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As college students, we know what it is like to lose countless nights of sleep. Sleep deprivation is an experience that many people in the world face today. The problem is a lack of sleep is completely normal in our society. But The Sleep Revolution is here to fix that.
Arianna Huffington, editor in chief and founder of The Huffington Post, knows about the importance of sleep. Her new book, The Sleep Revolution, discusses sleep deprivation and the importance of sleep. Many of us think that we are able to get by or pull all-nighters. In reality, sleep is one of the best things for us to make our lives and bodies better.
Huffington has 12 great tips for a better night’s sleep.
She also has The Sleep Revolution Manifesto.
Here at HC Framingham a few of us tried out some different gadgets to help us sleep. From trackers to noise machines, we wanted to see if there was anything that we could do to guarantee a better night’s sleep.
Marissa Campbell
I have a a dream of one day owning a giant bed covered in the most comfortable blankets and pillows. I have tried the cocoamat pillow for the past week and honestly, the small size is just adorable and gives great neck support. There seems to be an infused scent that actually is a bit calming. It is nice. I think I am addicted to pillows and so this just made me want to buy all new ones to experience the ultimate comfort.
Hannah Lavin
First of all, Sense is adorable. The little orb is so cute and it’s really like another decoration in the dorm than anything else. So we’re off to a good start. Once I downloaded the app, I filled in some things about myself and then it told me if my room had prime sleeping conditions or not. I found it fascinating to see what the app had to say about the light, sound and air quality in the room. With the little pill attached to my pillow I went to sleep and in the morning it gave my nights sleep a number out of 100. The higher the number the better your sleep was. Over the course of the week a graph began to take shape showing me how my sleep patterns were. It’s not perfect. It doesn’t take into account sleeping during the day/naps, which I take a lot of. And it’s not always accurate, like once it said I got into bed at 8:20pm when in reality it was 3am. But it has made me more aware of my sleeping patterns and I just love seeing charts about my nights sleep.
Rachel Haggard
So typically I sleep with a fan not just because I sleep better in the cold but also because of the white noise so when I heard that someone needed to review this sound machine I was like why not. I love sleep but sometimes my family is VERY noisy or my cat chews cardboard so sleep does not always come easily. Now the fan can block some sound, earplugs are great until they fall out but this machine made me feel like I was in an igloo of white noise; so peaceful.
The machine was also approved by my cat which was great so she can continue to snuggle with me. This is a rechargeable machine which only comes with the usb cord to charge and not a plug for the wall which can be difficult if you do not have a suitable plug. Charging is a couple hours so I would leave it charging when I left the house and the machine runs for about two nights (approx. 16 hours).
Other than the cord there is a ‘lanyard’ which is more like a shoe lace so you can hang the machine by your bed. To turn it on you need to press the power button for 10 seconds and you have the options of three sounds; two of which are ‘white sounds’ and the other is a beach sound.
Rachel Smith
I tried out the #sleeprevolution sleep mask. I really liked how well the mask blocked out outside light! I could not leave the mask on long though because it felt a little scratchy on my face. I usually sleep on my side with the side of my face resting on the pillow, but with the sleep mask it did not conform to my face shape and stuck out preventing me from lying flat. I probably would not use the mask on a regular basis, but I like the idea of a fun saying or design on the outside like they had!
We all enjoyed trying out these gadgets and while some of them may not have made a total difference, we recommend trying different things to find out what works best for you. Sleep is a very important aspect of college. Even if you just want a nap, find that comfort zone to get that REM love. Check out the book to learn more!