10 Gadgets to Help You Fall (and Stay) Asleep Faster

In this age of information, with social media, trends and constant, everyday distractions, it’s easy to lose track of time and develop some nasty habits.

Whether it’s binge-watching another show on Netflix, scrolling to infinity on Instagram or just answering emails, many people just don’t get enough sleep anymore.

Lack of sleep can lead to the development of various issues which will leave you unable to enjoy life and cope with everyday challenges.

People are slowly getting more aware of the negative consequences of sleep deprivation and how easy it actually it is to drift off in a cycle of bad decisions, unstable mood, and physical weakness.

As awareness of this issue starts to spread and more people start looking to return to healthier lifestyles and habits, it’s becoming clearer that the solution starts with better sleep.

Before you take on an important problem, you always want to make sure your performance is at its best, and what better way to make sure that is so than waking up energized, refreshed and ready to take on the day?

Due to the depth of the problem and the number of distractions that take place when one decides to start working on their sleep, it might be necessary to have one of these 10 gadgets to help you get started on your journey to a better version of yourself.

We picked out the gadgets we found to be both affordable and effective, hope you enjoy and find one that matches your needs.

1. 2Breathe
http://2breathe.com/

Our minds seek to identify, establish and follow patterns. For centuries, the benefits of slow breathing combined with prolonged exhalation have been known to humankind. Another thing truly soothing to the complex pattern-seeking machinery of the human mind is music.

2Breathe is a smart device that composes calming music according to your breathing in real time. The synergy of slow breathing and music architected by this phenomenal device speaks directly to the parasympathetic nervous system and therefore allows you to drift away into dreamland within minutes.

This is achieved by using a low-energy Bluetooth device that tracks your breathing and wirelessly sends it to 2Breathe, which composes music and adapts it to your respiratory cycle. Additionally, the device tracks your breathing throughout the night, so when you wake up, you’ll have a detailed sleep report waiting for you in the 2Breathe mobile app.

2. Sleep Genius
http://sleepgenius.com/

3. Sleep Shepherd
https://sleepshepherd.com/

This smart headband uses EEG (electroencephalography) to monitor your brainwave frequency and plays binaural beats accordingly. Your brain naturally matches the frequency of binaural beats, so as the frequency of the binaural beats gradually decreases, so does your brainwave frequency decrease along with it, until you fall asleep.

Once you fall asleep, the binaural beats stop, but Sleep Shepherd continues tracking your brainwave frequency. If you wake up during the night, Sleep Shepherd will know, and it will start playing binaural beats according to your brainwave frequency in real time again until you fall back to sleep.

This prolongs the time you spend in deep sleep and therefore increases sleep quality, which allows you to wake up refreshed and energized. The device also wakes you up, by reversing the process - this time increasing your brainwave frequency.

Sleep Shepherd comes with a mobile app that provides detailed reports on your brain activity overnight, and much more - you can even see your head orientation. Possibly the biggest advantage of Sleep Shepherd is that it’s completely portable and it’s made of materials that allow the skin to ‘breathe’, so you basically won’t even feel you’re wearing it.

4. Motiv Ring
https://mymotiv.com/

Motiv Ring is one of the tiniest fitness, heart rate and sleep trackers out there. It’s comfortable and stylish. The optical heart rate sensor and the Bluetooth transmitter are wrapped in a premium titanium shell. It’s durable and waterproof, and the battery lasts 3 days, so you won’t have to take it off every minute to charge it.

Motiv is the first company to fit an optical heart rate sensor in a ring this size. It comes with an app that triggers and records automatically when you, for example, go out for a run. But that doesn’t mean that you have to carry your phone out on the run - on the contrary - the ring has 2 days of memory space and the data will be uploaded to the app the minute you get home.

Automatically, it’s periodically updated via Bluetooth so neither the battery of the phone nor that of the ring is drained too much. Want to sync manually? Just rotate the ring a couple of times and that will do the work. 

The ring is ultra light and very elegant, so wearing it in your sleep to monitor your heart rate will not be a problem at all. And waking up to a report is a good opportunity to optimize your sleeping habits.

5. Fisher Wallace Stimulator
https://www.fisherwallace.com

This headband device uses medical-grade technology to send gentle electrical impulses to the brain. This stimulates secretion of serotonin and other neurochemicals required for healthy mood and sleep.

It’s been proven in multiple studies and it’s supported by doctors at Harvard, NYU, Cornell and other top institutions. It’s cleared by the FDA to treat insomnia, anxiety, and depression.

