There were no shortage of sleep gadgets at CES 2015 this year, and you can bet my interest was piqued. If there’s anything I need more of in my life, other than Bradley Cooper (not entirely joking), it’s sleep. Now we just recently featured some a great post packed with smart sleep apps, gadgets and tips here on Cool Mom Tech, but if you’re looking for more help, check out these 3 gadgets we found at CES that might just be the key to getting more shut eye.
The holi SleepCompanion is a light bulb that’s designed to sync with your body’s rhythms to provide you with the right light you need at the right time–all based on a concept originally developed by NASA to help astronauts sleep on the International Space Station without the aid of sleeping pills. Whoa! This smart light will slowly wake you in the morning with a warm glow, and dim down at night with a cooler, bluer bulb. It all works with the help of the SleepCompanion app that uses your own personal sleep data to get you on a schedule. And if you’re already a FitBit or Jawbone UP user, the SleepCompanion works with them too–potentially addressing those updates that inform you that you’ve had a completely different bedtime every night for a month.
The light isn’t just for falling asleep or waking up either. The colors can be set for a little mood lighting. You know, for, um, things. Grownup things. In fact, in the perhaps our favorite moment of all of CES, the French rep described it to us as being “for love moments” and now we’re using that phrase every chance we can get. (Available now, $99)
Related: 7 helpful apps and tips for getting better sleep
I was instantly drawn to SleepPhones because I often try to listen to music or white noise to help me sleep, especially when I’m traveling. But if you’ve tried it with ear buds or even regular headphones, you know how uncomfortable that can be. That’s where SleepPhones comes in. Speakers are designed into a soft headband (you can also wear it like an eye mask) in one of four colors that can be worn very comfortably while you snooze. Just plug it into your music player, smartphone or tablet, or better, grab the wireless Bluetooth version for inductive charging. They were indeed comfortable, though I’m not too keen on the big label which makes them look a little “airport gift shop” to us. But if you’re sleeping and you’re with someone who’s sleeping, it probably doesn’t matter what the label looks like because no one will see it. Also? Thread cutters. (Available now, start at $39.95, or $99.95 for wireless)
Then, there’s the DreamScience Machine from Oregon Scientific which actually uses ambient sound as well audio signals to target specific parts of your brain and help you fall asleep, though I’m curious to see how that actually works. Along with various soundscapes and an alarm, there are series of mood lights and sleep timers you can utilize as well. And it does allow you to plug in your own device if you prefer to all asleep to your own playlists. I’m looking forward to seeing how this one helps me with sleep because it sure looks like a step up from the digital AM/FM alarm clocks of old. (Available early 2015, $99.99).
Holi photo by Jon Armstrong for Cool Mom Tech.
