One of the many things the pandemic has made more difficult to do is to sleep. Prolonged isolation, a global health crisis, and recession all contribute to increased levels of anxiety and depression, impairing our ability to sleep. This phenomenon has become known as ‘coronasomnia‘. As common as it is, it’s still important to regularly get enough sleep. Insufficient hours and poor quality of sleep regularly are associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
To help treat your insomnia, it’s best to rely on natural methods of improving your sleep rather than risk developing a dependency on administered sleeping aids such as oral melatonin. Here’s a list of gadgets and accessories that will help you fall asleep naturally.
Weighted accessories
Normally, when we shop for bedroom accessories, we think of browsing pillows and mattresses for sale. But blankets are just as important and helpful in improving our sleep quality. There are different blankets out there that are designed to bring you more comfort in bed such as electric blankets but the one we want to discuss is weighted blankets.
What makes weighted blankets special is deep pressure stimulation. With its evenly distributed weight, usually from glass or plastic microbeads – a weighted blanket feels like a hug. Like a hug, it prompts a surge of feel-good hormones in our body such as serotonin, oxytocin, and most importantly, melatonin, our sleepy hormone. The release of all these hormones will help you get a better night’s sleep, decreasing the time spent trying to fall asleep and improving sleep quality.
You can also use a weighted sleeping mask. Much like a weighted blanket, this also uses deep pressure stimulation to prompt the release of melatonin. Its focus on your head and eye area also make it capable of relieving headaches, migraines, and sinus pains.
Therapists also often recommend weighted blankets and sleeping masks for patients in the autism spectrum or those with PTSD, for whom anxiety and sleep issues are common.
Sunrise alarm clock
Light plays a crucial role in our well-being. It helps to regulate our circadian rhythm, which dictates our body clocks. If your windows don’t let in enough natural light or if you’d like to train your body to wake up earlier without using a blaring alarm, a sunrise alarm clock might be the solution you’re looking for.
These are designed to mimic sunrise and sunset at your preferred wake-up and sleeping times. It’s also better if you can get a model that allows you to toggle different hues of lighting. Some models wake you up with white light and you want something warmer to help the wake-up process feel gradual rather than abrupt. The Philips Wake-up Light starts with a faint, reddish light that more closely resembles a real sunrise. As time passes and gets closer to your wake-up time, the light steadily becomes brighter and yellower.
If the light isn’t enough, sunrise alarm clocks also allow you to wake up to relaxing, natural sounds, such as chirping birds and ocean waves.
Dodow sleep machine
If what you need is something to help ease you into sleep rather than rouse you out of it, try the Dodow Sleep Aid Device. When you want to fall asleep, turn off the lights and turn on the machine. Dodow is a metronome with a light system that helps you guide your breathing into a calmer pattern to help you relax. It projects a light onto the ceiling and all you have to do is breathe in time to it, inhaling when the beam of light expands and exhaling when it shrinks. You can set the exercise to last 8 or 20 minutes, after which it will automatically shut off.
Flare Audio earplugs
Sound is just as important as touch and light. British audio company Flare Audio has a line of earplugs and audio accessories for different purposes. Their Calmer earplugs, for example, are designed to make you feel as their name suggests. Muffle the sound of noisy neighbors and enjoy a better night’s rest.
You can also use it during the day when going through a noisy commute or passing by a construction site. Calmer comes with a carrying pouch so you can bring it wherever you’d want to feel less stressed. It was also designed with noise-related stress conditions in mind, such as misophonia and hyperacusis.
It’s normal to have been experiencing interruptions or difficulty falling asleep. But administered medications aren’t always the best solution. The devices we’ve listed above stimulate your senses for sleep, helping you feel more rested and relaxed in the morning.
