I was a sleep tracker skeptic until I got my Withings Sleep Analyzer and now I check my metrics every morning. For a long time my sleep score has hovered around the low-70s, but recently I noticed my sleep score tracking upwards. The other day, I finally cracked 90. And it's all thanks to the 7:1 sleep method.

This simple rule, backed by a huge new study, prioritizes consistency over hacks and it's given my sleep the boost it needs. The best sleep trackers take in a range of metrics before giving your final score and with the 7:1 sleep rule, I'm pleasing all those data points.

It's not just my sleep tracker that's noticing the results. I'm experiencing fewer 3 a.m. wake ups, I'm getting up before my alarm and I feel fresher during the day. Here's why the 7:1 sleep rule is the sleep hack you (and your sleep tracker) will love — and how to follow it yourself.

Key takeaways

• The 7:1 sleep rule encourages you to get seven hours sleep a night, falling asleep within a consistent one hour time frame, and doing so at least five nights a week.
• This consistent sleep schedule helps regulate your circadian rhythms, so you fall asleep faster, experience less late night wake ups, and wake up fresher.
• If you're tracking your sleep, following the 7:1 rule can boost your metrics to achieve a higher sleep score.

What is the 7:1 sleep rule?

The 7:1 sleep rule was coined following a white paper created by Vitality and The London School of Economics, which found those who followed simple sleep hygiene rules could potentially increase their lifespan by four years.

The rule has several key principals: at least seven hours sleep a night, falling asleep within a consistent one hour time frame, five nights a week.

While many think of 'eight hours' as the gold-standard for good sleep, after analyzing the data of over 100,000 individuals the researchers found the time you go to bed has as big an impact on your health and wellbeing as clocking up enough hours.

"Our bodies run on an internal 24-hour clock known as the circadian rhythm," explains Dr. Betsy Greenleaf, health and longevity expert at International Pause Institute. "Think of it as your master body clock that regulates everything from hormone production and metabolism to immune function, body temperature, digestion and brain performance."

"Many people focus on getting a certain number of hours of sleep, but the timing of that sleep could be just as important," she says.

How the 7:1 sleep rule is boosting my sleep scores

I started using the 7:1 sleep rule almost by accident when my bedtimes happened to align across a week.

I stuck with the 7:1 sleep rule when I noticed I was sleeping better — and my sleep scores had skyrocketed. And not just my overall sleep score; on the whole my metrics had a boost.

"Sleep consistency is one of the most overlooked tools we have for improving our total health," explains Dr. Greenleaf.

"Sleep consistency has huge downstream effects from a hormonal standpoint," she says, noting that your sleep schedule impacts stress, blood sugar, and even the growth hormones necessary for repairing tissue.

Here are the benefits of the 7:1 sleep rule my sleep tracker has picked up on...

1. I'm falling asleep faster

Sleep latency is the time it takes you to drift off from the moment your head hits the pillow. A healthy sleep latency is around 10 to 20 minutes and the 7:1 sleep rule can help you achieve it by teaching your body the time to sleep.

"When your body knows when to expect sleep, it starts getting ready in advance," explains Dr. Greenleaf. "Melatonin [the sleepy hormone] is more predictable, cortisol [the awake hormone] rises properly in the morning, and falling asleep is easier and more efficient."

Sleep latency is something I've often struggled with but since following the 7:1 sleep rule, I'm falling asleep faster night after night. That's less time spent tossing and turning, more time spent in high quality sleep.

2. I'm waking up less at night

It's normal to wake up a few times during the night as you transition through cycles of light, deep and REM sleep. However, these fleeting disruptions can turn into longer 3 a.m. wake ups when your sleep schedule is irregular.

"One big advantage of a consistent sleep and wake schedule is that people tend to sleep more without even knowing it," explains Dr. Greenleaf. "Consistency will help you sleep better. Eight hours of broken bad sleep is not equal to eight hours of restorative sleep."

The 7:1 method regulates your circadian rhythms, which means your body and your hormones are all primed to sleep during the night. This helps you ease between the delicate sleep stages without waking you up.

3. I'm waking up fresher

I used to consider my alarm to be enemy number one as it rudely interrupted my slumber. We're on better terms lately, because my regular sleep schedule means I'm ready to go by the time my alarm chimes.

Waking up is another part of the hormone cycle your circadian rhythm regulates. When you have a consist routine, your body will start releasing the chemicals it needs to feel alert during the early hours of the morning. Think of it like a cup of coffee in your sleep.

And because you've slept with fewer interruptions, you've not only cleared away the sleep pressure that builds up during the day, you've also enjoyed the vital restoration of deep sleep.

"We often think of sleep as something that happens at night, but the truth is that good sleep starts the moment we wake up each morning and is built from the habits we repeat every day," says Dr. Greenleaf.

More ways to boost your sleep score

Your sleep score isn't the be all and end all of sleep but it's a good way to determine the quality of your rest and find areas for improvement. And it's nice to see your score tick up — who doesn't like getting a good grade in sleep?

Alongside the 7:1 sleep method, here are some other hacks you can use to boost your sleep:

• Keep to a set wake up time (even on weekends): A regular wake up time reinforces your body clock and can help you keep to the 7:1 sleep rule (waking up at the same time, gets you tired at the same time.)
• Get sunlight in the first hour after waking up: Sunlight tells your circadian rhythm it's time to be awake, so try drinking your coffee outside.
• Lower the lights before bed: Bright white lights remind your body of daytime, so opt for dim amber bulbs in the evening.
• Stop drinking coffee in the afternoon: Caffeine has a half life of around five hours, which means your 3 p.m. latte can still be in your system at bedtime.
• Stay active: Exercise creates adenosine, the hormone responsible for sleep pressure, so keeping active makes it easier to fall asleep (and bonus, it'll please your fitness tracker as well.)

Our favorite sleep tech

What if I told you there's a way to boost your longevity that doesn't involve red light, cold plunges, or quaffing superfoods? In fact, it's something we can all do for free: keep a regular sleep schedule.

My sleep tracker is always urging me to get to bed on time and, judging by two major new studies published this year showing that sleep regularity is a crucial aspect of ageing better, it's clear that my sleep tracker is looking out for my long-term health.

Below, we'reeve looking at what is a sleep regularity (also known as sleep consistency) sleep score, where to find yours, and how to improve your score based on advice from board-certified physician Dr. Kenneth Ro and renowned health and longevity expert Dan Miller.

Key take-aways: At a glance

• The 'master switch' for longevity: Sleep regularity is the ultimate predictor because it sets the schedule for your entire body. It's what controls the timing of the cellular repair that keeps your organs young.
• The one-hour sleep rule: Science now indicates that staying within a 30-minute window of your target bedtime and wake time every day is vital for longevity. Being consistent with this 'one-hour' window is the gold standard for a healthy circadian rhythm. So if your bedtime anchor is 10pm (the time you'd like to fall asleep), your one-hour window is split 30 minutes either side of that.
• The 4-year longevity boost: A huge new study by Vitality and The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) found that consistent sleep timings paired with getting 7+ hours of sleep a night can help increase your life span by up to four years. This is known as the 7:1 Sleep Rule.
• The weekend lie-in trap: Scientists now believe that 'social jetlag'—shifting your sleep schedule on the weekends—accelerates biological aging and decline.
• The 'Regularity' metric: Most high quality sleep trackers, including the Apple Watch, Oura Ring, and Garmin Index Monitor, track 'sleep consistency' to help you monitor this vital longevity marker.
• Optimizing your bedroom for sleep: Experts recommend using temperature-controlled bedding and smart lighting to anchor your circadian rhythm and help you stick to a regular sleep schedule.

• Read more: Science says my poor sleep habits mean I'm at risk of developing cancer and I'm terrified — 5 experts share their top tips for getting more rest, starting tonight

What is sleep regularity?

Sleep consistency is all about going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time every day to regulate your circadian rhythm (and therefore your sleep/wake hormones).

Instead of simply focusing on how many hours you sleep, researchers now use the Sleep Regularity Index (SRI). According to the doctor-cited science health journal Nature, the SRI is used to "measure an individual’s sleep/wake consistency over time."

According to a paper by the researchers who created the SRI, 'the index is scaled so that an individual who sleeps and wakes at exactly the same times each day scores 100, whereas an individual who sleeps and wakes at random scores 0.'

"Higher sleep regularity scores are associated with better metabolic health, improved cardiovascular markers, and lower mortality risk," explains Dr. Ro.

When you have an irregular sleep schedule, you’re essentially putting your body in a state of stress, he says. This can fast-track you toward type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cognitive decline.

• Read more: Experts share 3 reasons why your Apple Watch sleep score is ‘Low’ even when you get 7 hours or more sleep a night

The social jetlag trap

Social jet lag (when your work or social habits get in the way of your sleep patterns) is the most common interference in sleep consistency.

People's sleep schedules tend to shift significantly between weekdays and weekends — I must admit, I'm guilty of this.

Dr. Ro says a common example is waking at 6am during the workweek and then sleeping until 9am or 10am on the weekend.

"Even though the person has not traveled, the body experiences a shift similar to crossing time zones. Repeating that cycle week after week can disrupt hormone rhythms, metabolism, and sleep quality,” he explains.

Why sleep regularity is the master switch for longevity

While CDC guidelines still recommend that adults get 7 or more hours' sleep a night, new research shows that sleep regularity is actually a stronger predictor of mortality risk compared to how much sleep you're getting, and combining that regularity with enough sleep can add up to four years to your life.

A 2024 Windred et al study of more than 60,000 participants found that sleepers with higher SRI scores had a 20% to 48% lower risk of all-cause mortality than those with low scores, and was a stronger predictor of all-cause mortality than sleep duration.

Additionally, the Vitality and LSE study of more than 47 million nights of sleep data, published in January 2026, concluded that getting seven hours of sleep per night, while maintaining a consistent bedtime within a one-hour window, can lead to 24% lower mortality risk when compared to people who don't do either.

In terms of lifespan, they translated that to up to potentially four more years of life.

Miller, who is on a journey to reach 130 years old, explains: "Consistent sleep allows your body to predict when to repair tissue and flush toxins.

"When our circadian pattern is disrupted too often, we pay the short-term price (inflammation, brain fog, lack of energy) and the price long-term (early death and a great chance of diseases).

“​​Quality is a byproduct of consistency," he adds. "If you want to live longer, stop chasing the amount of sleep and start mastering the timing of it."

So below, we'll cover habits that can improve your sleep regularity, and look into how the best sleep trackers can help you ace that consistent sleep schedule...

How to find your sleep consistency score

As I mentioned earlier, my sleep tracker, an Oura Ring, doesn't let me get off lightly when I have a late night. It sends me notifications reminding me I should be asleep and deducts points from my sleep score if I sleep at irregular times, even if I clock eight hours.

That's why a reliable sleep tracker is such a handy tool for maintaining that all-important, and potentially life-extending sleep schedule. All the best trackers measure sleep regularity and take consistency into account when calculating your nightly sleep score.

“Sleep tracking can be useful because it turns something invisible into measurable data," emphasises Dr. Ro. "Wearable trackers can highlight patterns such as bedtime variability and sleep timing drift. When people see those patterns clearly, it often motivates them to create more consistent sleep habits.”

Here's how to find your sleep consistency metric on popular health trackers:

Oura Ring

Oura measures sleep consistency by tracking the regularity of your bedtime and wake-up times. You'll find a dedicated sleep timing measurement in your sleep report.

After 90 days of constant wear, Oura learns your natural chronotype and will align your sleep timing with this data under the 'Body Clock' tab.

Apple Watch

Your bedtime is one of three key metrics that go into calculating your Apple sleep score. In the sleep section of the Apple Health app, you can view how close your bedtime was to your average.

Whoop

The fitness and performance focused Whoop band delivers a 'sleep consistency' percentage under the sleep tab. This percentage reflects how similar your bed and wake times are over a rolling four-day period.

