TL;DR: Use sleep tracking and optimizing devices to ensure that your sleep is as good as it can be.
Introduction
Welcome back biohacker. In the world of sleep, there are several options when it comes to getting some more high-quality Zzz’s. Today we will be covering a brief list of UpRiver’s best gadgets when it comes to sleep tracking and optimization. Before we jump in, if you’re interested in learning about, initially, why we actually need sleep, click HERE. Furthermore, if you feel more comfortable starting off by optimizing your sleep with better routines and habits before taking the leap into purchasing a new sleep device, check out the link HERE. With that said, let’s now jump into the first device on our list.
BedJet
If you’re in need of a temperature control method that exceeds an AC unit or a simple bedroom fan, the BedJet is likely your best bet. What the BedJet actually does, is allow you to place a specially made air delivery system under your sheets. This allows you to have full control over the internal temperature of your bed, instead the conventional external temperature control. As we mention in several articles in our SleepStream on UpRiver, your environment is incredibly important when looking to sleep your best. Moreover, temperature is one of the most vital environmental factors.
The BedJet allows you to heat your bed on those cold nights but also allows you to cool your sheets down on those hot summer evenings. In addition to general temperature control, you can also set a timer, the intensity of the air delivery, and the specific temperature that you would like your sheets to be at. There is also the added bonus of the BedJet having a slight white-noise type of sound to it, which allows you to drone-out the type of outside noise that a fan usually would. We highly recommend the BedJet as a potential contender when considering your next contribution to your sleep environment.
Air Purifier
Next up on our list is yet another environment optimizing tool, the air purifier. While there are a whole host of options on the market when it comes to machines to purify the air you breathe, the best ones are ones that offer a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter. Some filters come strictly with a carbon filter, and while these are good, the best purifiers offer both carbon and HEPA filtration.
You may be wondering why an air filter is included in our list of sleep-optimizing tools, and the reason is largely as follows. In the air, things like dust, dust mites, allergens and airborne mold have the ability to make their way into your respiratory system. This is because these lightweight particles float around your bedroom or sleeping environment both during the day and night. As we [should be] spending about 8ish hours sleeping per night, that’s a lot of time for air pollutants to irritate our lungs and disrupt our slumber. The effects of these pollutants can range from slightly disrupted sleep, all the way to contributing to severe disruptions like sleep apnea and night asthma.[1] Consider getting one of these bad boys to avoid these frustrating and sleep-disturbing conditions.
Oura Ring
Arguably the single best sleep tracking device on the market today, the Oura Ring is an incredibly popular device that allows its user to track their sleep by evaluating a whole host of metrics. While we won’t go into each one of those metrics here in this article, suffice it to say that if you’re a sleep-geek, this product might just be your new favorite toy and tool. The Oura ring shows how long it took you to fall asleep, how many times you woke up, your average sleep body temperature, and many more interesting metrics, all from the convenience of a sleek and stylish ring paired to an integrated smartphone app. Additionally, the Oura ring comes with an Airplane mode setting so that it will not transmit data to your phone until paired back on the charging dock. Therefore, users need not worry about any harmful EMF’s.
With the Oura Ring, you’re able to tinker with basically every tip and trick you’ve learned here on UpRiver and truly see how the introduction or removal of a practice or a supplement affects your sleep quality. In short, you can run your own experiments and see what helps your sleep out most. The Oura Ring does come at a price point of about $400ish dollars though, so it may be something to consider once you’ve already begun to take control of your sleep habits. In any case, though, the Oura Ring is incredibly effective at telling you personalized results as you go along your sleep improvement journey.
White Noise Generator
Even though we’ve already touched on the BedJet’s ability to double as a white noise generator, if you’re not looking to fully commit to a BedJet, there still are machines and apps out there that can fill this purpose. Usually, these apps are free and they essentially serve the purpose of drowning out the noise that may be keeping you from sleeping properly at bedtime. Consider trying a white noise generator to see if your sleep improves!
Light Alarm Clock
A light alarm clock is an alarm clock that wakes you up with light, sound, or both. The reason these are so effective is that they utilize a one-two punch to get you up in the morning. See, your skin has photoreceptors, which means that the skin all over your body has the ability to perceive light. The more light that is around you, the easier it is to wake up in the morning as the production of melatonin in the brain is halted and waking neurotransmitters are stimulated.
