I can’t remember the last time I got a full seven or eight hours of deep, satisfying, uninterrupted sleep. From the constant to-do list always spinning in my mind, to the glow of gadgets that tempt me to take one more look at email before I truly turn off for the night, to the fact that there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done… I’m flat-out pooped. According to sleep statistics, there’s a good chance you are, too.
The National Sleep Foundation’s annual survey shows more than half of us have sleep troubles every night or almost every night ranging from snoring or waking in the night to waking up too early or feeling un-refreshed when we wake up. Two-thirds of us are not getting our sleep needs met during the week.
The toll all of this insomnia takes on us is pretty bad. Over time, it can lead to an increased risk of obesity, heart problems, stroke, or even a shorter life span. While modern technology is often a big part of why we can’t sleep, a new high-tech sleep tool may very well offer just the fix we need.
Gadgets to help you get your zzz’s
One of the first things you have to figure out is why you’re losing sleep to begin with. Is it too light in your room? Too noisy outside? Too noisy in your own darn head? Sleep pattern tracker gadgets and personal sleep coaches can help you figure out why you’re not sleeping and then offer solutions to help you get more rest. Here are some common complaints, paired with the right tool to help:
1. Zeo Bedside Sleep Manager
Buy: Zeo Sleep Manager Bedside
Price: $150
It’s a little weird to strap on a computerized headband that measures your brainwaves every night, but the Zeo is one of the most insightful and comprehensive sleep monitors on the market today. The headband measures your states of sleep — wake, REM, light sleep, and deep sleep. You can see your sleep cycle and patterns in a dashboard on your computer, tablet, or smartphone with a sleep ZQ number that measures the quality and quantity of your sleep.
The Bedside Sleep Manager also provides a sleep history snapshot and a diary to help you get to the bottom of what’s keeping you awake. Armed with all that insomnia info, the Zeo then helps coach you through what you can do to get more rest. The headband won’t do much for your sex appeal — yes, you do look weird wearing it. Hopefully, getting more sleep is worth it.
Download: Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson for iOS, Android, Windows Phone
Price: $2.99
Falling asleep has always been is a big issue for me, and the issue might run in the family, because my 10-year-old daughter now has trouble as well. It seems we both have a hard time turning our brains off — or at least down — so that we can relax and drift off. We’ve tried a lot of things together, and the most helpful and least expensive so far has been Andrew Johnson’s guided meditation app.
Once Andrew gets me to sleep, I wake up at 2 a.m. like an alarm has gone off, and I can’t get back to sleep. Like the Zeo, the Wakemate is a monitor that you wear throughout the night, but this one goes on your wrist. It too records movement during sleep and wirelessly uploads results via bluetooth.
Read More From Jennifer Jolly