Garmin

Although there isn't a dedicated sleep consistency measurement in the Garmin sleep report, you can view your detailed breakdown of sleep times and stages to manually cross-check your consistency.

How to improve your sleep consistency score

So, you know sleep regularity enhances your chances of living a longer, healthier life, and you know where to find the metric on your sleep tracker of choice. But what can you do, starting tonight, to improve your sleep consistency?

Strap in, I've got the tips and tactics from the experts...

The 7:1 Rule

Of course, it's nigh-on-impossible to fall asleep at the exact same minute every night, so experts recommend a one hour window around sleep and wake times.

Obtaining 7 hours of sleep per night within a 1-hour window is one of the key sleep behaviours recommended by Vitality researchers for extended life expectancy. Dr. Ro also highlights that avoiding large timing swings helps maintain circadian stability.

This one hour window takes the pressure off falling asleep as soon as you get into bed. Instead of panicking about getting to sleep right on time, prioritise maintaining a calming nighttime routine. Once this routine is established, your body should get used to winding down at roughly the same time each night.

Anchor your morning

Dr. Ro says locking in a stable wake time, and exposing yourself to sunlight soon after waking, is the best starting point for avoiding sleep deprivation and getting better sleep.

“Natural light exposure within the first thirty minutes after waking helps reinforce the body’s internal clock,” he explains. Essentially, the sunlight tells you brain it's time to be alert.

Light, along with waking at roughly the same time each day, signals the brain when to release cortisol in the morning and when melatonin should rise later that evening. "Once that rhythm stabilizes, the body naturally begins to develop sleep pressure at a predictable time at night," says the Texas-based physician.

That means you fall asleep fast and reap the health benefits of a consistent sleep schedule. It's a double win.

Don't over-correct

Now, I had a pressing question for the experts: There are people who cannot perfectly control their sleep schedule (new parents and shift workers, I'm thinking of you), so what is the most important anchor for them: bedtime or wake time?

"The biggest anchor is a consistent wake-up time," confirms Miller, and you should "protect this at all costs." Experts now agree it's better to wake up at your usual time, even if you have a late night, and take a 20-minute nap later than to "sleep in" and shift your rhythm.

The founder of Eternum Longevity Center advises: "Try to schedule 7 to 9 hours in bed if possible, but wake up at the same time every day, even weekends, regardless of bedtime."

Admittedly, skipping a couple of hours sleep one night isn't great, but throwing off your circadian rhythm for the following few nights can lead to accumulating a bigger sleep debt.

The best tech to help you maintain regular sleep times

As tech gurus here at Tom's Guide, we're always keen to wax lyrical about gadgets that improve our sleep routines.

Focussing on the fact light and temperature are two of the biggest factors that influence sleep, here are our tried-and-tested products — all of which can help you get to bed, or get up, on time...

A SMART BED: With features like temperature monitoring to enhance your sleep quality, smart beds like the Eight Sleep Pod, can help you drift off and wake up at consistent times. "I’m a massive advocate for bed coolers like the Eight Sleep Pod 5. Being able to thermally regulate your environment is a game-changer," says Miller.

SMART LIGHTING: If you're looking to upgrade your home for better sleep, Philips Hue lights are a great place to start. With built-in sunset features, these lights can be programmed via the accompanying app to dim in the evening. Being in a darker room can to help promote melatonin release and aid you in feeling sleepy on time.

A SUNRISE ALARM CLOCK: Come morning, the best sunrise alarm clocks, like the Hatch Restore 3 or Lumie Bodyclock Shine 300, can help you hone a consistent wake up time. Gradually getting brighter over a set period of time, they are particularly effective on dark mornings as they simulate a sunrise and help you wake more naturally compared to a blaring alarm.

SMART BLINDS: And when the mornings naturally get brighter, smart blinds are a great home improvement. Typically controlled via apps or home smart assistants, you can set them to let in light at the same time every morning.

When I started using my first Apple Watch to track my sleep, I thought I was doing everything I could to get the most accurate results possible; I always used the Apple Watch's vital settings for precise sleep data, for example. But I was completely oblivious to my bad Apple Watch habits that were secretly interfering with its accuracy.

As one of the best sleep trackers on the market, the Apple Watch offers key features that can boost your sleep. However, keeping your Apple Watch in top condition for optimal sleep tracking performance is all down to you.

I learned that the hard way, making little-known mistakes that I didn't realize were skewing my sleep tracker data — until I noticed some things that didn't add up. So, learn from my mistakes with this guide to avoiding bad lifestyle habits that get in the way of sleep tracking accuracy, plus how I'm keeping my Apple Watch in shape so it can live up to its potential.

• Read more: Experts explain why your Apple Watch tracks your wrist temperature during sleep — 5 key things it can tell you

5 Apple Watch habits to avoid for better sleep tracking accuracy

1. Not wearing your Apple Watch's band properly

Let's start with possibly the most common Apple Watch mistake: not checking the fit of the strap is right. Because while we all have comfort preferences, the wrong fit can impact your tracking data.

Your Apple Watch's strap should accommodate your wrist size, but an Apple Watch that fits too tight or too loose can impair the sensors' job.

According to Apple Support, you should wear the Apple Watch in a way that's "not too tight, not too loose, and with room for your skin to breathe."

Afraid that the watch would slip off in the night, I initially pulled my Apple Watch's strap so tight that it caused irritation. To fix this, I overcompensated by loosening the strap too much.

As a result of the loose fit, the Apple Watch's face (otherwise known as its monitor) started to slide down to my hand or to the bottom of my wrist — a huge problem as the sensors only work when it sits on the top of your wrist. Also, make sure your it's positioned above your wrist bone (towards your elbow rather than your hands).

Basically, the Apple Watch must maintain constant skin contact for accurate results, but not so tight that it causes discomfort or prevents your skin from breathing.

2. Charging my Apple Watch at the 11th hour

Now, it may seem obvious that your Apple Watch will need some juice to track sleep accurately (because it is obvious). But if you're anything like me, it's likely you have a habit of charging your devices at night while you sleep.

Nocturnal charging is all well and good for phones and laptops, but for accurate sleep tracking, it's not surprise you need your Apple Watch out of its charging nest and onto your wrist. The amount of times I've had to postpone my bedtime waiting for my Apple Watch to charge at the last minute is more than I care to admit.

To prevent the battery dying overnight, I've made charging the first step of my evening routine. Putting my Apple Watch on charge before I start my nighttime routine gives it enough time to gather the energy needed to track seven to nine hours of sleep.

Alternatively, set charging reminders on your phone to give you a nudge.

3. Forgetting to update

I allow my iPhone to automatically update while I sleep, as it's typically locked, connected to the WiFi and charging at this time. The Apple Watch needs the same settings to update — and I quickly discovered that it's not possible to automatically update overnight when it's strapped to your wrist.

I'm awful at remembering to update manually, and this can cause major issues. Software updates are important for accuracy: they improve the interpretation of sensor data, fix any bugs, and introduce new health metrics.

I now check my Apple Watch app's settings to see if there are any updates available and pay attention to my Apple Watch's reminders to install.

4. Forgetting to clean it after exercising

As it's more than just a sleep tracker, I often wear my Apple watch during the day; I love having it track my steps whenever I go for a walk.

However, daytime use can allow dirt, sweat, sun block, and natural body oils to accumulate on the back crystal, which Apple Support warns can impact sensor functionality.

When by chance I glanced at the back of my watch, I was surprised by how grubby it had become through everyday use.

To combat grime buildup, I follow Apple's cleaning advice: "Wipe your Apple Watch clean with a non-abrasive, lint-free cloth. If necessary, lightly dampen the cloth with fresh water."

5. Putting it on straight after showering or applying lotion

I'm a night shower-er — night showering is actually better for your sleep — and I often reach for my Apple Watch not long after stepping out of the shower.

But a build up of moisture and lotion can impact sensor readings, so putting my Apple Watch on a damp wrist covered in freshly-applied body lotion and lavender essential oil roll-on isn't a great idea.

I'm now in the habit of letting my skin absorb lotion for at least five to 10 minutes before donning my Apple Watch, to make sure my wrist is thoroughly dried. And I save my roll-on for my watch-free wrist.

3 good habits for Apple Watch sleep tracking accuracy

1. Cleaning weekly

You can make sure your sensors are clean enough to do their job properly by treating your Apple Watch to a once-a-week clean.

A quick wipe down with a lint-free cloth dipped in water is sufficient for day-to-day wear, but our guide on how to give your sleep tracker a 15-minute deep clean will have even the dirtiest Apple Watch performing better in no time.

2. Always keep it above a 30% battery

I mentioned before that forgetting to charge your Apple Watch is a major bad habit. However you may be wondering how much battery the Apple Watch needs to bring its sleep tracking a-game.

According to Apple Support, the bare minimum is 30%: "Make sure you charge your Apple Watch to at least 30% before bed with Sleep Tracking on Apple Watch enabled".

3. Try to wear it every night

And the most important Apple Watch habit of all? Consistency.

Wearing your Apple Watch every night (with a few skips when it's really not possible) helps your watch to establish a baseline for your normal metrics, allowing the watch to highlight any anomalies and to get to know your sleep patterns better.

I developed a bad habit of doomscrolling in bed once the lights were out, and it's been ruining my sleep and energy levels the next day. And I'm not alone in this: over one-third of US adults doomscroll in bed, according to a recent survey by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Hunting for a solution to kick my bedtime doomscrolling habit, I downloaded the Google Clock app to my Pixel phone. I wasn't expecting much at first, but since using five overlooked sleep features in the app, I've finally kicked my in-bed phone use habit. The pay-off? I'm now falling asleep faster and sleeping through the night.

Here are the Google Clock features that fixed my messy nighttime routine to sleep better than I have in months...

Key takeaways: At a glance

• The Google Clock app acts as a hub for key features that help me fall asleep faster and sleep through the night: Bedtime Mode, Sleep Sounds, Sunrise Alarm, Google Assistant Routine, and Bedtime Activity Audit.
• You can find these features by downloading the Google Clock app from the Google Play Store (your device needs to be running Android 4.4 or higher).
• Bedtime mode, in particular, can help you unwind faster at night. The more relaxed you are falling asleep, the more you'll boost your chances of sleeping through the night (because you won't have any cortisol-fuelled 3 a.m. wake-ups) and feel full of energy in the morning.
• While the Google Clock Sunrise Alarm brightens your phone's screen over a period of 15 minutes until your alarm goes off, it isn't as effective as a 10,000 lux sunrise alarm clock for waking you up gently in the morning.

5 Google Clock features that help me quit doomscrolling to fall asleep faster and sleep through the night

For the longest time, I ignored these bedtime Google Clock features and used the app to just set an alarm and sync it with Spotify so I could wake up to my favorite songs.

However, the following features have reduced the time it takes me to fall asleep (sleep latency), and they're helping me to get a good night's sleep by putting an end to my bedtime doomscrolling:

1. Bedtime Mode

• This feature silences notifications and turns your screen grayscale. While it technically uses Android’s Digital Wellbeing engine, you set it up and toggle it within the Google Clock app.

A 2025 medical report published in Frontiers of Psychology revealed that insomnia levels increase by 59% per hour of using screens in bed.

My mental note on stopping doomscrolling at a particular time worked for a few days, until it didn't. What actually made it an achievable goal was switching on the bedtime mode on the Clock app.

By setting the time you go to bed and wake up in the Clock app, you automatically pause all app notifications, calls and messages for the duration.

The best part? You can still allow selected contacts to interrupt your bedtime in case you're expecting emergency calls or messages.

2. Sleep Sounds

• You can choose to play sounds directly from the Bedtime tab. It integrates with Spotify, YouTube Music, or the Calm app, but the play/stop controls and sleep timer live inside the Google Clock app interface itself.

Falling asleep to soothing sleep sounds is more than a viral trend now. Generally, white, pink, green and brown are the popular sleep sound categories.

These basically include sounds at different frequencies which help set up a relaxing and calm environment, perfect to wind down and fall asleep faster.