Traditionally, we are used to an alarm clock that forces us into a waking state by blaring that horribly annoying loud drone that causes us to stumble over to the clock and smack it quiet. If we’re being honest, usually our ‘shut-up’ method of choice is a “snooze” button that allows us another 10-15 minutes of bliss. Light alarm clocks, conversely, allow us to wake into an environment that is more conducive to actually being awake. The light that is emanated from these devices more readily simulates being awoken by the sun as our ancestors would have been. In light of this (see what I did there), we are more prepared to take on the day and are less likely to hit or even need that snooze button.
Weighted Blankets
While studies on weighted blankets are sometimes a challenge to find, there is certainly no shortage of anecdotal stories surrounding the benefits of these sleeping giants (sorry, couldn’t resist). In a nutshell, weighted blankets are supposed to offer benefits associated with lower anxiety and stress, better sleep, and just generally more comfortable bedding. The reason behind these benefits is that the weight is supposed to basically simulate similar physical sensations to a hug. Hugs have been shown to help in a variety of mental health ways, which all seem to correlate with better sleep.[2]
In terms of actual usage, the idea is that you replace your top covers or duvet with a weighted sheet instead, so as to simulate being hugged all night. In order to get optimal results, weighted blanket companies typically offer their own charts with which to match your size and bodyweight to a specific size and weight of blanket. Despite some customer reviews on these sites claiming they notice no difference with the weighted blanket, most companies respond that this is because customers ‘need to select the proper weight for them.’ Therefore, if this is a product you’re considering purchasing, be sure to select the appropriate one for your body and its needs.
Red Light Machine
There are a ton of benefits to red light therapy. These benefits range from skincare and general wellbeing, all the way to mitochondrial activation and libido-boosting (for a deep-dive article on a red light and its benefits, click HERE). That all said, red light also has strong sleep-improvement benefits as well. The short version is as follows.
Back in the time of our ancient ancestors, they would rummage around the earth until the sun was going down. Despite the daytime bringing a large presence of blue light, which helped keep us awake and active, during the evening the sun would set bringing lots of red light rays. This would have the effect of programming our circadian rhythm (our body clock) and primed us for a night of solid rest (learn more HERE.) . By and large, then, our body developed to understand blue light exposure as a waking stimulus, and red light as a resting stimulus. Therefore, by exposing ourselves to red light wavelengths nearing the early evening, our bodies are placed in a state most conducive to sleep. For this reason, a red light machine allows you to take advantage of the ancestral biochemistry you still enjoy today and sleep better by exposing it to the stimuli we’ve evolved to recognize as sleep-inducing.
Blue Light Blocking Glasses / Red-Lensed Glasses
Blue light blocking glasses and red-lensed glasses both serve the same functions but to varying degrees. Despite blue light being a natural part of even our ancient ancestors’ environment, today we are bombarded by overwhelming light on the blue spectrum. This light comes from the fluorescent lights in our work places, the blue light predominant TV’s we watch, and the convenient screens we obsess over until they return to our pockets.
Essentially, as blue light signals our brains for being awake, by being around blue light too often, we completely throw off our circadian rhythms. On the other hand, the goal of these various eyeware products is to limit the amount of blue light we are actually exposed to throughout the day, and especially at nighttime. Glasses with slight yellow tints do not remove as much blue light as those with completely red lenses, but both of these tools can and perhaps should be in your arsenal when looking for gadgets to optimize your sleep. If you want to learn more about how light affects us, check out our article HERE. Additionally, if you’re interested in blue light and it’s ‘dark side’ check out what Harvard has to say HERE.
Eye Masks
If you’re someone who doesn’t have blackout blinds, travels a lot, or just likes a little extra anti-light insurance when they sleep, sleeping eye masks are a great option. However, simply going into the local dollar store and picking one up, will not suffice for a biohacker on a sleep optimizing mission. From experience, we can tell you that while the wrong eye mask will ruin your sleep, a good high-quality eye mask can improve it greatly.
When looking for the right mask there are mainly 3 options. The first is an eye mask that covers your eyes and has a little elasticated string attached to it. The pros to this option are that it is lightweight, feels fine laying on your back or side, and is fairly minimal. The cons, however, are that it is easily displaced during the night, they are not very durable, and they do not always offer as much eye coverage as may be desired. Consider these if you are a quick napper, and like the minimalism this eye mask variant offers the user.
