We at Davin Workforce Solutions love technology.  Gadgets, software, innovative tools, even new lo-fi analog solutions, we love to try anything new.  So, each month, we’ll bring you new gadgets and technology to help innovate your lives.

If you didn’t know it, March 10^th-16^th is Sleep Awareness Week.  Sadly, that doesn’t mean we can all take the week off and sleep (though wouldn’t that be great).  Sleep Awareness Week is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of getting quality sleep.

In honor of this dreamy week, we themed this month’s “5 Gadgets to Help you…” around getting a night of restful sleep.  This is especially important to all those workers who have 2^nd and 3^rd shifts, like those in the healthcare field, who have to adapt to ever-changing schedules.

Here are the Five Gadgets that will help you sleep:

Wake Up Light by Philips

“Nothing is more pleasant than waking up to the awful screech of an alarm clock,” said no one, ever.  Taking that as inspiration (we like to assume), Phillips created the “Wake Up Light,” that gradually wakes you with a simulated natural sunrise, on demand, whenever you need it.  According to sleep expert, Professor Russell Foster, “When you use an alarm clock, you’re shocking the system and the body will trigger a stress response to wake you, increasing your heart rate and blood pressure.¹”  Philips says that using their lights will wake you up gradually and allowing your body to wake during the correct cycle.  To learn more, visit their site.

Adjustable Pillow by COOP Home Goods

We live in a customizable world. One-size no longer fits all, and more and more, products are addressing that need.  But for a long time, we, as consumers and sleepers, have been at the will of the pillow makers to decide how fluffy our slumber clouds are.  COOP Home Goods decided that they could do better.  Their Adjustable Pillows are filled with shredded memory foam which you can remove or add to create the perfect pillow to rest your weary head.  And they made their memory foam formula to ensure that both sides are always the cool side of the pillow.  To learn more, visit their site.

Sleep by Withings

Want to participate in a sleep study but hate the thought of sleeping in a lab?  Withings has your back.  Their product, appropriately titled, Sleep, is a sleep tracking mat that you place under your mattress.  Through the use of innovative technology (that’s thankfully not gnomes watching you sleep), records your sleep cycles, heart rate, and snoring.  Through Wi-Fi, this data is automatically shared to their app, which can be viewed on your phone or tablet.  The app comes with a sleep coach that analyzes and offers coaching programs to improve your rest.  Withings also claims that this device can help with early detection of sleep apnea.  To learn more, visit their site.

Light Boxes by Verilux

Good quality sleep starts with receiving the proper amount of sunlight during the day (I write from my darkened office).  Our sister company, Stat Staff Professionals, recently posted an article expounds on this more (read here), but basically, to keep up proper circadian rhythms, you need to get dosed with sun early in the day.  For those who live in dreary areas or are confined to windowless offices (*cough*me*cough*), a light box is a great way to get your sunlight fix without having to step outside.  Verilux makes a variety of models to suit your needs and should be used on a daily for best improvements.  To learn more, visit their site.

Echo by Amazon

Amazon may be known for being the place that your weekly paycheck goes to, but their Echo series does more than just make it easy to reorder dog food, it helps you sleep.  The Echo has numerous functions to help you fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up.  Through free (and paid) integrated apps, you can open yourself up to a whole new world of ambient sounds to help those that are reliant on that precious white noise.  It also features auto-turn off for music and white noise, gradually increasing alarms, and the ability to set multi, reoccurring alarms to adapt to multiple users.  For those who already have one, or are thinking of a multi-use device for not a lot of money, the Echo checks off a lot of boxes.  Just make sure you don’t sleep-buy your entire wishlist.  To learn more, visit their site.

Whether it’s through special lamps or gnomes that watch you sleep pads that record your sleep patterns, technology keeps making great strides to help you get a better night’s rest.  Next time your sleep isn’t great, give the sheep a break and turn to one of these devices.

References

1. Libby Galvin for the Daily Mail. (2018, April 23). Experts say relying on an alarm actually depletes your sleep. Retrieved March 13, 2019, from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5649131/Experts-say-relying-alarm-actually-depletes-sleep.html