If you're someone who finds relaxing sleep sounds to help you fall asleep faster, on the Clock app, you can choose from existing options like waves, deep spaces or contemplation, record your new sleep sound or sync it with your YouTube Music Premium or Spotify playlists.

3. Sunrise Alarm

• This feature is native to the Google Clock app. Over a period of 15 minutes, before your morning alarm sounds, it brightens the screen on your phone from black to yellow-orange.

This is perhaps the biggest feature for Google to introduce, considering how sunrise alarm clocks can help convert the dread of waking up into a much more relaxed process.

All you have to do is switch on the sunrise alarm feature while setting up your bedtime routine. This brightens up the screen gradually, 15 minutes before your alarm goes off, simulating a sunrise.

Pairing this up with my favorite morning song makes waking up less of a chore and more of something I actually look forward to.

However, don't expect the Google Clock Sunrise Alarm feature to compare with an actual sunrise alarm clock that emits 10,000 lux of light to wake you up.

4. Google Assistant Routine

• You'll find this within the Google Clock app’s alarm settings. When you tap it, it lets you 'attach' an action to your morning alarm (like having Google Assistant read out your calendar for the day ahead). Once you've set it up in the Google Assistant menu, you can manage it via the Clock app.

Is productivity something that keeps you up at night? For me, thinking about the next day, the list of tasks I need to finish or even the weather, often delays my bedtime.

Google Assistant comes to the rescue by helping you build a morning routine which works with you to have a great start to the day, sans worrying or rushing.

To activate it, click on the 'routines' feature when you set up your bedtime mode. This will give you several options like enabling the voice assistant to tell you about the weather, your daily calendar, tasks or straight open up media and play the news or music, once your alarm goes off.

5. Bedtime Activity Audit

• This is the graph in the Bedtime tab that shows you how much time you spent on your phone after you were supposed to be sleeping. It takes data from Digital Wellbeing, but you can view the graph and a Recent Bedtime Activity card inside the Google Clock app.

Tracking your sleep can be a good way of understanding your habits and tweaking them along the way to ensure you're getting enough hours of rest your body and mind deserve.

While it does not give data on the specific metrics like the best sleep trackers do, the Clock and Digital Wellbeing app together tell you which apps you use during your scheduled bedtime and provide a bar chart view of your estimated time spent in bed.

If you did not use your phone during bedtime mode, it will say "Didn't use phone."

You can also go the extra mile and activate the cough and snore feature. This will allow the Digital Wellbeing app to use your device's microphone to detect coughing and snoring during your scheduled bedtime.

To do this, click on the three dots next to 'recent bedtime activity', choose the manage data option and select cough and snore info.

How does Google Clock compare to a sunrise alarm clock?

The Google Clock sleep features have successfully helped me fix my bedtime routine, wind down faster and get enough hours of rest to tackle my tasks the next day.

However, there are certain limitations I've noticed.

While the Google Clock app sleep features have significantly reduced my doomscrolling and helped me reduce my phone use at night, I've still been reaching out for my phone as soon as my eyes open in the morning.

Experts say that the sudden overload of notifications can lead to mental exhaustion, brain rot and low energy levels even before you start the day.

On the other hand, using body clock with built-in alarms gives me time to gradually take in my day and move at my own pace, without being suddenly exposed to huge to-do lists.

The simulation is also much closer to a natural sunrise, unlike the one by the Clock App, which isn't bright enough to wake you up on its own.

In fact, I use the Lumie Bodyclock Glow 150, one of the best sunrise clocks we've tested in 2026, as a nightlight— something I can't achieve with my Pixel phone.

The Google Clock app definitely offers a good sleep package, which is convenient while travelling, but on days when you'd prefer a phone detox, relying on specialised sleep tech such as a sunrise alarm clock is the way to go.

3 sleep products I recommend for better sleep

I've been wearing my new Apple Watch to bed for a week now, and I must say I'm impressed. From accurately tracking my sleep stages to giving me gentle nudges to start winding down, the Apple Watch has helped me understand my sleep while showing me key ways to improve it.

Still, as with every time I try out one of the best sleep trackers, I feel there are modes and settings that I'm completely oblivious to — and it could be standing in my way of seeing lab-accurate results.

So, to find out, I've called on Dr. Audrey Wells, Chief Medical Officer at SLIIIP.com and Dr. Joshua Roland, Medical Director at Dreem Health, to give me some helpful pointers. Here, the two board-certified sleep doctors reveal the five Apple Watch settings that increase the accuracy of my sleep tracking.

Key takeaways: At a glance

• The Apple Watch can track your sleep duration and sleep stages, but there are key hidden settings that need to be activated for more accurate results.
• Activating Wrist Detection and Sleep Focus are vital for accurate results, as they allow your Apple Watch to know when you're wearing your device and are intending to sleep.
• Other settings, such as Wrist Temperature and Sleep Apnea notifications, can give you invaluable insights into your health, such as sleep disorders, medical conditions, or illness.
• While research shows that consumer sleep-tracking wearables are improving in accuracy and can give you useful data on your sleep duration and patterns, board-certified sleep physician Dr Wells notes that an Apple Watch won't give you data as accurate as a clinical sleep study's data.

The 5 vital Apple Watch settings for accurate sleep data

1. Sleep Focus

Let's begin with one of the most important Apple Watch settings for your sleep: Sleep Focus mode. In fact, it was the first setting I learned about when I set up my Apple Watch, and while it prepares you for rest by reducing distracting notifications, it's also needed for accurate tracking.

"Sleep Focus mode signals to the watch that you’re intending to sleep, and this allows it to more accurately detect when you fall asleep and stay asleep, rather than misinterpreting late-night phone use or movement as wakefulness," says Dr. Roland, a board-certified sleep medicine physician.

"Without it, the watch may confuse quiet rest, like lying in bed scrolling your phone, with sleep," agrees board-certified sleep medicine physician Dr Wells.

• Read more: Experts explain why your Apple Watch tracks your wrist temperature during sleep — 5 key things it can tell you

2. Wrist detection 

Wrist Detection is another important one as it lets the Apple Watch know you're wearing it and, according to Dr Roland, it's "essentially what allows all the sensors to function properly" when you're wearing the watch to bed.

"Without it, the watch can’t reliably track movement, heart rate, or sleep stages, which means your sleep data may be incomplete or inaccurate," the sleep expert warns.

Dr Wells also agrees that Wrist Detection needs to be on so the Apple Watch can track the "main signals" it uses for sleep. The doctor also reminded me of another essential thing you should do that's outside your Apple Watch settings: wear the Watch correctly.

"If it's too loose or not positioned correctly, the device can’t reliably track movement even with Wrist Detection," she reminds me.

3. Sleep apnea notifications

Okay, so the Sleep Apnea notifications tool is the one setting that I actually can't activate as, according to Apple Support, it's only available on the Apple Watch Series 9 or later, the Apple Watch Ultra 2, or Apple Watch SE 3.

However, sleep tech writer Eve Davies swears it's an essential hidden Apple Watch sleep tracking feature if you or your partner are prone to snoring.

This sleep apnea tool flags potential breathing disturbances during sleep, which Dr Roland emphasizes is important, as you probably don't notice these disturbances yourself.

"Sleep apnea often goes undiagnosed, but it can seriously impact sleep quality and overall health," he explains.

"Having a tool that monitors for irregular breathing patterns can prompt you to seek medical evaluation if something seems off," he adds.

4. Wrist temperature

One of the health metrics (or vitals, as Apple calls them) I was eager to see was the Wrist Temperature measurement. Dr. Roland told me the Wrist Temperature setting was important for assessing my "body's overnight physiology".

"Changes in skin temperature while you sleep can reflect things like illness, hormonal shifts, including menstrual cycle phases, or recovery status," notes the physician.

I was a little disappointed to wake up after the first couple of night and seeing no Wrist Temperature data, but Dr Wells assures me this was normal.

"Wrist temperature doesn’t measure sleep quality or diagnose sleep problems, so think of it as a trend over time, not a single-night insight," she tells me.

Dr Wells says that, as wrist temperature can give you helpful context about you nocturnal patterns (including changes to your overall health and circadian rhythm), "it may be worth paying attention if you notice consistent changes."

5. Charging reminders 

Charging Reminders are a setting you may not even associate with sleep tracking, but it's important for accuracy because, as Dr Wells puts it, "If your watch runs out of battery overnight, you won’t get sleep data."

"The real value of wearables comes from consistent trends over time, not one or two nights of data," says the sleep expert. "So charging reminders help you build that consistency so you get to know your own patterns and the information is actually useful."

3 things my Apple Watch data has revealed about my sleep

1. My average sleep duration is way less than the recommended 7-9 hours

The main draw of the Apple Watch's sleep tracking is seeing how much sleep you managed to get each night, along with amount of time you spent in each sleep stage.

After I started building enough sleep data, the Health app gave me overview of how much sleep I get on average. Today's weekly average? 6 hours and 11 minutes.

Now, some people may be tugging on my neck collar, wondering how on earth I can function on so little sleep. After all, the recommended sleep duration for adults is seven to nine hours. But...

2. ...but my high sleep scores say it's not a huge problem

...I'm scoring pretty high sleep scores on less than seven hours of sleep. Apple Watch sleep scores are basically marks out of 100, categorised into four scoring groups: very low, low, high, and very high. On average, I'm achieving a 'high' score — sometimes even in the 90s.

Of course, your sleep score isn't only calculated on duration. It also takes into account your sleep regularity (for example, going to bed within the same window every night) and how many times you experience nighttime awakenings.

3. Health metrics rule out any sleep disorder

As I mentioned above, there are some tools I can't access (most importantly the Sleep Apnea Notifications), but I still get to see important health metrics on the Vitals app, an Apple Watch app that gives me a daily snapshot of key measurements.

These include respiratory and heart rates and blood oxygen levels, which can provide data used to suggest sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, dehydration, or overconsumption of caffeine or alcohol.

Luckily, my health metrics indicate that I'm not experiencing any sleep disorders, but I know that if I spot any changes outside my typical range, I can use these patterns to identify any problems.

Is Apple watch sleep tracking accurate?

If you're wondering how to make your sleep tracking more accurate, you're probably also questioning how accurate an Apple Watch's sleep trackers are (or how accurate wearable sleep trackers are in general).

Luckily, a study has proven the value of consumer sleep-tracking devices, concluding that at-home trackers have a similar accuracy to research-grade actigraphy when estimating total sleep duration.

Other research even predicts that consumer wearables will "likely provide sleep information on par with actigraphy."

But are we there yet? According to Dr Wells, not quite. "The data should be viewed as an approximation of sleep patterns, not a precise measurement of sleep stages or quality," says the sleep expert.

"Remember that the Apple Watch is estimating sleep based on patterns, not directly measuring brain activity like a clinical sleep study would," she adds.

I recently got my first ever Apple Watch, and while it has a multitude of functions, I've primarily been using it as a sleep tracker. Each night, it's given me high sleep scores (even up to 92 out of 100), despite the fact that I average around six hours of slumber a night.

However, the expert-backed 7:1 sleep rule has shown that sleeping for at least seven hours a night and following a consistent sleep schedule can decrease mortality risk by 24%— which could add up to four years to your life.

That's why I've decided to use one of the best sleep trackers to help me stick to a regular nighttime routine and increase my average sleep duration from six to seven hours. Here's a breakdown of how I'm using the Apple Watch's sleep tracking to meet the 7:1 sleep rule...

• Read more: These 5 overlooked Google Clock app features helped me quit bedtime doomscrolling to get more sleep

Key takeaways: At a glance

• Recent research shows that that getting 7 hours of sleep and falling asleep within the same 1-hour window — dubbed the "7:1 sleep rule" — can lower mortality risk by 24%.
• While my Apple Watch has awarded me sleep scores of up to 92 for less than seven hours of sleep, I'm using its key features to follow the 7:1 sleep rule.
• Functions such as its Sleep Focus mode, Sleep Schedule and Wind-Down Feature help me maintain a consistent sleep schedule and build a calming nighttime routine.
• The Vitals App offers a panoramic view of my overall health, informing me of any sleep issues and their causes, while also illustrating how the 7:1 sleep can improve health and wellbeing.

