5 Sleep Wellness Tools That’ll Drone You Into a Good Night’s Sleep

<p>Post COVID-19, we live in a world that seems to be increasingly frenzied, with some calling the current era the “age of anxiety”. We are as digitally driven as ever, and the pace never lets up. With so much bombarding us, from technology overload to work to family obligations and an endless stream of horrible news, it’s no wonder many of us are stuck with racing minds after the lights go out.</p> <p>Few things are more detrimental to your health than poor sleep. Chronically poor sleep is linked to chronic issues like diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and dementia, and all that is before we talk about how draining and demoralizing it is to get through just one day without adequate rest.</p> <figure><img alt="" height="362" src="https://cdn.storymd.com/optimized/MANnx5cNAl/original.jpg" width="742" /> <figcaption>A Downward Spiral <em>Source: TheVisualMD</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>Fixing the shortcomings in our sleep regimen is an increasingly popular topic in the health world, and so too is interest in sleep wellness tools. These curious innovations seek to optimize the quality of your sleep, assist relaxation, and butter up your overall health.</p> <h2>5 sleep wellness tools</h2> <h3>1) Sleep trackers</h3> <p>These devices are useful for monitoring and analyzing your sleep patterns, providing insights into what’s going wrong and right throughout the night. This includes sleep duration, cycles, and disturbances, and the data is used to identify issues and make informed improvements.</p> <p>Using sensors, these trackers can detect when you fall asleep, how frequently you wake up through the night, and the duration of each sleep cycle. “Sleep efficiency” is a metric that’s used to assess how long of your time in bed was spent sleeping, which can tell you a lot about the efficacy of your sleep schedule.</p> <p>Do you ever feel that your alarm doesn’t always wake you up at the best time? Smart alarms wake you up at the optimal point in your sleep cycle (i.e., a lighter stage), so you won’t feel horrible and groggy after being dragged out of a deeper sleep cycle. That can make a huge difference in how you start your day.</p> <p>Your environment dictates a lot about the quality of your sleep, and yes, this is something that sleep trackers can assess as well. The temperature, humidity, and ambient lighting can be analyzed so you can hone in on optimal settings for better sleep.</p> <p>Lastly, they can inform you of your performance over longer periods to show how consistent your sleep schedule is. Consistency is central to regulating your body’s internal clock, and being as disciplined about it as possible is the secret behind sleep syncing.</p> <h3>2) Smart beds</h3> <p>If a wearable device for analyzing sleep weren’t enough, what about building such technology into your bed?</p> <p>Smart beds are products constructed with embedded sensors that monitor body movements, heart rate, and breathing patterns, but what’s crazy about this tech is that it self-adjusts to make your experience more comfortable. They even self-adjust when snoring is detected, and manufacturers claim the beds can stealthily elevate your position so as to not wake you or your partner.</p> <p>Some people prefer firmer beds; others prefer things softer. Some smart beds are able to change what part of the bed is firmer or lighter according to the sleeper’s tastes, and they adjust the temperature so you don’t overheat while trying to rest. </p> <p>This is the kind of customization and convenience your grandparents could only dream about (literally).</p> <h3>3) White noise machines</h3> <p>Some of us are highly sensitive to light with sleep, and others wake up at the drop of a pin. If you live in a busy area with lots of street-level noise or annoying neighbors and their muffled conversations coming through the wall, you need something to fight back. White noise machines work by smothering the disruptive sounds interfering with your rest and signaling to the brain that it’s time to go to sleep.</p> <p>The consistency of the drone makes it easy for your mind to latch onto it, which is helpful for those with racing thoughts keeping them up all night. These steady sounds also help with unwinding before bedtime through their calming ambiance.</p> <p>Some research has suggested that white noise may reduce the time it takes to fall asleep (sleep onset latency). The consistent background noise puts the brain at ease, helping it to transition into a state of sleep. One experiment on 18 participants found that white noise may reduce sleep onset latency by 38%.</p> <h3>4) Light therapy</h3> <p>Light therapy, also known as phototherapy or bright light therapy, is a common treatment for a range of sleep and mood disorders. The gist is that you use a special lightbox at home to reset your circadian rhythm and make your body fall asleep and wake at appropriate and consistent times.