6 Gadgets That’ll Help You Get Your Zzz’s
4. Lark Silent Un-Alarm Clock and Sleep Sensor
Buy: Lark Silent Un-Alarm and Sleep Sensor
Price: $100
Buy: Lark Silent Un-Alarm and Sleep Sensor
Price: $100
Lark is another nighttime monitor you wear on your wrist. The twist is that it wakes you (and not your partner) gently by vibrating, rather than rattling your last nerve with that dreaded, droning, beeping buzz that most alarm clocks use. (I actually have nightmares about that sound.) It also picks up your movements as you sleep, automatically uploads the data, and gives you a seven-day assessment of your sleep type, along with a plan to make it better.
The Lark recently helped a good friend of mine figure out that she stops breathing several times during the night. Turns out that she has a pretty profound case of sleep apnea, which along with modern parenthood in general is a classic reason some people always feel tired.
The Lark recently helped a good friend of mine figure out that she stops breathing several times during the night. Turns out that she has a pretty profound case of sleep apnea, which along with modern parenthood in general is a classic reason some people always feel tired.
Okay, no amount of modern technology is going to turn my somewhat sullen-until-hyper-caffeinated husband into a chipper, humming, rise-and-shine sort of guy, but the Philips Wake-Up Light does help make waking up more a little more pleasant overall. It simulates sunrise, gradually increasing the light intensity for a good 30 minutes before you have to actually get up. The idea is that it helps your body wake up slowly and naturally, just like the sunlight did for our ancestors. The lamp also doubles as a sleep machine by providing either nature sounds or FM radio.
6. Sound+Sleep Machine
Buy: Sound+Sleep Machine
Price: $130
Price: $130
If you live in a loud apartment, sleep next to a snoring spouse, or are being driven bonkers by a neighbor’s barking dog, the Sound+Sleep machine from Adaptive Sleep Technologies Inc. will save your life. It has 10 different sound stories, which are high-quality, mostly natural recordings of relaxing sounds, from ocean waves to crackling fires. It also has a built-in computer and microphone that continuously “listen” for intruding noises like planes, trains, automobiles, and obnoxiously loud roommates. In adaptive mode, Sound+Sleep even adds sounds and automatically adjusts volume to mask or neutralize noise.
Overall, I love this gadget. It helps light sleepers like me and my husband tune out disruptions that disturb or interrupt sleep.
Wake-up call
There are many other sleep gadgets either on the market now or coming out soon, like Omron’s HSL-101 and HSL-001, launching in Japan this spring and in the United States later this year. Many fitness gadgets such as BodyMedia and Fitbit also track your sleep patterns.
What this rush of slumber tech tells us is that our sleep is serious business. Maybe all this talk of getting more zzz’s is a wake-up call to simply do less working and worrying — and more yoga and deep breathing. Either way, it seems the sweet dream of sweet dreams might very well come true.
There are many other sleep gadgets either on the market now or coming out soon, like Omron’s HSL-101 and HSL-001, launching in Japan this spring and in the United States later this year. Many fitness gadgets such as BodyMedia and Fitbit also track your sleep patterns.
What this rush of slumber tech tells us is that our sleep is serious business. Maybe all this talk of getting more zzz’s is a wake-up call to simply do less working and worrying — and more yoga and deep breathing. Either way, it seems the sweet dream of sweet dreams might very well come true.
What sleep tech, gadgets, or apps have you tried? What’s worked and what hasn’t? Be sure to let us know in the comments section at the bottom of this page.
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Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy Award-winning on-air contributor and writer who delivers funny, thoughtful, journalistic, and helpful consumer technology and lifestyle content across multiple platforms. Tecca is a next-generation personal electronics information and shopping service. We bring together the web’s leading content, commerce, and community features to provide comprehensive solutions for consumers’ ever-growing technology needs. Think of us as that tech savvy friend who helps you when you have questions about what to buy, what to pay, how to make the most of you already have, and when it’s time to upgrade. Get to know us on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.
Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy Award-winning on-air contributor and writer who delivers funny, thoughtful, journalistic, and helpful consumer technology and lifestyle content across multiple platforms. Tecca is a next-generation personal electronics information and shopping service. We bring together the web’s leading content, commerce, and community features to provide comprehensive solutions for consumers’ ever-growing technology needs. Think of us as that tech savvy friend who helps you when you have questions about what to buy, what to pay, how to make the most of you already have, and when it’s time to upgrade. Get to know us on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.
