you place under your bedsheet that measures your sleeping patterns including breathing rate, heart rate and body movement. It is non-wearable and ultra-thin so you’ll barely notice that its there.
Sleepscore labs’ sleepscore max
Withings aura
Aura measures heart rate, breathing cycles and body movements to detect which sleep stage you are in. The bedside device will analyze sound, temperature and light levels throughout the night, noting any degradation of the quality of sleep due to your bedroom’s environment, and helps you understand what impacts your sleep negatively.
In the morning, your night’s data is analyzed and turned into a graph showcasing the different stages of sleep (light, deep and REM) and key sleep quality indicators (duration of sleep, time it took to fall asleep, number of wake-ups).
Withings was over taken by Nokia a couple of years ago but has found its footing again. Now that its back with its French owner we are sure the company will continue to go from strength to strength.
Amazon*
Withings sleep analyzer
This is our pick as the best standalone device you can purchase to track your sleep. Withings Sleep Analyzer is designed to be positioned on the side of the bed, at chest level. There is nothing to wear or do. Simply slip the gizmo under your mattress and plug it in.
In the morning, the gadget will provide you with detailed info on sleep cycles (deep, light and REM) and heart rate. The data it collects automatically makes its way to your phone so is ready to be viewed when you open the app.
It even detects snoring, breathing disturbances and can spot sleep apnea. And it does this accurately even though it lies under a thick mattress. The accompanying smartphone app also dishes out a Sleep Score, a single figure letting you know how restful your sleep really was.
In our review, we found Sleep Analyzer to be an excellent tracking device. A non-wearable, simple solution that just works. Top marks!
For the geeks amongst us, the sleep pad comes with IFTTT integration for automation of certain activities. For example you can use it to dim the lights when you go to bed, turn the radio or thermostat on and off.
Read full review
Withings*
. Get a sleep-friendly blue light bulb.
Yes, this is relatively expensive for a light bulb. However, these light bulbs help you fall asleep naturally and sleep soundly, waking up feeling refreshed by eliminating your exposure to blue light before bed. This is a great product for people who don’t want to wear any additional gear while they sleep, but just want to have fewer things in the room that may disrupt their sleep.