</p> <p>The circadian rhythm is your 24-hour cycle that regulates alertness and sleepiness by responding to light changes in the environment. We don’t fully understand how they work, but research continues since the rhythm is critical to good health. Most creatures develop a circadian rhythm that syncs with light and dark cycles in the environment.</p> <p>Lightboxes simulate natural sunlight, helping to regulate sleep patterns and alleviate symptoms of insomnia as well as seasonal affective disorder and circadian rhythm disruptions.</p> <figure><img alt="" height="375" src="https://cdn.storymd.com/optimized/PqE3reC1o2/original.jpg" width="500" /> <figcaption>Light Therapy Lamp <em>Source: CNX Openstax</em></figcaption> </figure> <h3>5) Sleep apps </h3> <p>Whether on your smartphone or via a wearable device like a smartwatch, you can access features designed to promote sleep wellness. Apps offering guided meditations are excellent tools for providing your mind with something to focus on and decompress with. Some people with chaotic minds respond well to a voice leading them through a breathing exercise or relaxing mental image as a means to fall asleep.</p> <p>Breathing exercises like diaphragmatic breathing or box breathing help to regulate the autonomic nervous system. This shifts energy away from the sympathetic (induces the fight-or-flight response) to the parasympathetic state, which is far more conducive to relaxing and sleeping.</p> <p>Calming apps feature gentle music or ambiances you can put on in the background to set the atmosphere. Similar to white noise machines, the soothing qualities of these carefully crafted tracks drown out the disruptions of the outside world and put your mind into a dreamy state.</p> <p>If guided meditations are your thing, they get a bonus point if used routinely at the same time every night. Having them as part of your routine is a way to wind down in itself, similar to washing your face or reading a book.</p> <p>If meditations aren’t your thing, the classic method of falling asleep to a story is always an option. These apps feature voiceovers reading stories that capture the imagination and distract you from the day’s worries, fostering a relaxed state.</p> <h2>Extra tips on falling asleep</h2> <p>The growth in sleep wellness tools is a sign that people are taking a greater interest in their health. None of these items are a panacea, and while they can help symptoms and optimize the quality of your rest, there are some free fundamentals we shouldn’t forget.</p> <ul> <li><strong>Be consistent</strong>. Your bedtime and waketime should be the same every day, as much as possible at least (weekends can be hard to manage, we know). The more consistent you can be, the better you can regulate your internal clock.</li> <li><strong>Establish a routine</strong>. Routines before bed are how you signal to your brain it’s time to wind down. Whether you indulge in a bath, read a book, or do light relaxation exercises, once your brain connects them with sleep, it’ll be easier to trigger that state.</li> <li><strong>Limit exposure to screens</strong>. They’re endemic, and they’re keeping you awake: screens pump out blue light that interferes with melatonin production, the sleep hormone. Staring at your phone in the darkness tricks your brain into thinking it’s daytime, and that makes it harder to fall asleep once you put it down. Avoid screens 1–2 hours before bed.</li> <li><strong>Comfort, comfort, comfort! </strong>Your bedroom should be as tailored to a quality sleeping environment as possible — keep it cool, dark, and quiet. Consider blackout curtains, earplugs, or whatever else you need to give your body the best chance of snoozing. A proper mattress and pillows that provide the support you need are critical.</li> <li><strong>Meals and coffee. </strong>Coffee should be cut out earlier in the day because it lasts in your system for a long time. A good rule of thumb is to cut it out after lunch at the latest. Having meals close to bedtime can also interfere with sleep, so try a light snack instead if you’re feeling hungry.</li> <li><strong>Be active during the day. </strong>Daytime physical activity promotes better sleep as your body wants to recover after spending energy and needs to repair itself. Don’t do this too close to bedtime as it can backfire by waking you up.</li> <li><strong>Limit naps. </strong>We know they’re heavenly, but they don’t pay off later that night: naps are okay in small doses but they make it harder to fall asleep if they’re done too close to bedtime.</li> </ul> <figure><img alt="List of tips for improving sleep" src="https://cdn.storymd.com/optimized/vAQna1u7o8/original.jpg" width="900" /> <figcaption>Improving Your Sleep;<em>Source: TheVisualMD</em></figcaption> </figure> <h2>More on Healthy Sleep</h2><ul><li><a href="https://soulivity.storymd.com/journal/mr7bavphzj-understanding-sleep" target="_blank">Understanding the Science of Sleep</a></li><li><a href="https://soulivity.storymd.com/journal/6we7z3qu5j-healthy-sleep" target="_blank">Healthy Sleep for Good Health</a></li><li><a href="https://soulivity.storymd.com/journal/mr45n96szj-sleep-disorder-treatments" target="_blank">Sleep Disorder Treatment Options</a></li></ul>