After a long, tiring day, there's nothing like crashing into bed for some solid, undisturbed rest. Here are a few tech tips to help you fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up worry-free.
"Clap On, Clap Off" for the 21st Century
Whether you read in bed before going to sleep, or have a habit of crashing with the lights on, getting up to hit that light switch can seem insurmountable once you're cozily wrapped in the covers. Consider Lutron's remote dimmers, which let you adjust lights from across the room via remote control. Many of their switches use IR and can be controlled by your home theater remote, which is especially handy if you have a TV in your bedroom. With a Logitech Harmony programmable remote, you could shut everything down with one touch, ensuring a dark, calm sleeping environment.
Don't Glow in the Dark
We're connected to some sort of screen almost constantly — phone, laptop, television, desktop, tablet, etc. We're often told to put away our gadgets for the sake of etiquette, but there may be another reason to escape the pervasive electronic glow: quality of sleep. In their 2011 poll of sleep habits, the National Sleep Foundation found that using electronics in the hour before sleep may interfere with our sleeping patterns. Excessive exposure to artificial light after dusk can trick one's brain out of its normal circadian rhythm. The press release is a great read full of fascinating information and helpful advice. I can't help but agree with this tip: "Treat your bed as your sanctuary from the stresses of the day."
No-Fuss Alarms
Though this may sound obvious to some, I still know many who manually set their alarm each night. To avoid a needlessly stressful morning, set a daily repeating alarm on your phone or alarm clock. Many smartphones even allow for alarms that only trigger on weekdays. Not only will this reduce the likelihood of error, but having a consistent sleep schedule can also lead to a more restful night and more energized day.
Even Tweets Need Some Rest
Push notifications are a great way to keep up on your favorite sports teams or twitter feeds, but a constant stream of buzzes and beeps throughout the night is no way to relax. Many apps, such as Tweetbot, have customizable nighttime sleep modes, which temporarily turn off notifications during a set period. Take a look through your favorite apps to see if they have such a feature!
Don't Miss Your Stop!
For early morning commuters, the train offers one last chance to catch a few winks. If you're an iPhone 4S owner, try using location-based reminders to avoid oversleeping and missing your stop. Just ask Siri, "remind me to wake up when I get to Grand Central Terminal." This can also be accomplished manually on older models (as long as they're running iOS 5) using the Reminders app. Your phone will beep and display "wake up" when the GPS detects that you've reached your destination. Just remember to account for lack of service or GPS signal in underground train stations. Perhaps you should ask Siri to disturb your slumber a couple of stops back, just in case!
These are my tips for using tech to sleep soundly. Do you have any favorite apps, gadgets, or techniques for aiding in sleep? Share your solutions in the comments!
(Image: Shutterstock)
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I love the Sleep Cycle app on my iPhone. The best part about it is that it actually does what it says it will--based on your movement, it wakes you up in a half hour window that you're in light sleep, so you don't wake up feeling groggy and dead to the world. Then it will show you how you slept between deep sleep, light sleep and being awake. It's pretty accurate -- mine shows me wake up every morning when my cat starts harassing me for food, then when I fall back asleep for another 90 minutes or so.
An added bonus is that, for it to work, it has to be tucked under your fitted sheet -- which means it's not worth it to pull it out if you've having trouble falling asleep or wake up in the middle of the night. So my phone goes to bed and wakes up when I do.
I put my phone into aircraft mode every night - no beeping except for the alarm in the morning.
Also, don't have kids. They frequently disturb your otherwise restful night.
I went around my room putting little strips of black tape over glowing lights from things like chargers, internet router, even the tv's "off" setting has a glowing light. I live in a studio so there is no getting around having all these things in my sleeping space and covering them up really helps to cut down on the amount of light in the room. It seems like everything has a light on it these days!
I use the Sleep Cycle app too, but don't tuck it under my sheet. I didn't realize you were supposed to do that. It goes face down next to my head. I'm probably going to get brain cancer, but hey, at least getting up for work has been easier.
I find that a dimmer app or program on your phone/ebook reader/laptop works great for reducing the glare of your screen below the hardware's default settings. Pair it with f.lux (which retunes the color balance of your screen to be less blue in day or night mode), and you can read comfortably in the dark.
I am super old school: no TV, no phones of any kind, and no computers in the bedroom. I have a clock that does not have an LCD screen because the light drives me nuts. Black out shades. It has to be a bit cold too. The bed has to be made everyday since getting in an unmade bed feels like getting in to garbage, and then I can't sleep. So I guess I am anti tech in the bedroom. Sweet dreams everyone.
Ummmm... just in regards to the remote dimmers. What's wrong with a bedside lamp? It hasn't let me down in a lifetime of use.
PSA: Anyone who is waking up to an alarm is, by definition, sleep deprived. For your own health and safety - and for those around you - go to bed earlier.
I can't seem to find this Sleep Cycle app in the app store.