Best sleep apps and gadgets for a better night’s sleep

Every year, many of us put things like “eat better,” “lose stress,” and “get in shape” on our New Year’s resolution list. And sleep plays a huge role in achieving all of those goals. Loss of rest makes us eat garbage And up to the pumps Stress hormones To the detriment of all other ways we try to improve ourselves. Fortunately, technology can help; Except reminding yourself to take enough time to sleep, like your bedtime routines iPhone Or Android Device Two has other gadgets that can help you sleep deeper and more restfully. For those of you who need a little extra help in 2023, here are some sleep-aiding gadgets we’ve tried that might just work for you, too.

Ora ring

Ora’s Smart Ring It tracks your activity during the day and your sleep at night (or whenever you go to bed), giving you an overall score from one to 100 each morning. Using temperature, motion, blood oxygen and pulse sensors, Oura gains insight into how long you stay in various sleep states and uses that data to make recommendations on ways to get better quality rest. When we Tested it, which we called “the perfect wearable for people who don’t like wearables,” we appreciate the data it provides while slipping seamlessly into everyday life. After a few days of wearing it, our reviewer quickly began to ignore its presence, meaning you’re more likely to wear it to bed than a fitness pant.

 

Since it doesn’t have a screen, all of Ovra’s information comes to you through a companion app. With no screen, you can squeeze seven days of battery life out of it, which is an important feature because any device that spends its nights on the charger can’t track your sleep.

Fitbit Inspire 3

If you prefer a wearable screen, a fitness tracker is arguably better than a smartwatch for tracking sleep, as they are less obtrusive and have longer battery life. That means you’re more likely to wear it to sleep for several nights in a row until it recharges. Much cheaper than Ora, Fitbit’s Inspire 3 is our budget choice Best fitness tracker Now, it does a pretty good job of tracking your Zs.

It runs about $100 and has the same sensors as the Aura, including heart rate, temperature, motion and blood oxygen. The company has put a lot of effort into expanding their sleep metrics, and the app can give you detailed insights into how much time you spend in each stage of sleep. Even without a premium membership, you’ll get a sleep score every morning. With a $10-a-month membership, you get a detailed breakdown of the score, so you can better track your sleep trends over time. Plus, the alarm on the Inspire 3 can wake you up when you’re in a light sleep state, so getting back online won’t be a hassle.

Eight Sleep Pod 3

If you don’t want wearable clothing, the Sleep Pot 3 from Eight Sleep Tracks your readings and gives you a sleep score. It heats or cools your side of the bed and wakes you up with a subtle rumble under your chest. A mattress and cover combo can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $4,400 depending on the size and thickness of the mattress, making it more affordable than any traditional wearable. Most of the cost is in the cover, which hides the pipes that run hot or cold water from the outer basement, regulating the temperature, while sensors in the cover monitor your sleep.

You can buy Cover separately And that saves between $900 and $1,900 on the sticker price, but it’s still not cheap. You’ll also need a $19 per month subscription to access all the sleep tracking features. But in our review, with 81 marksOur reviewer (and new dad) Sam Rutherford said the Pod 3 provided some of the best sleep he’s ever experienced.

Reset the hatch

Part sunrise alarm clock, part audio machine, the Reset the hatch Cut to our guide Smart lights For its ability to help before, during and after sleep. Restore offers guided exercises and bedtime stories to take you to dreamland, and once you’re there you can choose white or pink noise to lull you to sleep. To wake up, the gentle sunrise alarm slowly brightens, mimics the sunrise and primes your brain for morning time. The caveat here is that you need a subscription to access the library of sleep meditations and guides, which is currently $5 per month or $50 per year.

head

Personally, the best thing I’ve ever done for my sleep was to get my phone out of the bedroom, so it might seem ironic to add a smartphone app to this list. headHowever, it has the opposite effect on sleep Social media will do Like Hutch Reset, this app has an extensive library of meditations and exercises to help you relax and sleep.

I prefer short, airy sections that last a few minutes and allow for a full body scan to relax. The long “sleepcasts” run for about 45 minutes and tell you stories in hushed voices – there are even some Star Wars-themed ones, but they made me want to get up and watch more. Andor. Sleep Music and Soundscapes combine ambient sounds with tones and melodies that last up to 500 minutes. Perhaps most critically, there’s a “nighttime SOS” page, with guided exercises to help you get back to sleep if you wake up with nightmares, work stress, or something else.

A subscription costs $70 a year or $13 a month. In addition to sleep content, daytime meditations and sessions to help you breathe, focus, and manage stress can also help with sleep. If you decide to bring Headspace into the bedroom, make sure your phone’s Sleep Focus or Bedtime mode is turned on, or late-night spam emails and Messenger alerts will undo all the good work your sleep apps did.

Philips Hue Smart Lights

We think Philips Hue White + Color is The best smart light bulbs You can buy more, and some features can help with sleep, such as programming them to switch to a warmer color when it’s close to bedtime. Not only does it get a subtle hint that it’s time to wind down, but warmer tones have less blue light that reflects sunlight. Help your brain Ready for sleep. You also have the ability to control them using your voice, so instead of getting out of bed to turn off the lights, you can ask Alexa or Google Assistant to do the same.

Felix Gray Blue Light Blocking Glasses

Speaking of blue light, it is Not big For sleep. But the habit of staring at a screen isn’t going anywhere, which is why there are glasses that block blue light. I thought they were a gimmick at first, but came to believe the pair I bought. From Felix Gray. Looks like science check Do I notice a difference in my sleep patterns when I’m wearing it and when I’m not wearing it? At first I only wore them when I was working past 5pm or still using my computer. Now I wear them all day because I feel like they help my eyes feel less tired. They come with or without your prescription and come in enough styles to make them your own.

Berabi weighted blanket

You’ve probably met someone who swears by a weighted blanket. Our colleague Nicole Lee is one of them. As someone suffering from insomnia, she found herself “nodding off quickly and sleeping for long periods of time.” Berabi weighted blanket And recommend it as one of our best Self-care gifts. Unlike other weighted blankets filled with glass or plastic beads, Birabi comforters are hand-woven from heavyweight cotton, Tencel or eco-velvet, looking more like enormous scarves than bland sleep aids.

Manta Sleep Mask

Although blue light is bad before bed, any type of light that hits your eyelids will prevent you Reaches deeper stages of sleep. We recommend this for blackout curtains and night lights Sleep mask from Manta. There are plenty of sleep masks out there, but Engadget Weekend editor Igor Bonifacic found this one to be better than the rest and recommends it for travelers. In our guide. It has removable, adjustable eye cups for a customized fit and they live up to their claim of blocking out 100 percent of ambient light. You can also buy extra Eye cups you can microwave To provide a warming effect, or Silk-wrapped eye cups It’s gentle on your skin and others.