Sleep is a physiological process the body uses to refresh and prepare for the next day. In the modern world, we face many challenges and obstacles when it comes to sleep. The world is getting more advanced, and jobs are becoming demanding, leading to chronic stress and insomnia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one in every three adults in the US does not get adequate amounts of sleep.
Technology is seen as both a benefit and a drawback in the modern day. Some people get into bed with their smartphones. This may interrupt your sleep. On the other hand, a few technological innovations introduced may help you sleep better at night. In this post, we focus on the technology that is helping people fight sleep deficiency and its related complications.
Table of Contents
Sleep technology
Companies are constantly finding new ways to use technology as a way of helping people track and improve their sleep. Many of these technological products connect to each other. This helps to provide a more integrated solution that gives you an opportunity to combine different products to give you a better way of tracking your sleep and implementing steps to sleep better.
Sleep Apps
Sleep apps have started to become very popular recently. Most App Stores for smartphones now contain hundreds – if not thousands – of sleep apps. Simply enter the “sleep tracker” search in your smartphone’s App Store, and you’ll be surprised at how many results pop up. Both Google Play and Apple’s App Store are filled with these apps.
The main purpose of these apps is to help you track your sleep. Some of these apps also include additional features that promote better sleep. This may include tutorials on popular relaxation techniques. These techniques help you calm down before you get into bed. Some apps also offer relaxing sounds that can be played when you try to sleep. There are people who find these sounds to be useful.
A few apps connect to other devices, such as wearable technology with built-in sleep trackers. This can give you a more accurate view of your sleep habits. When you understand how you sleep, you can take appropriate action to improve your patterns.
Wearables and fitness trackers
Wearables are also becoming popular. With recent technological advancements, the cost of buying a wearable that is able to keep track of your sleep is quickly declining. This means wearables are now more readily available for the average person who wants to track their sleep.
A few fitness trackers also come with sleep tracking features. This is generally the case with fitness trackers that are able to monitor your heart rate. This function is used to determine exactly when you fall asleep. The heart rate monitor can also determine the type of sleep you are in at any given moment. In turn, the tracker reports the data back to your mobile device. You can then see how much you sleep each night. You can also see how much time is spent in REM and other types of sleep.
Smart beds and mattresses
A few companies have introduced smart mattresses and beds. These still come at relatively high costs, but they can definitely contribute to a better night’s sleep. Smart beds are made to adjust automatically according to how you sleep. Mattresses are able to determine your sleeping position and weight, ensuring pressure relief can be adjusted according to your body. Some mattress companies nowadays apply advanced technology to create their mattress such as Purple mattresses with their Purple’s patented technology. It helps the mattress have a perfect combination of support and pressure relief. You just need to find the good mattress deals to go with.
A few of these devices can be connected to your smartphone. This allows the smart bed to send important data related to your sleep habits to an app on your Android smartphone or iPhone mobile device. This can complement data that you already receive through a wearable device. The more data you have on your sleep patterns, the better you will be able to assess your sleep quality. This ensures you can implement appropriate measures to address problems that you may be facing.
External bedside monitoring
There are also external bedside monitoring devices that can be helpful. These devices are generally placed on your nightstand. Different types of bedside monitoring devices exist. Some of these are able to record data regarding your sleep. Others rather focus on providing data regarding your sleep environment. This helps you determine when it is too hot or cold in the bedroom, or if another problem is present.
Targeting environmental changes to enhance sleep
Monitoring your sleep habits and quality offers a way to help you determine how well you are sleeping. This data can be used to adjust certain elements of your bedroom. In turn, you may be able to improve your sleep. The technology can then be used to see if the changes you make to your bedroom are working or not.
A few environmental changes can make a big difference in helping to enhance your sleeping experience.
Light
For most people, the light will be interference when they try to sleep. In this case, you need to make sure your room is dark. There are a few people who prefer some source of light in the room. You should consider using a subtle lighting solution if this is you.
Sound
When there is a noise coming from somewhere in the bedroom (or house), it may keep you awake at night. Most people find that they need a quiet environment to sleep. For others, some noise may be helpful. In these cases, installing a white noise machine can sometimes help you sleep better.
Temperature
The temperature of your sleeping environment affects how well you sleep. Studies have found that a warm temperature may reduce sleep time. You also do not want to be too cold. Make sure you have a regulated temperature in your sleeping environment.
Humidity
Humidity affects how you breathe and can affect other factors too. There are devices available to help monitor the humidity in your room. Some of these devices are able to improve the humidity to be more appropriate for sleeping. Improving the humidity could ease breathing problems and even reduce allergy symptoms at night.
Conclusion
SleepStandards.com says sleep is extremely important, yet many do not get enough sleep each day. Technology might be an innovation to help you improve your sleep. There are different types of technological products that you can use. This includes wearables, downloadable apps, and more. We looked at some technological advancements that may help you improve your sleep. We also shared a few changes to make in your room to further improve your overall sleep quality.
