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So I’ve never been one of those people who needs a ~routine~ in order to fall asleep. Like, I know friends who can’t sleep unless they’re wearing blue, the room is exactly 56 degrees, and there’s at least three fans blowing at different speeds in the room. I’ve even fallen asleep in relatively odd places or while watching loud and violent movies, so really, I think I’m doing okay.
Enter Arianna Huffington’s The Sleep Revolution. In a world of working ourselves into pure exhaustion, Huffington has realized our culture’s dire need to transform the way we look at going to bed. Additionally, because we’re so constantly connected to technology, we need to learn how to unplug before hitting the sack so that we can repair our relationship with sleep. Huffington’s book explores not only the history of sleep, but where society has gone wrong in regards to sleep and how we can work on mending the way that we sleep. In her introduction, Huffington states: “We are living in a golden age of sleep science – revealing all the ways in which sleep and dreams play a vital role in our decision making, emotional intelligence, cognitive function, and creativity.” So, maybe there’s something to these sleep aiding gadgets after all. And after being freaked out by my high school psychology teacher about the dangers of sleeping pills, I’m willing to give these methods a shot in the event that I’m ever having trouble catching those z’s.
Night One: Sleep Shepherd Sleep Hat
This may officially be the goofiest thing I have ever seen in my life. I know we’re not supposed to judge books by their covers, but I was officially the most skeptical about this one just based on how silly I know I would look in it.
What does it do?
According to the website, this hat uses a biofeedback system using electroencephalograph (say that 5 times fast) sensors in the fabric and speakers that go by your ears. Basically, it measures your brainwaves and then plays tones that are supposed to help slow your brainwaves so that you can sleep.
How’d it go?
I tried most of these things during Finals Week, since I wasn’t confined to my regular alarm time, which is 9 a.m. After a weekend retreat with my church in which I got very little sleep, I was eager to sleep for much longer than I usually do, and set my alarm for 11:30 a.m. So I put on my fancy jammies, slipped into bed, put on the goofy hat, and turned it on. And…it’s a little weird at first. I kind of liked that it was playing sounds right into my ears, because it drowned out my loud neighbors, but it was just a little odd. The instructions say to focus on the “rocking” of the tones, which I tried to do, and eventually I fell asleep. Unfortunately, I woke up long before my alarm, and the hat had migrated partially off of my head. It had also turned off, which it’s supposed to do when you fall asleep, so that part at least works. I partially blame the giant windows in my room for waking me up earlier than I meant to, but I think this product might be meant to assist with falling asleep rather than staying asleep.
3.5/5
Night Two: Rohm Portable White Noise Sound Machine
I am a big fan of white noise. I have some issues with sensory processing, so I often use white noise to help me focus on studying if there’s too much else going on or, unrelated to my issues, if I’m sharing a hotel room with my mother, who snores like a tractor.
What does it do?
The Rohm is a small white noise machine that you can basically take anywhere because of its compact design. It has three different settings: surf, deep white, and bright white. It also comes with a detachable lanyard that you can use to hang it and a charging cord. There are only a few buttons, so it’s also fairly straightforward with very few frills.
How’d it go?
I slept for 10 hours, people. That hasn’t happened in weeks. Full disclosure, I also figured out a way to fix my blinds, which was my downfall with the Sleep Shepherd the night before, but even the couple of times that I did wake up before my alarm, I was able to fall back asleep really quickly just listening to the noise. I went for the surf setting, which sounds like nice gentle waves, and it was so nice. I can’t explain it; it just made my brain happy.
5/5
Night Three: Sheex Generation U Pillowcases
I guess this isn’t quite a gadget, but they claim to adjust to temperature changes, so that sounds technical enough to be included.
What does it do?
These claim to be literally the #WorldsCoolestSheets. They’re supposed to increase airflow to do that temperature adjustment magic, and they’re also super soft. The idea is that if you’re cool and dry, you’ll be more well-rested and will stay asleep.
How’d it go?
I 86’d my current jersey fabric pillowcase for one of these babies. My first impression was that it definitely feels like something I should be wearing to the gym, like a fancy moisture-wicking t-shirt or a nice pair of yoga pants. They’re definitely soft, but not the same soft as a jersey fabric. I was a little wary of this texture just feeling it with my hands, but when I actually put my head on it, it was actually very comfortable. My face was well pleased, and the fabric really did stay cool all night.
5/5
Night Four: Sense by Hello
This was potentially the most interesting thing I tried – it looks like some kind of extremely aesthetically pleasing space gadget, and too be honest, when I first opened it I had absolutely no clue what it was supposed to be based solely on its appearance.
What does it do?
The Sense does several things, actually. It’s an alarm clock, a sleep monitor, and a sound machine. The spherical main unit plays the sounds that wake you up or help you fall asleep, and a tiny “pill” pairs with the device and monitors your sleep. Sense also monitors the environment of your bedroom to measure the temperature, light, noise, and humidity to make sure your sleeping conditions are optimal. The device pairs with an app on your phone where you can set alarms, track how you slept, and check the conditions of your room so you can make changes to the environment as needed.
How’d it go?
This one was a bit of a doozy. I ended up having to wait to use it, because the WiFi in my apartment building uses a log-in page, which is not compatible with Sense. Luckily, I was moving out at the end of the week, so I waited until I got back to my house to set it up and use it. Even with the proper WiFi configuration, this thing took me about 18 years to set up. It has to pair with your phone via Bluetooth, and then has to connect to your WiFi, both of which timed out or lost connection at some point. However, I finally got it working, and it was smooth sailing once everything was connected. The app seems pretty user friendly, and I used it to check the conditions of my room (which were optimal except for temperature – it was a couple degrees too warm) and set a Smart Alarm, which is like a regular alarm, except because Sense monitors your sleep, it can wake you up when you’re sleeping at your lightest as long as it’s within a half hour before your alarm is set. I didn’t have to be anywhere, so I set the alarm for 11:30, watched a Netflix comedy special, and fell asleep. The next morning, I woke up long before the alarm because the sun was shining through my curtainless window and there was a contractor pounding up and down our stairs. According to Sense, I had fallen asleep around 3 a.m. and slept for 7.7 hours. The sleep data seemed to be pretty accurate, and it was really interesting to see how quickly I fell asleep and how long I stayed asleep. Throughout the week, I continued to use Sense, and because it’s more of a sleep tracking device, I didn’t notice that my sleep improved with prolonged use of it. However, I really enjoyed using it; the alarms and the sound machine settings are very soothing and not at all obnoxious, and I continued to be fascinated with the sleep data.
4.5/5
Overall?
In general, I think all of these gadgets are pretty cool – I might not be making too many significant changes in my nighttime routine (or lack thereof), but I think I’ll continue to use most of them, as well as read up on more of Arianna Huffington’s tips so that I can work toward repairing my relationship with sleep! Check out the book here!