What is the 7:1 Sleep Rule?

Experts have long recommended that adults should sleep between seven and nine hours a night for optimal health and wellbeing, and a groundbreaking study has recently echoed this advice.

The research, conducted by the the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and insurance company Vitality, found that getting 7 hours of sleep and going to bed within the same 1-hour window can lower mortality risk by 24% if practiced at least five nights a week, .

And it's not the only research that shows how important getting at least seven hours of sleep is to our lifespan. Last year, research conducted by the Oregon and Health and Science University found that getting less than seven hours of sleep can have a worse effect on longevity than a poor diet or lack of exercise.

The 3 key Apple Watch features I'm using to follow the 7:1 Sleep Rule

The Apple Watch's sleep tracker can give you a detailed breakdown of your four sleep stages each night: the N1 and N2 light sleep stages (lumped together as 'core sleep' on the Apple watch), deep sleep, and REM sleep.

However, it's not simply a sleep tracker, it's also a sleep-boosting device that can help you maintain good sleep hygiene.

For instance, Sleep Focus and Schedules on watchOS (the Apple Watch's operating system) can help you keep to a consistent sleep schedule; going to bed within a 1-hour window.

Then there's the Wind Down feature, which can help you stay away from sleep-disrupting habits and distracting iPhone features to reduce revenge bedtime procrastination and help you fall asleep by your chosen time.

However, if sticking to a consistent sleep routine isn't giving you the sleep duration you want, you can identify how long it takes you to fall asleep by using the Health App, which can distinguish between the time you spent in bed vs the time you actually spent asleep.

With all Apple Watches that operate on the watchOS 11 (such as the Apple Watch Ultra that I'm using), you can access the Vitals app only on your Apple watch.

The app, which acts as a snapshot of all your health metrics (it condenses all the vital health data from your iPhone's Health app into a daily health summary), validates the rule as I notice it shows improved Heart Rate and Respiratory data whenever I edge closer to meeting the 7:1 rule.

1. Sleep Focus and Schedules

One of the most important things you should do before tracking your sleep (besides enabling sleep tracking and, y'know, remembering to put your Apple Watch on) is to make sure your watch and phone is in Sleep Focus mode.

This mode prepares your watch for tracking, can silence distracting notifications from your chosen apps (from social media to work emails), and dims and simplifies your watch face and phone lock screen. (My phone's lock screen wallpaper is covered in snoozing emoji faces when Sleep Focus mode).

You can manually activate the Sleep Focus mode via the Control Center of your watch or iPhone, but my Focus mode turns on automatically thanks to the Sleep Schedules function.

This function allows you to set your preferred bedtime and wake-up time, which then creates bedtime reminders and morning alarms.

Both the Sleep Focus mode and Sleep Schedules are helping me to stick to 7:1 sleep by encouraging me to go to bed and wake up within a 1-hour window. This sleep regularity is resetting my circadian rhythm, preparing my body clock for sleep at the right time.

2. Wind Down feature

While the Apple Watch's sleep schedule creates a sleep plan for you, the Wind Down feature helps you stick to the plan by limiting distractions (in a similar way to the Sleep Focus mode) and preparing you for sleep by launching relaxing activities like mediation for calming music.

The great thing about this feature is that you can turn it on just minutes or even hours before your bedtime, and it also activates the Sleep Focus mode outside your sleep schedule.

Mine is set 30 minutes before bed, but a one or two hour wind down is great if you want to stick to the 10-3-2-1-0 rule for longer sleep and consistent routines.

3. Vitals app

Launched in 2024 as part of the watchOS 11 update, the Vitals App provides a condensed view of your health metrics (a.k.a. vitals), such as respiratory rate and blood oxygen levels, as well as your sleep duration.

These metrics give me key insights into my sleep and potential sleep disorders. For example, my blood-oxygen levels are consistently high, meaning I can rule out sleep conditions such as sleep apnea as a cause if my sleep data shows frequent awakenings.

The Vitals App can show you when your metrics are "within typical range" or when your health metrics are higher or lower than usual. The Vitals App can also suggest reasons behind the change. For example, if your heart rate becomes more elevated, the app suggests it could be caused by consuming too much caffeine.

On the flip side, when you follow the 7:1 sleep rule and improve your sleep, your health metrics may improve, such as a lowered heart or respiratory rate.

Why I’m not chasing perfect sleep

It would be remiss of me not to mention one important thing to remember when tracking your sleep with an Apple Watch: Don't use it to chase the perfect sleep because the perfect sleep doesn't not exist.

Becoming fixated with your sleep data will likely exacerbate any sleep issues you're experiencing — this phenomenon even has a name: orthosomnia.

The study behind the 7:1 sleep rule emphasised focusing on the rule for five days a week to help you reap the longevity-boosting benefits, so don't beat yourself up if you sleep in on a Saturday morning or experience a bout of the Sunday scaries. It's all about trying to improve your sleep when you're able (and willing) to.

Besides, tracking my sleep has actually made me feel less worried about my sleep.

Despite an average sleep duration of less than seven hours a night, I'm consistently achieving high sleep scores (sometimes in the 90s), experiencing a normal amount of short nighttime wake-ups, and seeing health metrics that indicate I'm not experiencing any sleep disorders.

Science has even shown that some people are just "short sleepers", thriving on six hours a night without any health drawbacks.

All in all, I'm happy with my sleep, but I'm more than happy to improve it, too.

Ever woken up from what you thought was a solid eight hours sleep, expecting to find an excellent sleep score on your Apple Watch, only to find one lingering in the low 50s?

Firstly, don’t be disheartened. There are several valid reasons why your score may be lower than you expected. It may well mean the sleep you had wasn’t great quality, or you’re making some common sleep hygiene mistakes.

It can also be caused by a device error.

More importantly, there’s plenty you can do to fix these things to improve your sleep health, sleep tracking, and your sleep score.

To help you get to the bottom of why your Apple sleep score may be low even after clocking the CDC-recommended at least 7 hours sleep a night, this Sleep Awareness Week I’ve called upon sleep specialist at Empower Health, Dr. Sahil Chopra, and medical director at digital sleep clinic Dreem Health, Dr. William Lu.

3 reasons your Apple Watch sleep score is low even if you had enough sleep

• 1. Your sleep was light or fragmented
• 2. You're sleeping at irregular times
• 3. You drank alcohol the night before

Dr. Chopra says that, outside of sleep duration, inconsistency and interruptions are the two drivers of a low score.

The California-based intensivist and pulmonologist explains: “Even if someone slept a full 7 to 8 hours, their score can still come in low if their bedtime and wake time have been inconsistent over the past two weeks, or if their sleep was frequently interrupted, even by brief arousals they don't remember.”

Let's dig into why...

1. Your sleep was light or fragmented

Your Apple Watch may report a ‘low’ sleep score despite eight hours in bed because the score heavily weighs sleep quality over total duration — as it should considering research shows sleep quality matters as much as quantity.

“Devices like the Apple Watch look at restlessness, time awake, heart rate, and breathing patterns, not just total time in bed,” explains Dr. Lu. “If you were tossing and turning, waking up frequently, or spending less time in deep and REM sleep, your score will reflect that.”

For your sleep to be of good quality, you must spend ample time cycling through restorative sleep stages like deep and REM sleep (where your mind and body really recovers), rather than coasting through light sleep, or ‘core sleep’, as Apple terms it.

As your watch deducts points for low amounts of REM or deep sleep, your score can drop regardless of total sleep time.

How to fix it

To improve deep and REM sleep, you must follow healthy sleep habits like getting plenty of sunlight during the day, stick to a consistent sleep schedule (more on that below), avoid caffeine late in the day, and follow a calming bedtime routine.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that the Apple Watch is proven to underestimate the duration of deep sleep by an average 43 minutes and overestimate light sleep by an average of 45 minutes compared to polysomnography.

This is according to a 2024 study by researchers in the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School. So, there’s the possibility of a discrepancy between the sleep you actually had and the data you’re given.

• Read more: Experts explain why your Apple Watch tracks your wrist temperature during sleep — 5 key things it can tell you

2. You’re sleeping at irregular times

Sure you may be clocking eight hours a night, but experts continually say sleep regularity (going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time night in, night out) is crucial to getting good sleep and maintaining good health — and your Apple Watch knows this.

Why so much emphasis on regularity? “Because your body runs on a circadian rhythm that thrives on consistency,” says Dr. Lu. Therefore, “a consistent seven and a half hours will leave you feeling better than an erratic eight or nine,” advises the physician.

Consistent sleep timings help regulate your internal clock, so that your body gets used to releasing sleep-inducing hormones at the right times of day.

A well regulated circadian rhythm helps you fall asleep fast, sleep soundly through the night, and wake up on time, feeling restored; hence why it is such an influential factor in your Apple sleep score.

How to fix it

Dr. Chopra adds: “The absence of regularity is associated with a dysfunctional circadian system, and the downstream consequences are significant: cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction, and mental health issues.”

A 2023 study in SLEEP Journal found sleep regularity is actually a stronger predictor of all-cause mortality than sleep duration. The results showed people with the most consistent schedules had a 20% to 48% lower risk of death.

Therefore, experts including Dr. Chopra agree that sticking to a consistent sleep schedule is the single most important thing you can do, not only to improve your sleep health and ace your Apple Sleep Score, but to boost your longevity, too.

“From a longevity and precision medicine standpoint, this is one of the highest-leverage behavioral targets we have,” concludes the Harvard Medical School fellow turned CEO.

3. You drank alcohol the night before

“Alcohol, late meals, stress, or heavy workouts close to bedtime can disrupt sleep architecture, which wearables pick up through changes in heart rate variability and movement,” explains Dr. Lu.

Alcohol is specifically harmful to sleep quality because it acts like sedative, so you fall quickly into what you think is a deep sleep. But plenty of scientific studies suggest the initial sedative effect of alcohol will wane as its levels in the blood decrease.

This means that while there may be a reduction in sleep onset latency (the time it takes to fall asleep), your sleep is more likely to be disrupted later in the night.

After drinking, your nighttime heart rate increases (your body must work harder to get rid of the alcohol), which can fragment sleep and stop you entering those restorative and REM stages.

Therefore, your sleep is not helping to flush out toxins in the brain or repair muscles, so you wake up groggy rather than well rested.

Your Apple Watch identifies potential alcohol consumption by tracking significant overnight changes to physiological metrics like elevated heart rate and decreased heart rate variability (HRV). When these metrics deviate from your baseline, your sleep score decreases.

How to fix it

If you want to have an alcoholic drink, or eat a heavy meal, do so earlier in the evening and well away from bedtime.

This will give your body enough time to stop breaking down the alcohol, and to digest your food, so that come bedtime it can focus on the business of helping you to sleep, rather than spending energy getting rid of toxins and aiding digestion.

According to Clinical Psychologist Dr Leah Kaylor: "It's best to stay away from alcohol at least three to four hours before your usual bedtime."

Some drinks are worse for your sleep than others. Dr Paul Daidone, Medical Director at True Self Recovery told us this when speaking about the effects of alcohol on sleep: "A very small amount of alcohol — one serving (5 oz) of wine, one bottle (12 oz) of beer, or one small serving (1.5 oz) of liquor — is less likely to interfere with sleep significantly if taken earlier in the evening.

"Low-alcohol beer or red wine, which are lower-strength drinks, will interfere less with sleep than stronger liquors," he explained.

Eating your largest meal of the day for breakfast (known as breakfasting like a king, a metabolism hack that helps avoid 3am wake ups), and your smallest at dinner, can also help you sleep better.

Digesting food raises your core body temperature, which can make it harder to fall asleep. Digesting spicy, rich foods can also wake you up through the night, especially if you have GERD symptoms.

