Colin Snow
Sleep is an essential part of a healthy life, but many people don't get enough of it. Luckily, technology can help. Verizon offers a range of tips and tools to help people improve their sleep, including smartphone apps, alternative alarm clocks, smart thermostats, and virtual assistants. For example, the Sleep Cycle app monitors your sleep and wakes you up during the lightest phase of sleep, helping you feel well-rested. The Sleepmaker Rain app features live rain recordings to help you doze off, while the Nature Sounds Relax and Sleep app provides audio therapy with sounds from the outdoors.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Target users | Working adults, children |
| Features | Track and analyze sleep, play soothing music or meditations, provide white noise, monitor sleep via wearable technology |
| Specific apps | Sleep Cycle, Sleepmaker Rain, Nature Sounds Relax and Sleep, Moshi |
| Additional tips | Alternative alarm clocks, smart thermostats, virtual assistants, limiting screen time, unwinding activities, calming sounds |
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What You'll Learn
Sleep tracking
Smartphone apps, such as Sleep Cycle, use your phone's accelerometer to monitor your movement and track your sleep patterns. They can also provide insights into your sleep cycles and wake you up during the lightest sleep phase, helping you feel more rested when you get up. Upgrading to the premium version of Sleep Cycle can give you long-term information about your sleep quality. Other apps, like Sleepmaker Rain and Nature Sounds Relax and Sleep, offer soothing sounds and rain recordings to help you fall asleep more easily.
Wearable technology, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, can also be used for sleep tracking. These devices can monitor how long you sleep, the quality of your sleep, and the different phases of sleep you go through. They can also take into account environmental and lifestyle factors that may impact your sleep. Wearables typically use an accelerometer or gyroscope to detect movement, assuming you are asleep when there is no movement.
In addition to smartphone apps and wearables, alternative alarm clocks can also play a role in sleep tracking. These clocks can use light or scents to wake you up gradually or require you to get out of bed to turn them off, which can help improve your sleep habits. Smart thermostats are another tool that can contribute to sleep tracking by maintaining a comfortable temperature in your bedroom, which is essential for a good night's sleep.
Establishing a consistent bedtime routine is crucial for improving sleep quality. This includes turning off electronic devices, engaging in relaxing activities, and creating a calm environment before bed. By combining sleep tracking tools with a healthy bedtime routine, you can gain a better understanding of your sleep patterns and make informed decisions to optimize your sleep.
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Soothing sounds
The Sleepmaker Rain app, for example, features live rain recordings that have been digitally looped to simulate gentle showers. The app also includes a sleep timer and 20 tracks of soft, medium, and heavy rainfall. Similarly, Nature Sounds Relax and Sleep is an audio therapy app that offers a selection of six relaxing sounds, such as distant thunder, rolling ocean waves, and chirping birds, to guide you into a deep slumber.
Sleep Cycle is another app that uses soothing sounds to help you fall asleep and wake up feeling rested. It monitors your sleep patterns and wakes you up during your lightest sleep phase. The app also provides weekly sleep data and, with the premium version, offers long-term information about your sleep quality. Additionally, Sleep Genius is an app that uses technology tested and used by NASA astronauts. It provides timed and continuous sounds that sync brainwave patterns with predetermined sleep frequencies, helping you ease into natural sleep rhythms.
In addition to smartphone apps, you can also use smart speakers to play calming and soothing sounds before bed. This can be a part of a bedtime routine, helping to create a relaxing atmosphere and promoting better sleep.
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Alternative alarm clocks
The buzz or beep of a standard alarm clock is not always a pleasant way to start the day. Here are some alternative alarm clocks that break the norm and wake you up by invigorating your mind, not just your ears:
- Clocky is an alarm clock on wheels that runs away from you when the alarm sounds. If you don't get up, the alarm will roll off your nightstand and you will have to get out of bed to find it and turn it off.
- Ramos is designed for heavy sleepers and comes with three parts: a physical alarm clock, a beacon, and an app. The beacon is placed somewhere in the house, preferably far away from your bedroom. When the alarm rings, the only way to turn it off is to get out of bed, walk to the beacon, and deactivate it with the app on your phone.
- Fred O'Clock is a free app for iOS devices that forces you to play a classic game from your childhood to turn off your alarm. The creators believe that engaging your brain as soon as you wake up really gets you out of bed and moving around.
- Mimicker App from Microsoft is similar to Fred O'Clock but for Android users. It makes users perform tasks like making a face to show a certain emotion or repeating a tongue twister to turn off the alarm.
- Wakie is a social alarm clock app where users can sign up to get a wake-up phone call from one of Wakie's 1.5 million members. Calls are automatically terminated after one minute, just long enough to jumpstart the brain without leaving room for awkward, sleepy silences.
- Wake N' Shake is an app that costs $0.99 and is designed to help get the blood flowing through your body as soon as you wake up. Once the alarm goes off, the only way to silence it is to shake your phone until the "meter" is full.
- The Barisieur is a beautiful alarm clock and coffee machine in one. It sits on your bedside table and wakes you up with the smell of brewing coffee and the gentle clinking sounds of steel ball bearings that boil the water. It even comes with a built-in milk cooler and compartments for sugar and coffee grounds.
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Smart thermostats
The Amazon Smart Thermostat, for example, can be controlled with the Alexa app or any Amazon Echo smart speaker. It is made with Honeywell Home Thermostat Technology, and can save you money on your energy bills. There is also a dashboard to track your energy usage and simple controls on the thermostat itself if you want to change the temperature manually.
The Google Nest Thermostat is another option. It learns your habits and can turn itself down to save energy when you leave the house, or it can stick to any schedule that you set. The Savings Finder feature will also give you suggestions to help you save money on your energy bills. This thermostat is also compatible with Apple’s Homekit, so if you’re already in the Apple ecosystem, you can easily control the temperature with your iPhone’s Home app.
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Virtual assistants
Smartphone apps can also be used to support health and wellness, including sleep. These apps commonly have features such as sleep tracking and analysis, playing soothing sounds or meditations, and providing white noise to drown out disturbing sounds. For example, the Sleep Cycle app monitors your sleep and wakes you up during your lightest sleep phase, helping you feel well-rested. The app uses your device's accelerometer to track movement and analyze sleep patterns.
Other apps, such as Sleepmaker Rain, offer live rain recordings and soft, medium, and heavy rainfall tracks to help you relax and fall asleep. Nature Sounds Relax and Sleep is another audio therapy app that offers a variety of relaxing outdoor sounds, such as distant thunder, rolling ocean waves, and chirping birds. These apps can be helpful if you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up feeling unrested.
It's important to note that while technology can be detrimental to sleep, it can also be beneficial if used appropriately. By understanding how to use technology to your advantage, you can improve your sleep quality and overall health.
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Frequently asked questions
Verizon offers a range of tips, technology, and apps to help users get a better night's sleep.
The Verizon sleep app works by providing soothing sounds, such as rain recordings or nature sounds, to help users fall asleep. It also includes features such as a sleep timer and the ability to track and analyze sleep patterns.
Verizon suggests establishing a bedtime routine that involves turning off electronic devices and incorporating activities that don't involve screens, such as reading or listening to audiobooks. They also recommend creating a relaxing environment with smart thermostats and using alternative alarm clocks to wake up gently.
Yes, Verizon recommends the Moshi app, which is an illustrated digital storybook designed to help children fall asleep.
To prevent notifications and alerts from disturbing your sleep, you can enable "quiet time" or "sleep mode" on your device. This will disable alerts during specific time periods.
