We’ve all heard, and experienced, the dangers of using too much technology before bed. One last scan through social media or checking your emails before sleep can be catastrophic to a good night’s rest. Technology isn’t always bad when it comes to getting some shut-eye, though. Just like our smartphones, fitness wearables, and smart home technology, sleep tech has seen a surge of innovation in recent years with a variety of offerings to help you with everything from getting to sleep to waking up refreshed.
Just buying one of everything isn’t going to help you get a better night’s sleep, though. If you have no trouble falling asleep, then technology like Dodow’s meditative breathing assistant isn’t going to serve you much good. The key is in identifying what problems with sleep you are having and addressing them accordingly. Of course, if you don’t know why you wake up feeling restless there are a number of devices available to help you better analyse your sleep quality and patterns. It’s also worth mentioning that while technology may be able to help you get a better night’s rest, it can’t solve all the problems. If you are having persistent or severe sleep issues it is best to seek professional help before spending money on smart sleep technology.
nanu hot¬ duvet
Having your sleeping environment at the right temperature is a crucial part of being well-rested. Whether the bed is too hot or too cold, if the temperature isn’t right, you’re destined to spend the night tossing and turning, shivering or sweating. With everybody having their own preferences, sleeping with a partner can be a particular challenge is finding the right bedroom temperature.
The nanu hot¬ duvet is the answer to the battles millions of couples have every night over the temperature of the bed. For a reasonable price, you can use nanu’s intuitive builder to create a tailor-made split duvet: one side hot, the other cold. With options available from 13.5 – 4.5 tog, there is guaranteed to be the right mix for everyone.
$90, nanusleep
Sleep Stories by Calm
Drifting off to sleep can sometimes be a challenge. We’ve all headed to bed feeling exhausted, only to climb and a lie staring at the ceiling thinking of all the things we could be getting done. Sleep Stories by Calm offers a way to keep your head free from distracting thoughts by focussing on relaxing, sleep-inducing stories read by the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Kate Winslet, and Stephen Fry. If stories aren’t your thing, they also offer a range of peaceful music choices composed and performed by some of the world’s top musicians and composers.
$23.49/month, App Store / Google Play
Simba Hybrid Pillow
The wrong pillow can ruin both your night and day. Poor quality sleep and persistent neck and back problems are common issues stemming from the wrong type of pillow. The type of pillow you use should be tailored to you in size, shape, firmness, and depending on the position you sleep in. Finding the right option, though, can be difficult off-the-shelf.
The Simba Hybrid Pillow is a revolution in pillow technology. Filled with space-age materials to regulate heat, the real selling point is Simba’s unique foam cubes. Everybody gets the same Simba pillow, but once your home the real magic begins. Opening the pillow up allows you to remove or reposition the foam cubes inside to get the perfect balance of comfort and support. It’s not cheap, but it’s hard to put a price on comfort like this.
$179, simba
Barisieur Tea & Coffee Alarm Clock
Getting up is often a slog even with a good night’s sleep. It can be hard to draw yourself out of the comfort and warmth of your bed first thing in the morning and start the day. Wouldn’t it be easier if there was a fresh cup of tea or coffee waiting for you?
The Barisieur Tea & Coffee Alarm Clock gently wakes you up, before pulling you out of bed with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee or tea. It also comes equipped with a chilled section for freshly storing your milk. The only downside is the capacity is limited; think of it as a quick first thing pick-me-up than a large drink to sip in leisure.
$600, joyresolve
fitbit Versa 3
fitbit are known the world over for their stylish and accurate fitness tracking wearables. Offering deep insights into everything from how often you stand up to intense your workout was, their technology is some of the best around when it comes to collecting data about your health. They also provide some fascinating data about your sleep habits.
The fitbit Versa 3 is a stylish looking smartwatch that when worn to bed will give you a detailed breakdown of your sleep quality, including sleep cycles and heart-rate. It also gives you a handy overall score rating (calculated using fitbit’s genius algorithm) to make it easy to compare sleep over a long period. All that is in addition to all the usual fitness tracking and smart notifications for calls and emails you’d expect from a premium quality smartwatch.
$399.95, fitbit
SNOO smart sleeper
Parents around the world are all too familiar with the erratic sleep cycles of infants. Being woken inconsistently every couple of hours, sometimes for no discernible reason, would take its toll on anybody, but when you are also responsible for the care of a baby it can be absolutely draining.
The SNOO smart sleeper was developed by top paediatricians to help give both you and baby a few extra winks. Its real-time monitor systems make sure everything is safe and secure, while the in-built rocker (activated when it detects the baby wakening) promises to gently lull them back to sleep in as little as 30-seconds.
$1,303, SNOO
KASA Smart Lighting
We don’t all have the luxury of wide, airy windows in the bedroom allowing us to wake up gradually to the morning sunrise—one of the best ways to feel refreshed in the morning. The KASA range of smart lighting by TP-Link is a great alternative. Unlike competitors it doesn’t require an expensive hub, connecting directly to your home WiFi, but still comes loaded with features to help to get some shut-eye, like the automated Sunrise mode which gradually raises the brightness and colour temperature in sync with the outside world.
$36, TP-Link KASA
We all have our own preferences when it comes to sleeping. Some of us like a warm bed, others a cold one; some rise early, others prefer staying up late into the night. While there are certainly some good sleep habits that are universal, finding the perfect night’s sleep for you is a personal and unique journey, but with the range of sleep technology on offer, there is sure to be an option to help even the most relentless of us get a good night’s sleep.
Note: All prices listed are in Australian Dollars.