So eating lighter meals in the evening helps make this process easier and doesn't raise your temperature too much right before bed.

The best foods to help you sleep are those naturally brimming with sleep-friendly nutrients and minerals such as magnesium, b vitamins, and tryptophan.

Aim to load up your dinner plate with foods like spinach, peppers, black beans, turkey, and roasted veggies, and banana for pudding.

What your Apple sleep score means

Every morning, the Apple Watch — worn by over 129 million people globally from serious fitness enthusiasts to people interested in their general health — rates your rest on a scale of 0 to 100.

That means, nowadays, the first thing many people do in the morning is check Apple’s verdict on last night’s sleep. But what does this score mean and what goes into calculating it? Let’s dig in…

Apple was in fact late to the sleep score party, only introducing the feature with the drop of watchOS 26 in September 2025.

The score, out of 100, is calculated by analyzing several different sleep metrics — overall sleep duration compared to time spent in bed, the frequency and duration of wake periods through the night, and how close your bed and wake-up time is compared to your average.

Apple categorizes your score in one of five categories from ‘Very Low’ (0-40) to ‘Low’ (41-59), ‘OK’ (60-74), ‘High’ (75-89), and ‘Very High’ (90-100).

The score is built from three key factors, each with a different weighting:

• Sleep Duration (up to 50 points): The biggest contributor to your score, your Apple Watch measures how long you actually slept, rather than time spent in bed, and compares it to your sleep goal. The amount of points you collect (out of 50) depends on how close you are to that target.
• Bedtime Regularity (up to 30 points): Apple tracks how consistent your sleep timing is from night to night. Going to bed at wildly different times — even if you get eight hours shut eye — will cost you points.
• Interruptions (up to 20 points): Brief awakenings through the night are a normal part of a healthy sleep cycle, but too frequent or long periods awake reduce the restorative nature of sleep. Hence, Apple measures the number and duration of interruptions in your sleep and scores accordingly.

Perceived sleep quality > Sleep tracking data

As mentioned above, you shouldn’t take the data as the be-all and end-all. “The Sleep Score is a crude composite metric that gives you a rough sense of the relative health of someone's sleep. But it also has blind spots that we need to be aware of,” Dr. Chopra reminds us.

Therefore, these wearables shouldn’t absolutely govern your perception of your health and performance. Your energy levels and mental clarity give a strong indication of how well you slept, despite what the data says. No orthosomnia here.

Wearable trackers are, however, helpful tools to keep you accountable around your sleep hygiene and activity levels.

Your Apple Watch can help you monitor your sleep patterns from night to night and understand how your habits may help or hurt your sleep.

Explaining its sleep score, Apple itself states: “The classification is not necessarily an indication of how you feel when you wake up, but can give you a sense of whether or not your body got the sleep it needed to rest and restore itself.”

Dr. Chopra emphasises they should be used as a tool for self-awareness, not as a diagnosis. “Sleep trackers are good at surfacing patterns. Maybe you notice your score drops every time you have alcohol, or that your consistency falls apart on weekends. That kind of data-driven behavioral feedback is very valuable,” he says.

“But don't let the number become a source of anxiety. We see patients who lose sleep worrying about their sleep score, which is counterproductive.

"Focus on the fundamentals: consistent bed and wake times, a cool and dark sleep environment, limiting alcohol and screens before bed.”

How to check your Apple sleep tracking settings are accurate

If your sleep quality and schedule are both in check, you feel like you’re sleeping well and waking up with energy, the other explanation for your low score could be a wearable error.

From getting the right fit to enabling six crucial sleep settings, there are several things you can fine tune to ensure you're getting the best sleep tracking from your Apple Watch.

First you want to make sure your watch is sitting securely, and comfortably, through the night. Poor sensor contact can skew your sleep data as the built-in accelerometer may interpret your movements and any restlessness through the night as awakenings, decreasing sleep efficiency and, therefore, your overall score.

Moreover, you can turn on settings like Wrist Detection (enables overnight heart rate tracking) and blood oxygen monitoring in the Apple Health app.

Both these features are vital for detecting different sleep stages, which shape the quality of your sleep. Without this recording and data being accurate, your sleep score won’t be a true reflection of your rest.

Although we shouldn’t take them as gospel, your sleep score does provide a helpful reflection of how well your body has rested and recovered overnight.

As a sleep tech writer I do get solid rest on the whole. But after a busy festive period, I came into this year with the intention of really focusing on my sleep and recovery to help prepare me for the spring marathon I’m training for.

I’ve made three significant changes to my sleep in the last week and it seems like they’re paying off – last week I finally bagged a 97 sleep score on my Apple Watch, one of the best sleep trackers I've tested.

That’s the highest score I’ve earned in a long time. And it’s all down to a little discipline and mindfulness around my sleep and bedtime routine. Here’s what I’ve been doing…

• Read more: These 5 overlooked Google Clock app features helped me quit bedtime doomscrolling to get more sleep

The 3 changes that bagged me a 97/100 sleep score on my Apple Watch

After dialling in on my sleep hygiene and fine-tuning my bedtime routine, my scores have improved through February and into the beginning of March.

How exactly did I supercharge my sleep? Let’s dig in…

1. I got into bed later in the evening

While you may think darker evenings mean better sleep (it’s true we need darkness for sleep hormones like melatonin to be released), they actually made my sleep worse.

That’s because I was getting into bed too early. In the depths of winter in the UK, 7pm can feel like midnight; it’s already been dark for 3 hours, it’s too cold to go out, and the thought of curling up under the covers is all too inviting.

Falling into the trap of getting into bed two hours before my intended sleep time clearly took a toll on my sleep quality.

After lounging around in bed, scrolling on my phone or watching something on Netflix, I found myself feeling wired rather than tired by the time my actual bedtime came around.

Now, I’ve reinforced expert advice around keeping your bed a sleep sanctuary and training your brain to associate it with sleep.

I’m making a conscious effort to spend more time relaxing in the living room rather than my bedroom in the evenings. This simple switch has made it easier for me to fall asleep fast when my head hits the pillow.

2. I turned off my 5.30 a.m. alarm

Thanks to my sleep-central algorithm, I’ve seen a lot of content on social media lately revealing the truth behind 5 .a.m. wake ups — once a token of productivity and success, they’re now recognised as a path to burnout and energy crashes.

This post from Emily Austen, podcast host and author of Smarter: 10 Lessons for a More Productive and Less-Stressed Life, got me thinking about my own sleep routine…

Last year, I was waking up super early to cram an early run in before a long commute. A recent change in work circumstances has meant I no longer have such a long commute and I’ve now been afforded more time in the mornings.

Instead of sticking to that super early alarm, I’ve shifted my wake up time to around 7 a.m., and I’m seeing the benefits in my sleep.

I don’t know about you but an early alarm causes me a lot of anxiety the night before — what if it doesn’t go off? What if I sleep through and don’t make my train? Without that anxiety, I’m now drifting off easier and not waking up in a panic at 4 a.m.

3. I kept my phone out of my bedroom

If you’re prone to revenge bedtime procrastination and often find yourself scrolling into the small hours, this is a key sleep habit to adopt.

Experts advise banning your phone from your bedroom to preserve your sleep and your mental health.

Not only is scrolling, flicking, or swiping literally addictive, but the content we tend to consume online is stimulating (those funny reels) as well as distressing (those news headlines). In other words, it’ll get in the way of peaceful sleep.

To clear my mind before bed and kick my doomscrolling habit, I’ve been putting my phone on charge outside my bedroom. Instead I’ve been reading at least 10 pages of a book before going to sleep, and using a sunrise alarm clock to wake up.

Lulled to sleep by reading, I’m finding it easier to stick to a consistent bedtime and I’m falling asleep faster.

Not having my phone in the room means that when I briefly wake up during the night I can’t check the time. Instead of making mental calculations, worrying about how many hours I’ve slept and how long I’ve got until my alarm rings, I’m calmly nodding back off.

My average sleep score before I made these changes

I’d describe myself as a good sleeper. But after a busy December and stressful January, my sleep scores and my perceived sleep quality were beginning to slip.

I just wasn’t getting the sleep my mind and body needed, especially considering I’ve been training for my next marathon.

And the Apple Watch was picking up on my sub-par sleep.

Here’s an example of an average night’s sleep score for me in December and January (before I implemented the above changes in my sleep routine), compared to last week’s average scores...

Thanks to the Apple Watch settings to help you follow the 7:1 sleep rule, I’m now sleeping an ideal seven and a half hours sleep and, crucially, that sleep is of good quality with less interruptions.

When you look at the sleep stage data below, you can see my sleep cycles are much more stable.

I’ve spent ample time in restorative deep sleep and REM sleep stages rather than getting fragmented, less restorative core sleep — and this is down to better preparing my body and mind for good sleep.

Safe to say, I’ll be sticking with these three key changes to my sleep habits for a while to come yet.

Checking my Apple Watch sleep tracker has become an integral part of my morning routine — I love knowing what happened overnight to prepare me for the day. But one metric always seems low, leaving me worried a lack of Deep Sleep will cause my energy levels to crash by lunchtime.

Alongside hours in bed, the best sleep trackers observe the type of sleep you're experiencing during the night. My hours in light sleep, or Core Sleep on the Apple Watch, always dominate the night.

Deep sleep, on the other hand, is just a fraction of my sleep cycle. As this stage is vital for recovery and memory, I was worried I was missing out on some important shut-eye.

I contacted the experts — Dr. Jade Wu, board-certified sleep psychologist and Mattress Firm sleep advisor, and Dr. Chris Allen, Sleep Science Advisor at Aeroflow Sleep — to find out what my deep sleep scores mean and why I shouldn't be worried at all.

My Apple Watch sleep scores

The Apple Watch's sleep settings track four sleep stages: Awake, Core Sleep, REM Sleep and Deep Sleep.

I spend most of the night in Core Sleep (Apple's term for light sleep, chosen to offset the potential negative implications of 'light' sleep.) I frequently clock up five hours of core sleep in a night.

In comparison, I often spend between just one to two hours in the deep sleep phase.

That seemed like a significant, and worrying, difference. But was I just misunderstanding the data?

What do my Apple Watch Deep Sleep scores mean?

Deep sleep is a restorative stage of sleep, so I was concerned at how little of it I appeared to get each night. However, speaking to the experts has reassured me that I don't need as much deep sleep as I assumed.

Dr. Allen notes that for someone sleeping the recommended seven to nine hours per night, only around one to two of those hours will be spent in deep sleep.

That aligns with my Apple Watch sleep scores, as I'm consistently hitting at least an hour spent in deep sleep.

Dr. Wu also points out that if I feel like I'm missing out on deep sleep, it's likely related to my overall sleep cycle.

"If you feel like you’re 'lacking' deep sleep, the best approach isn’t trying to force more of a specific stage," says Dr. Wu. "Your brain naturally adjusts sleep stages based on what it needs. Instead, focus on protecting overall sleep quality."

What is deep sleep?

Deep sleep is one of the key stages in your sleep cycle, alongside light sleep and REM sleep.

"Deep sleep is the stage of sleep known as slow-wave sleep (also called N3/N4, delta sleep, or slow wave sleep)," says Dr. Wu. "It’s the deepest stage of non-REM sleep, when the brain’s activity slows into large, slow waves and the body is doing a lot of its physical recovery work."

Dr. Allen agrees that it's the most physically restorative stage of the sleep cycle. "This is when growth hormone is released, tissues are repaired, muscles recover, and the immune system strengthens," he notes.

As well as physical restoration, Dr. Wu points out that during deep sleep the brain is able to "consolidate and organize information from the day," helping us learn and remember.

"Deep sleep is not just 'nice to have', it’s foundational to long-term health," says Dr. Allen, a board-certified Sleep Medicine Physician.

How much deep sleep do we need and why?

As deep sleep is such an important period for recovery, I assumed I needed a lot of it to keep my brain and body in top condition.

However, a good night's sleep cycles through many sleep stages and as the experts explain, I don't need to spend the majority of the night in deep sleep to feel its benefits.