Second, we have the full-head eye mask. As the name suggests, this bad boy covers your entire head and is usually made out of some sort of very soft material, which connects with a velcro strap at the back. The pros to this one are that it provides exceedingly good eye coverage, is quite durable, and allows for comfortable back or side sleeping. The cons, on the other hand, are that if the velcro strap on the back breaks, you’re out a fairly expensive mask; and the other con is that as these variants wrap around your entire head, they can get quite hot in the night and can be an indirect sleep disturbance that way.
Finally, we have the isolated eye or eye-cup, eye mask. These guys look a lot like a hybrid of the two former masks from an outside view, but when you examine the side of the mask, you’ll notice that there are two specifically carved out holes for each eye to comfortably reside. This is hugely beneficial as this approach often prevents light from reaching an eye even when tossing and turning in bed. With each eye having its own little form-fitted personal spot, light doesn’t have the opportunity to creep up the middle of the mask as it does with some other variants. The pros to this mask are twofold. First, and as mentioned, these masks do a great job at keeping light out, even for the restless sleeper. Secondly, they are quite minimalist at the back, which allows for an undisturbed sleep if you’re a back sleeper. The cons to this mask, though, are as follows:
First, they can be quite expensive. Depending on which model you choose, these masks can range up to about $100. Yes, you can find cheaper ones, but expect these guys to be higher up on the market than the other eye masks we have mentioned. Second, (especially if you fail to find an eye mask that fits you properly), due to the carved-out eye holes in the mask, they can feel a little distracting on your face if you’re a side sleeper. The profile of the mask adds volume to the eye section. Thus, if you lie on your pillow completely sideways, the mask can take some getting used to.
NOTE: There is no one-size-fits-all mask. Some masks work better for some than for others. In any case, your sleep is important and we recommend experimenting with different ones. We recommend buying several masks from Amazon, for example, sleep with each one for 1 week respectively; afterward, take advantage of their 30-day return policy, and return the one(s) you enjoy the least.
Author’s Motivation
I’ve always been a very light sleeper. In fact, I had my genes analyzed by Dr. Anthony Jay of the Mayo Clinic and he even told me that I’m genetically predisposed to lighter sleep. In caveman times this may have been a luxury gene where I would be awake and ready to fight at the slightest movement near my cave; but today, I am simply a guy who wakes up when someone opens the fridge in the kitchen downstairs… Alas, I had to take it upon myself to find tools to help me overcome my genetically predetermined sleep frustrations.
Over time I’ve managed to amass quite the sleeping armory. I have 2 amazing high-quality eyemasks, a pair of blue blockers, a pair of red lenses, a BedJet, a weighted blanket, a top of the line air purifier, and of course an Oura Ring to track whether or not any of the additions really are helping, or are simply diminishing returns. While I personally find some of these gadgets to be more useful than others, I do believe that one ought to try different things out to see what works for them.
As a quick note, my personal favorite devices are the BedJet and the Oura Ring. The BedJet allows me to perfectly control the temperature of my bed, which has really helped me as a light sleeper. The Oura Ring, on the other hand, is simply an awesome device that I consult whenever I try a new sleep gadget. That way, even if I have a poor sleep, I can see exactly where I went wrong and begin to examine my options to improve it.
I hope this list introduces you to the gadget(s) that revolutionizes your sleep and allows you to get as many of those coveted Zzz’s as your heart desires.
Conclusion
There are a ton of options on the market when it comes to getting a night of better sleep. There are things for your head, ears, eyes, mouth, nose, and thanks to technology, even your finger. Which direction you go is totally up to you. Whether you choose to write in a logbook, or purchase an Oura Ring, it is important to gauge your progress in order to see what is really working, and what is more of a gimmick. In any case, though, lots of things out there actually work and are worth a try, as sleep is one, if not the most important thing we do as a healthy human being.
Best of luck biohacker, and as always, keep moving Upriver.
Ps. If you’re interested in some of the exact brands UpRiver recommends, look out for our upcoming list on the specific products we recommend in each above category!
References:
[1] https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20100617/air-pollution-linked-to-sleep-breathing-problems#:~:text=%22With%20this%20study%2C%20we%20found,breathing%20stops%20briefly%20during%20sleep.
[2] https://www.healthline.com/health/hugging-benefits