Fisher Wallace Stimulator is used in 20-minute sessions, twice a day and they offer a 30-day money back warranty. It’s also used by substance abuse clinics, research has shown that the device increased 90-day rehab retention by 50%. An important thing to mention is that the FDA requires a licensed healthcare provider to authorize your purchase of this product.

6. NightWave Sleep Assistant
https://www.nightwave.com/

NightWave projects a soft pulsating LED light onto your darkened bedroom. The way it works is that you lie with your eyes open and adjust your breathing to the rhythm of the light. As the pulsating slows down, so does your breathing.

After a short time NightWave shuts off, and you roll over and fall asleep. It helps you empty your mind and relax, allowing you to drift away to sleep within minutes.

Meditation-oriented techniques for falling asleep do work, but the majority of them are revolving around focusing on breathing. As many people have difficulties staying focused on breathing, NightWave comes in as a perfect tool to provide visual support and assistance to focus-challenged breathers.

7. SomniResonance - SR1
https://www.deltasleeper.com/

This small, light-weight, non-invasive medical device works in a rather interesting way. Since the human brain emits specific electromagnetic frequency patterns depending on the state of consciousness we find ourselves in at a given moment, the patterns of the brain that’s falling asleep are measured and recognized. SomniResonance SR1 works in such a way that it mimics the normal frequency patterns of the brain when it’s falling asleep.

This way, it gently shifts your brain’s frequency patterns to match the frequency patterns of the brain in the process of falling asleep, and it only works for a couple of minutes until you fall asleep.

SR1 is battery-powered. It’s placed on the brachial plexus/nerve bundle on the upper chest, utilizing the nervous system as a transmitter from the chest to the brain. This placement allows for the full variety of sleep positions.

8. Dreem
https://dreem.com

Dreem is a smart sleep device that utilizes a combination of sound and slow breathing to help you shorten the time it takes you to fall asleep. It wakes you up during your lightest sleep stage, guaranteeing a gentle morning rise.

The Dreem headband tracks and analyses your sleep in real time, and regulates your sleep completely independently during the night - meaning no WiFi and no Bluetooth.

When you wake up and put Dreem to charging, it automatically syncs all data to the cloud and updates your Dreem app with comprehensive reports.
It’s completely flexible and very light, with superior design.

For tracking your brain activity overnight, it uses electroencephalography. To transfer sound, Dreem doesn’t use earplugs or speakers, but bone conduction, which means the sound is transmitted through your forehead directly to the inner ear.

9. Aromarest
https://www.aromarest.com/

Aromarest has a different approach to sleep. It’s all about going back to the roots. This lamp-like gadget is placed at the bedside and connected to your phone via Bluetooth speakers.

It imitates sunlight with 96 million color LEDs and combines that with aromatherapy, with scents of your choice filling your bedroom.

When you choose a time to wake up at, it will gradually play various noises with slowly increasing volume so that you wake up slowly and easily, without sudden noise and stress.

It comes with an app that allows you to customize everything, from light intensity and color, over the noise type, volume, and intensity, to the aromas, which are dispersed through a dual diffuser.

10. SleepScore Max
https://www.sleepscore.com/

After 10 years of work, SleepScore Labs came up with Max, a definite solution for a better sleep. Max needs to be plugged in, placed on the bedside and connected to a downloadable app.

Now here’s what makes Max so special: it requires no contact at all in order to function - it tracks every minimal movement you make during your sleep - down to one-tenth of a millimeter.

Max uses biomotion sensor technology, similar to echolocation, to track your movement and breathing during sleep. You’ll wake up to comprehensive reports on how you can sleep and actionable advice on what you can do to improve your sleep the following night, including various products or habits you can implement.

11. The Hush Blanket

https://havenmattress.ca

This wouldn't be a true Hush article if it didn't end with a plug for our own product. 

A weighted blanket is.. well, you already know the science for how it can help reduce anxiety and battle insomnia, almost instantly.

The weight acts as a comforting hug, triggering what's known as Deep Touch Pressure Stimulation. Your cortisol level is reduced while your melatonin (sleep hormone) increases.

Learn more about it here.

These sleep gadgets will help you restart your sleep cycle, build healthy habits and utilize the maximum of your potential to reach the highest quality of life. Sleep is associated with learning and thinking capability, the two most important factor that can put a healthy smile on your face and lead you to a joyful and productive everyday experience.

Be bold. Be innovative. Adapt and overcome, and explore new solutions and technology. Tech is on our side when used properly - for the betterment of one’s life and to provide simple solutions to complicated problems.