5 Tech Gadgets That Improved My Sleep
By Xeni Jardin (from Boing Boing) on October 27, 2011
We tend to think of gadgets, and technology, as stimulants: games, lights, and electric distractions that keep us awake, and push sleep away. That can be true, but technology can also help us obtain better sleep, and the benefits that go with it. A growing number of scientific studies underscore the value of quality slumber time, for mental health, productivity, and happiness. Public personalities from my Boing Boing colleague Mark to Arianna Huffington have become advocates of optimized snoozing. Lately I've been on a quest for better rest myself, and would like to share some of the tools I've found helpful.
Now, before we start: sleep is an intimate thing, and our bodies and minds are all very different from one another. What works for me may not be effective for you. So I've included a variety of options here, some focused on sound, some on light, some on behavioral changes. As with all things in life and online, YMMV ("your mileage may vary"). And as with all things that involve your personal health, if you're experiencing ongoing sleep problems that disrupt your quality of life, you should talk to a doctor (this post should not be taken as medical advice).
PZIZZ
Advertised as "the insomnia solution," this app for Android and iPhone is one of the most popular software solutions for sleep cycle management. There are two versions, "pzizz relax'" and "pzizz sleep," each targeted towards specific goals: either a daytime power naps or night-time deep sleep. You use the app to build customized audio soundtracks, and a randomizing algorithm creates a new soundtrack each time you use it for up to 100 billion combinations (certainly more than any of us require in a lifetime).
Advertised as "the insomnia solution," this app for Android and iPhone is one of the most popular software solutions for sleep cycle management. There are two versions, "pzizz relax'" and "pzizz sleep," each targeted towards specific goals: either a daytime power naps or night-time deep sleep. You use the app to build customized audio soundtracks, and a randomizing algorithm creates a new soundtrack each time you use it for up to 100 billion combinations (certainly more than any of us require in a lifetime).
SLEEP CYCLE
The Sleep Cycle alarm clock for iPhone and iPod Touch (sadly, no Android yet) is a "bio-alarm clock" that uses your i-device's accelerometer to monitor your movement and analyze your sleep patterns. It wakes you up when you're in the lightest phase of sleep. Waking up this way, during the lightest phase instead of deeper sleep, "feels more like waking up without an alarm clock" according to the app developers. I've found this to be true. The idea of sleeping with an iPhone under your pillow takes a little getting used to, however. I keep expecting a quarter to show up in the morning from the app fairy.
The Sleep Cycle alarm clock for iPhone and iPod Touch (sadly, no Android yet) is a "bio-alarm clock" that uses your i-device's accelerometer to monitor your movement and analyze your sleep patterns. It wakes you up when you're in the lightest phase of sleep. Waking up this way, during the lightest phase instead of deeper sleep, "feels more like waking up without an alarm clock" according to the app developers. I've found this to be true. The idea of sleeping with an iPhone under your pillow takes a little getting used to, however. I keep expecting a quarter to show up in the morning from the app fairy.
THE PHILLIPS WAKE-UP LIGHT
An "Official Light Therapy Product of the National Sleep Foundation," this lamp with optional audio features (FM radio, or nature sounds) helps wake you up in a gentle way with gradually increasing light. The light gradually brightens over a period of 30 minutes before a time you set gently prepare your body to wake up.
An "Official Light Therapy Product of the National Sleep Foundation," this lamp with optional audio features (FM radio, or nature sounds) helps wake you up in a gentle way with gradually increasing light. The light gradually brightens over a period of 30 minutes before a time you set gently prepare your body to wake up.
Basically, it simulates the effect of sunrise on your circadian rhythms. Unlike other tools listed in this post, by the way --this one's good for people who are deaf, have limited hearing abilities, or are not as sensitive to audio stimuli as they are to visual stimuli.
DITCH THE OLD-SCHOOL ALARM CLOCK
This isn't so much a suggestion to buy, or acquire, some new tech tool: it's a suggestion to throw out one you may already have. In this archived Boing Boing post, our guest-blogger Andrea James explains why she ditched alarms in 2003, and never looked back. And not just clocks: we're talking watch or phone alarms, too. I follow the guidelines in her post as much as possible now, and have found improved quality of sleep (and in turn, improved quality of life).
GET A DECENT BED
As Bruce Sterling notes in his final Viridian Note, you really can't invest money any more wisely than in a good mattress and bed. You're going to spend a third of your life here. Make it count. I bought a high-end mattress with a layer of memory foam on the top several years ago, and it has served me well. One of the smartest splurges I ever indulged in.
What's your best tip for restful slumber?
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Boing Boing is a pioneering blog that offers an eclectic blend of of tech culture, gadgets, entertainment, business, and more -- a "geek's eye view" on the world. Original feature reporting from some of the most-respected technology writers today and original Boing Boing Video episodes have made Boing Boing an Internet mainstay. Xeni Jardin is an editor of Boing Boing and a tech culture journalist whose intergalactic adventures are chronicled online, on radio, in print, and on television.
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Boing Boing is a pioneering blog that offers an eclectic blend of of tech culture, gadgets, entertainment, business, and more -- a "geek's eye view" on the world. Original feature reporting from some of the most-respected technology writers today and original Boing Boing Video episodes have made Boing Boing an Internet mainstay. Xeni Jardin is an editor of Boing Boing and a tech culture journalist whose intergalactic adventures are chronicled online, on radio, in print, and on television.
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