From snore detectives to wind-down devices and humble alarm clocks, we’ve rounded up the best devices that offer new insights into your sleep health, as well as tried and tested sleep solutions to help get you either off to sleep or up and out of bed in the mornings.
10 sleep solutions to aid sleep, track sleep, or ease waking
1. Punkt AC02 alarm clock
We kick off with a fresh interpretation of the traditional alarm clock, courtesy of Punkt’s new AC02. The Jasper Morrison-designed clock doesn’t break new ground, but it does what it’s designed to with refreshing simplicity. Hand-assembled in Japan, at a long-established clockmaking specialist, the AC02 features a weighty anodised black case and contrasting colour alarm indicator.
Punkt AC02, €229, punkt.ch
2. Ikea Bettorp lamp
Ikea’s accessory division has got bedtime covered with the Bettorp light, a combination of dimmable, detachable mobile light and wireless charging stand. The light itself can be placed anywhere in the room, while the flat stand serves as a handy place to put a mobile phone or earbud case. The whole ensemble is finished off in tasteful grey-blue. A truly soothing bedside companion.
Ikea Bettorp, £60, ikea.com
3. Amazon Halo Rise
If you’re already deeply embedded in Amazon’s eco-system, you won’t have many qualms about divulging details of your night-time routines to the company’s bottomless reserves of data. The new Halo Rise is a sleep aid that perches on the nightstand and combines alarm clock with a gradual wake-up light, plus the ability to track sleep through motion and temperature sensors. Amazon is careful to stress there’s no camera or microphone in the device.
Amazon Halo Rise, $139.99, amazon.com
4. Google Nest Hub 2nd generation
The newest version of Google’s Nest Hub combines a more conventional screen and digital assistant with similar ‘Sleep Sensing’ technology to the Halo Rise. A motion sensor tracks breathing, movement and other indicators, parcelling up the data for the Google Fit app so you can keep track of your inadvertent nocturnal activity and sleep stats. Google promises that ‘coughing and snoring sound data doesn’t leave the device’. Like Halo, the full deep data dive will eventually require a monthly subscription to make the most of the features.
Google Nest Hub, £44.99, store.google.com
5. Withings Sleep tracking mat and app
Withings’ Sleep technology provides a more conventional way of detecting info on your nocturnal positions. A large, padded matt, stuffed with sensors, it sits above your mattress and pushes stats to the company’s Health Mate app. Capable of sleep cycle analysis as well as heart rate tracking (and even snore detection), you can also hook the Sleep up to your smart home set up to trigger lighting and heating events around the house, based on when you rise or retire.
Withings Sleep tracking mat, $99.95, withings.com
6. Morphée sleep aid
The Morphée sleep aid combines an old-fashioned aesthetic with high-tech innards. A standalone, sensor-free device that doesn’t need an app or any kind of connectivity, the Morphée is a compact, wood-enclosed speaker with a built-in repertoire of 210 different ‘guided sleep sessions’. These range from traditional meditative spoken word pathways to sleep to sounds of nature, descriptive visualisations, and movement sessions that invite you to release tension and relax.
Morphée, £79.95, morphee.co.uk
7. Pod Cover by Eight Sleep
Eight Sleep’s Pod 3 Cover is the modern manifestation of the old school electric blanket, only with added flexibility and connectivity. Designed for doubles, the Pod 3 is an ‘active grid’ mattress cover that’s connected to a discreet bedside hub. Match it with the app, which also tracks weather and room temperature, and you’re able to set each side of the bed to a predetermined temperature. Over the course of the night, the cover will keep the temperature consistent, as well as making predictions for what to set it to for the night ahead, based on past sleep patterns and the ambient temperature.
Pod 3 Cover, £2,095, eightsleep.com
8. Hatch Restore
The Hatch Restore attempts to bundle all the characteristics of the best-known smart sleep assistants into a single bedside device, free from any associations with big data. Resembling a glowing blob, the Restore has wind-down and wake-up modes, with a variety of light and sound programmes to ease you into the day, as well as a collection of curated channels that offer soundscapes, mindfulness exercise, and even bedtime stories.
Hatch Restore, $129.99, hatch.co
9. Therabody SmartGoggles
Intended for those that take their downtime seriously, Therabody’s SmartGoggles assist with both relaxation, focus, and the ultimate goal, getting to sleep. The padded mask has inbuilt heat and vibrations, with switchable programs that allow you to focus on things like headaches and other strains, or simply to ease you off into sleep with a soothing temple massage.
Therabody SmartGoggles, from £174, therabody.com
10. Philips Sleep and Wake-Up Light
Illumination expert Philips has also shone a light on night-time activity with its Sleep and Wake-Up Light. With the ability to simulate sunrise and sunset, the light can also play guided breathing exercises, and has an inbuilt radio (FM only, no DAB) to act as a wake-up call alongside the alarms.
Philips Sleep and Wake-Up Light, £189.99, philips.co.uk
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