Philips Somneo (Philips)
The construction crew outside your window. A weird buzzing sound down the hall. The flashing lights outside of your New York apartment building, blinking all night long.
For some of us, figuring out how to fall asleep at night is a challenge. There might be legitimate reasons, but fortunately a few new gadgets are designed to help. One of them shines a soft glowing aura that mimics a sunset; another uses AI to adjust the bed for your sleeping pattern. All of them offer a unique feature designed to help you fall asleep faster and easier.
What I liked about this gadget is that it doesn’t connect to a phone or Wi-Fi, so the setup is ultra simple and fast. You punch in a few settings for the current time, set an alarm, and you’re all set. (If you’re sleepy when you buy one, you can still use it that night.) The gadget simulates a sunset and has seven different settings for lights and sounds to help with breathing exercises.
2. SleepScore Max Sleep Tracker ($149.99)
A gadget that monitors your breathing? It might sound a bit creepy, but the SleepScore Max actually works. Using an app, you configure the device next to your bed. It knows how well you sleep based on breathing, monitoring time spent in total sleep, deep sleep, and other factors. The app provides tips relative to your situation, such as needing to lower the temperature in the room to encourage deeper sleep or lowering the lights because the device noticed you woke up at certain times.
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Invented in the 40s, a clock radio is a bedside accessory most of us barely notice. The Beddi Glow is different because you can shine a soft orange light (to mimic a sunset or sunrise); you can adjust the color, intensity and other settings using an app. There are options for playing white noise, nature sounds, music from your phone, or a built-in FM radio help you doze off.
4. Kutson Queen Mattress ($995)
I’m a fan of this mattress company for one specific reason: Unlike other bed-in-a-box companies where you can order online or with an app, the Kutson allows you to customize the interior foam stiffness -- and you can buy extra light, medium, or soft inserts for $50 each. That means more longevity because it can (ahem) spring back to life even years from now.
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“Amazon, dim the lights” is the primary feature on this bedside lamp. You can talk to the Amazon bot, adjust color and light intensity settings, and play music using voice commands. At night, you can adjust the hue to mimic a sunset. It’s also a clock -- lights show the hour and minute hands.
Nightingale makes the boldest promise of all the sleep gadgets. The company claims you will fall asleep 38 percent faster using it. The package includes two wall outlet covers that emit surround-sound audio. Using an app, you configure your room size; then, the product emits background noise, but the sound is reflected around the room.
7. Sleep Number 360 P6 ($2,699)
Announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month, the Sleep Number 360 is a unique mattress because there’s machine learning involved. An AI monitors how you sleep and adjusts the mattress to help you sleep better. There’s a sensor that adjusts the height of the bed to alleviate snoring, and a foot warmer to help you get more comfortable.
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