"For most healthy adults, deep sleep typically makes up about 15–25% of total sleep time," says Dr. Allen, a statistic Dr. Wu agrees with.

That averages at one to two hours of deep sleep every night, or roughly 90 minutes.

Dr. Wu also notes that with a regular sleep schedule, you body will intrinsically allow the most necessary stages of sleep to take priority.

"The brain automatically adjusts how much of each stage of sleep we get depending on our needs of the moment," says Dr. Wu. "As long as you are generally sleeping in safe and non-disruptive environment, keep a regular sleep schedule, and have enough opportunity to sleep, your body should get enough of each type of sleep and will adapt to the types of sleeps most needed."

Does the amount of deep sleep we need change with age?

Our sleep changes with age and as a result, our deep sleep needs also adapt.

"The amount of deep sleep naturally declines as we age," says Dr. Allen. "Children and teenagers spend significantly more time in deep sleep because their bodies and brains are still developing."

Post-childhood, deep sleep needs remain steady though most of adulthood, although the exact requirements will vary from person to person and as a result of circumstances — you might find at certain points in adulthood you require more deep sleep than others.

As we age, our deep sleep needs once again adjust.

"By middle adulthood, deep sleep begins to decrease, and in older adults, it can become quite limited," says Dr. Allen. However, he notes that while the amount of deep sleep we get decreases, the need for it doesn't change.

"While the biological need for restorative sleep remains, aging changes sleep architecture, making it harder to achieve long stretches of deep sleep," he explains. "That’s why older adults often report lighter, more fragmented sleep."

Dr. Wu agrees. She notes that your sleep architecture — the sequence of sleep stages during the night — stays "fairly consistent across the lifespan," but we get less "slow-wave sleep" with age.

As a result, one to two hours of deep sleep is still preferred in older adults but you might find you need to spend more hours in bed to reach this goal.

"Maintain a stable sleep-wake rhythm," advises Dr. Wu, "but be flexible to changes in sleep duration and timing as you age."

What happens if we don't get enough deep sleep?

If your Apple Watch is regularly tracking less than one hour of deep sleep each night, you're lacking a vital sleep stage for restoration and you're likely to feel the impact the next day.

"Without enough deep sleep, the body doesn’t fully repair itself. This can lead to increased inflammation, reduced muscle recovery, impaired learning, and overall fatigue," says Dr. Allen.

These are common symptoms of long-term sleep deprivation and as a result the solution is to target better sleep hygiene overall, such as going to bed around the same time every night or as ditching screens before bed.

"Getting enough deep sleep means getting enough overall sleep, being in a sleep environment that's quiet and dark and comfortable, and keeping a consistent schedule," Dr. Wu advises.

Luckily, there are plenty of Apple Watch settings to help you follow the 7:1 sleep rule, a guideline that ensures you're getting at least seven hours of sleep and achieving good sleep regularity.

Deep sleep tracking on the Apple Watch — how does it work?

Apple uses a complex algorithm to determine which sleep stage you're in during the night.

The Apple Watch features 3-axis accelerometer signals that observe motion, including small movements generated by breathing.

Every 30 seconds, the Apple Watch feeds this data to an algorithm which uses these signals to determine which of four stages you're in: deep sleep, REM sleep, core (light) sleep, or awake.

The Apple algorithm was trained using laboratory and at-home polysomnography tests, to determine accuracy.

However, it's still only an estimation and your Apple Watch doesn't always get the sleep stages right. It's best to view your Apple Watch sleep results as guidelines, rather than exact mapping.

Sleep trackers can help you understand your rest and find areas of improvement but if you're regularly failing to meet your sleep goals, we recommend speaking to a healthcare professional for targeted advice.

"If you’re frequently struggling to stay asleep, feel unusually sleepy during the day, or have red flags like loud snoring, high blood pressure, morning headaches/jaw aches, or dry mouth, consider getting screened for a sleep disorder like obstructive sleep apnea," advises Dr. Wu.

Bright lights, flashing colors, exciting sounds — my phone is an amusement park of temptation when I'm trying to sleep. And just like an amusement park, too much time on it leaves me dry-eyed, bleary and disorientated.

I've tried various blue light filters but they've never got to the heart of the matter: a good scroll is just too enticing.

Add on recent research suggesting blue light isn't the sleep saboteur we thought it was, and I was looking for a new way to kill my phone addiction.

And I think I've found it. Grayscale mode is the snoozefest your phone needs. Here's how to set up the Grayscale filter on your phone.

• Read more: Reading in bed was keeping me awake, but this $16 gadget helps me fall asleep before I can even finish my chapter

What is grayscale and how does it help you sleep

Grayscale mode essentially bleeds the color from your phone, making those eye-catching apps a little less compelling.

So what can it do for you sleep?

It's estimated that around 86% of us use our phones in bed before sleep, with the average American scrolling for 38 minutes during their nighttime routine. And using your phone in bed is associated with insomnia, with one study finding using your phone in bed increases your insomnia risk by 59%.

But research suggests greyscale mode can help curb screen addiction before bed.

For a start, grayscale screens are boring. The filter makes your phone flat, images are harder to identify and the siren call of bright colors are removed.

Board-certified optometrist Dr. Meenal Agarwal explained to Apartment Therapy that "grayscale dulls the dopamine-driven appeal of apps like Instagram or TikTok, making your phone less addictive," and that less time on your phone also reduces "digital eye strain."

Grayscale is also easier on the eyes, particularly if you pair it with the white point hack I'll dive into below.

How to set up greyscale on your iPhone

1. Open the Accessibility menu

First, locate the Settings app and click on it, then scroll down and click on the Accessibility menu.

2. Head to color filters

From the Accessibility menu, scroll down to and select Display & Text Size. Next, look for the Color Filters option and click on it. (You might want to tap on that Reduce White Point toggle as well — I'll explain why below.)

3. Turn on grayscale

Find the Color Filters toggle and turn it on. This will bring up a list of options. Select Greyscale and your phone will instantly turn to lack and white. You can also adjust the intensity, if you want.

Other methods to improve your pre-bed phone use

Now scrolling through your phone is like looking at the most boring silent movie. Instagram has lost its pizazz, TikTok has no more dazzle and even the Tom's Guide homepage is lacking some sparkle.

But if you want to take things up a notch, follow these additional tips:

1. Turn down white point: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and scroll to Reduce White Point. Shift the slider to the left and the brightness will dim.
2. Set up a trigger: Go to Settings > Accessibility and scroll down to Accessibility Shortcuts. Click on it and select Color Filters and Reduce White Point. When you click the side button three times, you can quickly turn these features on (or off.)
3. Set up Sleep Focus: Sleep focus (found under Settings > Focus > Sleep Focus) shuts off the most enticing parts of your phone. You can find out more in our guide to sleep focus on your iPhone.

My experience with grayscale

I'm absolutely a victim of the dopamine hit that scrolling through social media provides, addicted to "just one more" post.

Grayscale had a positive impact from the moment I toggled it on.

For a start, it's harder to navigate your home screen on grayscale. The apps don't stand out much against the background, meaning I'm less tempted by one last peek at Instagram.

I'm also less inclined to get lost in the brain-buzzing excitement of social media. I often found too long on TikTok left my thoughts racing before bed but short form videos just don't hit the same in black and white. After just a few clips, I find myself putting the app down.

It's not a perfect solution — a Wikipedia deep dive is enticing in any color —but when combined with a Reduced White Point, my phone is no longer the glowing enticement is once was.

If you use an Apple Watch to track your sleep, there's one stage of sleep that you might be confused by: core sleep. So what is it exactly and how much do you need?

The Apple Watch 10 offers up in-depth data surrounding how long you’ve slept, how often you wake up, and how your time is divided across different sleep stages.

Within those stages, Apple groups your sleep into awake, REM, core, and deep — labels that might make sense at first glance, but down the line often raise more questions than they answer.

One term in particular tends to confuse people: core sleep. It’s an unusual choice of wording, because most other sleep trackers don’t use it at all.

To complicate things further, some online definitions describe core sleep as something entirely different or even the opposite of Apple's definition.

Below, we'll dig into what core sleep on an Apple Watch actually means, how it fits into your overall sleep cycle, and which sleep stages are the most useful indicators of sleep quality.

• Read more: Experts explain why your Apple Watch tracks your wrist temperature during sleep — 5 key things it can tell you

What are the stages of sleep?

Before we dive into what core sleep means on your Apple Watch, and which sleep stage you should actually be paying attention to, it’s useful to revisit the four stages of sleep and what they do.

Across a typical night, your body cycles through these stages multiple times.

Each sleep stage plays a different role in physical recovery, brain function, and overall sleep quality. Here they are:

N1 (light sleep)

N1 is the lightest stage of sleep and acts as the transition between being awake and fully asleep. Your heart rate begins to slow, muscles relax, and brain activity starts to change.

This stage usually only lasts a few minutes at a time, and most people spend around 5% of the night in N1 sleep. While brief, it’s important because it allows the body to gradually switch off rather than dropping abruptly into deeper sleep stages.

N2 (light sleep)

N2 is still considered light sleep, but it’s where you spend the largest portion of the night. During this stage, your heart rate and breathing continue to slow, body temperature drops, and brain activity becomes more stable.

N2 sleep plays a key role in memory and learning. Most adults spend around 40–55% of their total sleep time in N2, making it a major contributor to overall sleep quality.

N3 (deep sleep)

N3 is deep sleep, sometimes it’s also called slow-wave sleep, and it’s the most physically restorative stage. This is when the body focuses on tissue repair, muscle growth, immune function, and releasing growth hormone.

Brain activity slows significantly, making this stage harder to wake from. Adults typically spend around 15–25% of the night in deep sleep, with more earlier in the night and less as morning approaches.

REM sleep

REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is when most dreaming occurs and brain activity becomes more active again. This stage is crucial for emotional regulation, creativity, and processing memories.

REM sleep periods get longer as the night goes on, and most adults spend around 20–25% of their total sleep in REM sleep by morning.

• Read more: My sleep tracker says I keep waking up at 3 a.m. but an expert told me not worry as long as my sleep score also shows these 3 things
• Read more: Apple Watch settings to help you follow the 7:1 sleep rule

What is Core sleep on your Apple Watch?

So where does core sleep fit into the stages above? Somewhat confusingly, core sleep can mean different things depending on who you ask. In some scientific and sleep-medicine contexts, people use 'core sleep' to refer to the most restorative, non-REM portion of the night (often associated with deeper sleep).

Apple, however, use the term core sleep differently. On an Apple Watch, core sleep is essentially light sleep, the N1 and N2 stages. Apple has said it chose the label partly to avoid the implication that 'light' sleep is in any way negative.

In reality, core (light) sleep supports learning and memory processes, helps your body settle into deeper stages, and makes up the largest chunk of a typical night. Most people spend roughly 50–60% of their sleep in this stage.

However, if the percentage you're spending in core is higher than that, it could be a sign you’re not spending enough time in deeper, more restorative sleep.

Which sleep stage is most important?

Good quality sleep is dependent on moving through all stages of the sleep cycle in the right proportions, multiple times per night. However, deep sleep is particularly important for immune health, muscle repair, and restoring the body after physical and mental stress.

"Deep sleep significantly contributes to growth and repair by triggering the release of human growth hormone from the pituitary gland, which stimulates the body to rebuild and repair tissues like muscles and bones," Dr. William Lu, a sleep medicine physician, told us during a previous conversation surrounding deep sleep.

That's why kids and teens require more deep sleep, as that's when they're growing. Most adults benefit from around 1.5 to 2 hours of deep sleep per night, though this can vary with age, activity levels, and overall health.

5 ways to get more deep sleep

Experts suggest that 1.5 to 2 hours of deep sleep per night helps us to feel properly rested the next day. If your Apple Watch shows you’re regularly getting less than that, it could mean you need to clock up more deep sleep — here's how.

