8 products for a sleep-friendly bedroom
Your bedroom should be a place of sanctuary and relaxation, a place you feel relaxed and comfortable. But between dogs in the bed or someone "finishing this one last email" before sleep, it can be difficult to completely wind down.
While experts usually recommend keeping technology out of the bed, a few gadgets can actually help you drift off or even wake up easier.
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National Sleep Awareness Week falls on March 6-13. Let's see what products you should know about this year.
1. Sharper Image Sound Therapy Pillow
If you're a person who likes to listen to music or watch television before bed (even though it's not the best idea), this pillow is an excellent option. Plug your phone into the built-in speaker and listen to whatever you like, including the pillow's built-in sounds, such as "ocean wave" or "rain forest."
2.
Eight Sleep Pad
If you're not a fitness tracker person, this mattress pad uses an app to track your sleep habits. Available for pre-order, the product uses micro sensors to "analyze the impact of your bedroom environment and fitness activity in your sleep," by tracking a variety of sleep factors, ranging from the temperature of your bed to your breathing rate to the humidity in your room.
3. Saffron Drift Light
This lightbulb is designed to dim like a natural sunset in 37 minutes, making any room feel like the center of a sunset. According to the website, this "gradual shift" of light can invite sleepiness. Though a normal lightbulb during the day, give the switch another flick to activate sunset mode. Or a "Moonlight Mode" dims down to a calming nightlight.
4.
Philips Wakeup Light
This high-tech alarm clock will help you wake up more comfortably than an abrupt alarm from your phone. An opposite concept from the Drift light (above), this lamp begins to illuminate a half hour before the set alarm time. Then, gradual music will play, either from the five available sounds or the built-in FM radio.
5.
InnoGear Aromatherapy Essential Oil Diffuser
Oil diffusers are nothing new, but this one has different time settings, so you never have to worry about forgetting to turn it off and wasting oils. Using essential oils, especially lavender, has been found to help relax and sooth. This particular model also offers an optional multicolored light.
6.
Ohuhu Color Changing LED Night Light Lamp
You'll be asleep before you know it with this dancing light show. With a built-in speaker, play relaxing music as you drift off. There are several variations on the device, including this highly rated star projector or this blue light sleep aid that syncs with your breathing to help you relax.
7.
Brookstone Outlast Temperature-Regulating Comforter
No one likes waking up sweaty and overheated, but when you're settling into sleep, you want something warm and cozy. One side of the comforter features "outlast technology" to prevent heat from being trapped.
8. Remee Lucid Dream Sleep Mask
This mask is designed to help the user lucid dream, the act of dreaming with the knowledge one is asleep. Some even claim they can control their dreams when lucid. Using a micro-controller, Remee flashes six LED lights at the height of REM sleep, the deepest point of sleep, to alert the wearer know he or she is dreaming. Over time, this pattern can help train a person to dream lucidly, at least in theory. Since 2013, a year after the product reached its Kickstarter goal, the product has gone through several redesigns.
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Chelsea Frisbie was interning at Mashable as the Lifestyle Section Intern. A SUNY Oswego Alum, she graduated with a degree in Broadcasting and Mass Communication and a minor in Gender Studies, and while there received several awards for her three talk shows and work in local news. Her favorite pastimes include watching Dr. Phil, practicing her Emmy acceptance speech, and subtly sneaking feminism into her daily conversations.