1. Impose a screentime ban before bed

Blue light from phones, tablets and TVs can suppress melatonin, the hormone that helps signal to your body that it’s time to go to sleep. This can delay falling asleep and reduce the amount of deep sleep that you get.

Ideally, experts recommend avoiding screens for at least an hour before bed. If that feels unrealistic, lowering brightness, using warmer colour settings or switching to just audio content can still help too.

2. Stick to the '7:1' sleep rule

Going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time each and achieving at least seven hours of sleep per night (AKA, the 7:1 sleep rule) helps regulate your circadian rhythm, which is your internal body clock. When your sleep schedule is consistent, your body moves more efficiently through the different stages of sleep, including deep sleep.

That consistency matters even on weekends, when late nights and lie-ins can quietly undo the rhythm you’ve built during the week.

3. Cut down on alcohol consumption

Alcohol can initially make you feel sleepy, but it disrupts sleep quality once you’re actually asleep. Research shows that even two or three drinks can reduce both deep sleep and REM sleep.

Alcohol changes your sleep architecture, meaning you may still clock eight hours but wake feeling groggy, unfocused, or unrested because your brain didn’t spend enough time in its most restorative stages.

4. Practice a pre-bed brain dump

Nighttime anxiety can be a barrier to getting the deep sleep you need, which makes it difficult to both fall and stay asleep. A tried and tested method on the Tom's Guide sleep team is to practice a pre-bed brain dump to avoid rumination.

In a separate room to one you sleep in (to avoid building a negative association with stress and worry), spend three minutes jotting down what's on your mind. That could be the things you're worrying about, your to-do list or reminder. That gives your brain the space to shut down and sleep deeply.

5. Increase your daily activity

Studies show that regular physical activity supports deeper sleep by helping regulate your circadian rhythm and reducing stress. Exercise also triggers physiological changes that make it easier for your body to relax later, such as lowering blood pressure.

That said, very intense workouts late in the evening can be too stimulating for some people, so earlier in the day is usually better if deep sleep is your goal.

CES 2026 is underway and we're already seeing some pretty cool innovations that can help elevate all aspects of your lifestyle. Here, we're zoning in on the tech that promises to unlock better sleep for everyone, from smart mattresses designed specifically to support the development of adolescents to vagus nerve stimulators that stave off nighttime anxiety.

Here at Tom's Guide, our number one piece of advice is to find the best mattress for your needs and budget. But we're also partial to sleep tech and gadgets that speak to a specific problem — whether it's a sunrise alarm clock, reliable sleep tracker or solid pair of sleep headphones.

So we're super excited to see what new innovation come out of CES 2026. Below you'll find the most exciting launches from the annual tech tradeshow so far...

The best sleep tech at CES 2026

Neuro Wellness Youth Bed with AI Health Concierge

The best smart beds and mattresses can help people of any age sleep better. We especially recommend the Saatva Solaire Adjustable Firmness Mattress to seniors looking for phone-free controls and pain relief. But until now, we've never seen a smart mattress geared towards teens. Enter: The Neuro Wellness Youth Bed with AI Health Concierge

Produced by South Korean brand Ceragem, known for its innovative therapeutic thermal massage beds, this smart mattress is designed for adolescents with the aim of supporting their sleep, growth, emotional stability and learning.

How? It uses light, aroma, sound therapy and thermal control to help the user maintain a healthy sleep cycle, clocking plenty of restorative deep sleep. Meanwhile, a patented spinal thermal massage feature is activated before sleep to promote physical growth and brain recovery.

School teachers would approve too, as there is a reminder display allowing teens to review learning material and books before sleep, helping memory and imagination. Top marks!

Sleepal AI Lamp

We've had under the mattress sleep tracking mats (the Withings Sleep Analyzer needs no introduction), but now we have sleep-tracking... lamps?!

Combining the benefits of sleep trackers and sunrise alarm clocks, the Sleepal AI Lamp is a contact-free sleep intelligence system that purportedly helps you understand and improve your rest. Sleep tracking aside, the lamp emits soft glow, and there's certified guided meditation and relaxation modes too to take care of your bedtime soundtracks, creating a relaxing sleep environment.

Developed by Hong Kong's XSmart Century Technology Co. over three years of research and engineering, it combines millimeter-wave radar, thermal and acoustic sensing, and environmental awareness to deliver your individual sleep insights, even when more than one person shares the room.

With our sceptical reviewer cap on, I have a lot of questions here. But the Sleepal AI Lamp has been named an Honoree for a CES 2026 Innovation Award and it connects with Apple HomeKit and Home Assistant.

WillSleep neurostimulation device

From Pulsetto to Nurosym, we've tested wearable vagus nerve stimulators before. But Seoul-based tech company NeuroTx is disrupting the market with the WillSleep device, a non-invasive neurostimulation device that also tracks your biosignals to give personalized stimulation programmes.

The WillSleep device is designed to improve sleep quality through transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS). It sticks to the neck via medical-grade electrode patches and delivers electrical stimulation for 15 to 30 minutes daily.

This stimulation is said to promotes the secretion of neurotransmitters that alleviating symptoms of insomnia, stress, anxiety, and depression without medication.

In our testing, we were sceptical over whether VNS offered a placebo rather than genuine effect, but NeuroTx's 5-week clinical study of the WillSleep device showed an 82% improvement in sleep quality and an 80% reduction in insomnia symptoms.

Tedream sleep tracker

Tedream is a wireless, sensor-packed, soft patch, innovated by Wis Medical, that claims to replicate a full sleep lab study at home.

The adhesive-free patches attach to the forehead, chest, and forearm, without the need for any gels. They simultaneously measures EEG, ECG, EMG, SpO₂, heart rate, respiration rate, snoring and posture.

Giving the best sleep trackers a run for their money, Tedream promises "medical-grade signal fidelity" and "accurate at-home sleep apnea testing" (not yet FDA-approved). Sensor sophistication aside, the patches work similarly to consumer trackers wirelessly transporting data to your smartphone so you can access your sleep reports in real time.

Tedream's Qi wireless charging and reusable design mean you can use these patches night after night to gain a holistic view of your nighttime biometrics.

• Read more: Sleep like a tech billionaire: The smart mattresses and sleep gadgets the world’s greatest are investing in in 2026

As the sleep tech reviewer at Tom's Guide, I've tested 45 sleep products over the past year and got some of my best night's sleep ever.

While fancy sleep tech can indeed elevate your kip, especially if you're looking to target specific problems — trusty sleep earbuds like the QuietOn 4 are a life saver if you're victim to a snoring partner — my first recommendation for restorative rest will always be the best mattress for your body and sleep position.

Besides that, I have a small catalogue of products that I rely on for better slumber. Testing several gadgets a week means I'm picky over which ones I keep around. My bedside can only handle so much tech, after all.

And you're in luck, poor sleepers, as I'm sharing my secret weapons for sleep scores of 100 here...

The top 5 products in my sleep survival kit

1. A reliable cooling mattress

I've been sleeping on the Bear Elite Hybrid mattress, which we name as the best cooling mattress of 2025, for the past three months and I can honestly say it is the most comfortable bed to ever grace my bedroom.

I tend to run hot at night around my period, and my dad insists on blasting the log burner at this time of year so my house is like a sauna by the time I go to bed.

But since I've been sleeping on this mattress packed with Celliant cooling fibers and an airy coil layer, I can honestly say I've stopped tossing and turning at bedtime.

Instead I drift off comfortably and have avoided waking up in a sweaty fluster during the night. Specialist cooling mattresses like the Bear Hybrid may cost a little more than standard beds, but they're worth it for the sleep comfort they offer.

Plus there are plenty of more affordable options out there like the Siena memory foam mattress at $244 for a queen size on Amazon, which performed brilliantly in our temperature regulation tests.

And if you're not ready to upgrade your mattress yet, check out our low-cost cooling hacks for more comfortable sleep.

• Read more: Sleep like a tech billionaire: The smart mattresses and sleep gadgets the world’s greatest are investing in in 2026

2. A quality sunrise alarm clock

It's never easy to wake up on dark mornings, but the best sunrise alarm clocks make it more bearable. Simulating a sunrise inside your bedroom followed by a soothing audio alarm, a sunrise clock gradually pulls you from sleep so you feel less groggy, and more alert, upon waking.

I've tested half a dozen sunrise alarm clocks over the past year and can tell you you won't get better than the Hatch Restore 3. There's a reason it's the trendiest alarm clock over TikTok right now, but it's rather pricey at $169.99 (and it requires a subscription fee.)

Therefore, if you're looking to stretch your dollars further this new year, I recommend the $59 Dreamegg sunrise alarm clock. It's still sleek and offers a great sunrise simulation as well as calming sleep sounds, for over $100 less than the Hatch — cha-ching!

3. Breathable cotton bedding

Since your core body temperature needs to drop for your brain to release sleepy hormones (melatonin) to fall asleep fast, it's important you create a cool sleep environment.

One of the things I find helps me avoid overheating at night is breathable cotton sheets that allow air to flow through your bed.

Our sheet expert, Becky George, picks the Coop Cotton Percale Sheet Set as the best bedding of the year. She says these sheets prove "high quality, luxury sheets don't need to come with bells and whistles" because "these natural, cotton sheets in a classic weave deliver comfort, softness that's designed to improve with every wash and consistent breathability."

4. A trusty sleep tracker

While tracking your sleep won't instantly mean you sleep better, looking deeper into your nighttime habits and biometrics can help you understand what you need to do to give your body a better chance of getting good rest.

I've spent the year reviewing the best sleep trackers from top brands like Oura, Garmin and Apple. During this, I've discovered the main advantage of sleep tracking is the accountability it provides, encouraging me to stick to a consistent sleep schedule.

Perhaps the greatest lessons I've learnt as a sleep writer is that going to sleep and waking up at the same time night-in night-out is the best way to make sure you get good quality sleep and feel refreshed the following day.

Having my Oura Ring 4 both remind me bedtime is approaching and record my wake up time each morning makes it easier to stick to these regular sleep timings.

5. Red light reading clip

A not-so-obvious sleep accessory but one I've used every night this year is a red reading light clip.

As a dedicated bedtime reader, I'm all for creating a cozy sleep-friendly environment to enjoy while I devour a chapter or two before bed. I tried the Bon Charge blue light blocking reading clip at the start of 2025 and have never looked back.

I've honestly used it most nights of the year and find it does a brilliant job of making me sleepy in the evenings, thanks to the melatonin production it promotes.

It's also super practical if you share a bed. The big light and bright lamps can be switched off to help your partner sleep, while your page is illuminated so you can read.

I’ve been using the Hatch Restore 3 sunrise alarm clock, which is our pick for best sunrise alarm clock, for three months now, and I can say with complete certainty that it is the best gadget I own. Before using the alarm clock, I would wake up tired and groggy in the morning, and unsure why I couldn’t stop tossing and turning all night, only to be rudely awoken by my blaring phone alarm.

The sunrise alarm clock has literally changed everything from how I fall asleep to how I wake up. I even get more sleep when I use the alarm clock and can feel such a difference in how much I’m able to do each day.

The Hatch Sleep app

The Hatch Sleep app is one of the easiest interfaces I have used. All of the information you need is neatly displayed in order of your routine. It starts with the wind-down routine before moving down to sleep and wake-up as you scroll down.

Any changes made in the app are instant, and you can use it as a remote control to adjust the color of the sunrise or sunset, and even the volume of the music. Using it makes me feel like I’m taking my routine into my own hands and have full control.

Gentle wake-up

The alarm clock does an amazing job of waking me up slowly. There is nothing worse than the jarring blare of the alarm on my phone; it is quite literally PTSD-inducing. But with the Hatch Restore 3, I wake up gently with a 15-minute sunrise cycle that works perfectly for me.

The setting I use starts as a dark blue light before gradually becoming warmer and orange. Sometimes the light on its own will stir me awake, and I don’t feel like I’m being cheated out of an extra few moments of sleep. This also puts me in a far better mood for the day.

It’s got the looks

The Hatch Restore 3 is seriously one of the best-looking gadgets I own. The chic design and the mesh front mean it fits in quite literally anywhere. There’s no screen on it either, so when it displays the time and the sun graphics, these come up as small lights through the mesh front.

This keeps everything looking super minimal, and it doesn’t look out of place on my nightstand. The alarm clock is also available in three different colors that are all very neutral, so whichever one you go for, you’ll be impressed by its ability to blend seamlessly.

I would recommend this sunrise alarm clock to anyone who finds themselves battling with early mornings or simply needs a little extra help winding down in the evening.

Anyone in my life can tell you, as soon as the air outside begins to feel a little crisp and the leaves on the trees start turning orange, I can be found on the couch with a cosy blanket watching the Twilight Saga from start to finish.

As I have come to find out while testing what we consider to be one of the best sunrise alarm clocks, the Hatch Restore 3, it’s more than just an alarm clock. It uses light to gently wake you, then plays sound to give you the final nudge to get out of bed. I've also been using the sunrise alarm clock to wind down in the evenings before getting into bed, and having a routine like this in place is making all the difference to my sleep scores.

So while the sunrise alarm clock has become an essential part of my routine, when I heard that Hatch had released a special alarm and cue to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Twilight Saga, I had to try it to fully embrace the “Hoa Hoa Hoa” season.

The first book in the series that was later adapted into a huge movie franchise was released 20 years ago this month, and fans everywhere have been going wild with news of special edition books and re-releases of the movies in theaters across the country.

The Twilight Saga Cue

I selected “The Twilight Saga” sunrise alarm, which uses the intro of the song Eyes On Fire by Blue Foundation, which is more lovingly known by fans of the films as “the Hoa Hoa Hoa song”. This is paired with the Breaking Dawn lighting cue, which starts as a deep blue before lighting up the room with a paler yellow to stir you back to the land of the living.

I was able to alter the lighting cue to come on for as long as I needed before the song played, and after testing a few different options, I decided that 15 minutes of lighting before the alarm went off was best for me, as I would always open my eyes just before the music started.

Because of the lighting, when I woke up, I wasn’t as tired as usual, since it’s not a massive shock to the system like when I use the alarm on my phone. Because let’s be honest, when it’s super dark outside and suddenly your phone starts blaring at you, it feels like a fight or flight situation.

New Moon lighting

The great thing about the Hatch Restore 3 is that, through the app, you can also set wind-down routines. Thai was great for me as I am someone who tends to procrastinate bedtime with a couple more TikToks or a few more chapters of whatever book I’m reading.

So to unwind, I have the same song, Eyes On Fire, playing with the New Moon lighting, which has the same blue, green, and yellow tones as the Breaking Dawn cue, but instead of gradually getting lighter, it switches from light to dark.

I've already watched the Saga from start to finish once this year (and I’m sure I will again), so this has been the perfect addition to my evening routine. It's that little reminder as I get into bed that spooky season is coming. And I can revisit whether I'm team Edward or team Jacob as I fall asleep.

Easy alarms with the Hatch app

What I enjoyed about the Hatch is how easy the app is to use to organise wind-down and wake-up routines. As a dedicated Oura Ring user, I have some experience navigating sleep-based apps to get the most out of them.

With the Hatch app, everything is organized into sections, and you can follow your same routine every single day, or add alternatives for particular days of the week. I track my sleep with the Oura Ring (Gen 3), and since using the Hatch Restore 3, my sleep scores have skyrocketed. Being able to wind down effectively in the evening and then wake up gentry has made all the difference to my daily routine, and that is definitely showing in how restorative my rest is.

You can find out more about the features of the sunrise alarm clock in this full Hatch Restore 3 review.

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• I ditched my Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones for no headphones — here's why I'm going ANC free
• iOS 26 brings live translations to phone calls — and I've got a trick for making it run smoother

I’ll admit, I’m a little skeptical of sleep earbuds. How good could they possibly be? They're often uncomfortable when lying down, particularly for side-sleepers like me. Plus, they can fall out, roll under the bed, and get lost easily. Yet after personally trialling the new Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds, I’m a fully-fledged convert (with some caveats).

Billed as the world’s first sleep earbuds with active noise cancellation (ANC), the A30 earbuds are a third-gen product from Soundcore.

Soundcore seems to have a reputation for cranking out solid products while undercutting more premium rivals, and the A30 sleep earbuds seem to fit this mould to a T (or more fittingly, a Z).

Packing not just ANC for the first time but also a three-stage snore masking system with AI brainwave audio, the A30s promise a better night’s sleep.

And that’s a big challenge in our household of heavy snorers, small children, and a chatty Bengal cat. I tested the A30s for two weeks to see if they really did help with my sleep.

Looking good

You get a fairly light, matte case to house the A30 buds. It’s plastic, but the base is rubberized, the material feels reassuringly solid and, more importantly, non-scratchy.

The top features an embossed Soundcore logo in a matte silver effect. It’s also handy to have the triple-light battery indicator on the side, rather than the single light denoting either green = good or red = dead that other manufacturers bake in.

There’s also the requisite USB-C port on the rear, next to the microphone, but more on that later.

The earbuds themselves are remarkably svelte — they sit pretty much flush with my tragus and antitragus — the bumps just surrounding the ear canal. They’re actually so small I’m concerned about losing them, and they don’t have the Find function that my daily driver Galaxy Buds Pro 2 have.

Custom Zs

Right off the bat, before even opening up the earbud case, I’m impressed with the range of ear wings and ear tips Soundcore provides to secure that all-important ear fit.

There are three sets of ear wings, silicone ear tips, and memory foam ear tips, labeled small, medium, or large. The ear wings feature an extra silicone nub for you to nip and remove easily from the case and your ears — without them, you’d probably need to gingerly pinch the buds and likely have them slip out of your pesky digits due to their slim profile.

The standard silicone tips are for optimal comfort, while the memory foam versions no doubt provide a more solid seal with minimal sound leakage while minimizing the risk of a rogue bud making a bid for freedom mid-slumber.

The A30s feature a three-stage snore masking system. Firstly, the charging case’s microphone monitors for snoring within a range of 5 feet, analyzing the specific sound level and frequency. Next, the earbuds whip up some broad-spectrum audio to cover up the snores. Lastly, the ear and wing tips of the buds themselves serve as passive noise cancellation, with memory foam tips for enhanced sound insulation.

There's also some impressive sleep brainwave audio, which reportedly helps sync your brainwaves with AI-generated calming patterns for better relaxation and sleep. These patterns revolve around six themes, such as Starry Sky, Ocean, Forest, and Inner Peace. Within these, you can further customize their audio density, audio space, and audio brightness.

The snore masking section has more traditional background sounds, with Rainy Alley, Whistling Winds, Neon Bustle, and Plane Engine Hum available to stop you from smothering any noisy partner.

Finally, for those who just want some good ol’ fashioned white noise to fall asleep to, there’s a huge range here, including white noise, pink noise, green noise, the slightly sus-sounding brown noise, warbling birds, and even keyboard clicks.

You can also mix and match up to three and customize the levels of each sound source, creating your own peaceful little cacophony to cozy up to.

I’m a little overwhelmed by the sheer options, but I’m looking forward to seeing how these buds can help me sleep.

I tend to be a heavy sleeper, but often struggle to get to sleep if there’s excess noise getting in the way of my 40 winks. Add to that two kids who like to co-sleep, and you’ve got an oft-noisy bedroom.

First night

There’s not much snoring going on, but I’m taking the A30s for their first flight test.

I immediately make a beeline to fit the medium memory foam eartips, as they have a satisfying suishiness to them. The seal feels fairly firm against my ear, and I can already sense that the passive noise cancellation is doing its thing from the lack of outside noise.

On waking, however, I realized I forgot to switch from Bluetooth to local mode, which can kill the earbuds’ batteries. While the case allows for around 45 hours of runtime without needing to be plugged in, the earbuds themselves last for 9 hours in local mode — if you’re lucky to get that much. However, this time drops considerably when you leave ANC and Bluetooth on — they were completely dead upon rousing.

Week one

I’m getting more used to the app and its tips. It’s bursting with sleep data, including total sleep time, sleep efficiency, how much time I spent in light and deep sleep cycles, how much I rolled over during sleep, and how much snore masking my earbuds had to carry out.

I’m still not quite sleeping as much as I should — the perils of being an absolute night owl — but getting down into the land of nod is at least a fair bit quicker thanks to the relaxing white noise the buds are churning out.

I’m also experiencing some unresponsive touch controls when flipping the ANC on or off, which is a little frustrating. It needs at least one or two further attempts before sorting itself out.

Week two

I’m impressed that the A30 case can analyze previous snoring patterns and suggest the optimal masking profile to help cancel them out. The snore masking has been very effective, though it doesn’t cancel out 100% of those external snores.

I also find the volume of the masking needs to be at least 50%, else some snoring comes through. Generally, though, it’s relaxing listening to a Himalayan downpour (the soundtrack recommended for me), and I don’t need it too loud to drown out my partner’s snoring.

On one of the later days, I woke up needing to use the toilet, and the buds felt a little uncomfortable, so I decided to put them back into their case. This was the only time out of nearly two weeks of use.

One morning, I woke up and panicked when I realized one of my earbuds had fallen out, and I couldn’t find it. Thankfully, the Find Device could play a loud beep in either earbud for me to locate it (folded within the sheets). It’s plenty loud, too, so remember never to try this if you’re wearing your buds.

Also, thanks to an update, I’ve noticed that the earbud responsiveness has been largely improved, though you have to be fairly firm with the double and triple taps, which can grate on the ears.

Daily use

Naturally, I wanted to test out the A30 with my daily tunes, and I’m pleasantly surprised. From bass, mids, and trebles, the clarity is excellent. EJAE’s breathy vocals on What It Sounds Like are crisp and clear. Even its bass response is punchy and clear after a listen to Seven Nation Army, and it was never thrown off during Daft Punk’s Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.

Some mid notes lack that richness and depth that more expensive buds offer, but overall, the entire repertoire is more than adequate. My usual daily drivers are the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 2, and while the clarity of the A30s might be better, they just can’t compete with the detail and engaging atmosphere the former deliver.

Sadly, the controls are limited for regular headboppers. You’re limited to just two inputs per bud: either double-tap or triple-tap. So while you can customize the controls to use two taps for volume up/down and three to skip forward or back, having to tap your ear so many times to execute these basic commands quickly gets tiresome. I realize the A30s are primarily sleep earbuds, but they’re missing a trick not having a long-press function as the volume slider by default, which my Samsung buds offer.

The app also lacks an adjustable equalizer, so there’s no way to bump up the bass or increase clarity in the treble.

Final thoughts

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Thinking back to my time at college, one of the toughest challenges was waking up in time for 9am classes. Now, after reviewing sleep tech for a year, there's one stand-out gadget I'd recommend to make those early starts ten times easier. Enter: a sunrise alarm clock.

The best sunrise alarm clocks I've tested this year are multi-functional devices complete with sleep audio tracks, authentic sunrise and sunset simulations and calming alarm sounds.

From a student-friendly mattress to comfortable bedding, there are many things to invest in for better sleep at college (you can find our list of 35+ back to school sleep products here). But if you're looking for a gadget to elevate your nighttime and morning routine with a budget of $50, here's why I recommend shopping the Odokee sunrise alarm clock in Labor Day sleep sales...

How can a sunrise alarm clock help you at college?

A sunrise alarm clock not only makes waking up easier, but it is also scientifically proven to improve your mood and energy levels. A study by researchers at the University College of London found light exposure during the last 30 min of sleep can increase alertness and improve both cognitive and physical performance after waking - great news if you're heading off to class.

The light gradually increasing over 30 minutes gently pulls you from sleep allowing you to complete your 90-minute sleep cycle before fully waking you with an alarm sound. Reaching the end of a sleep cycle rather than being jolted awake in the middle of one helps you feel less groggy upon waking.

What's more, exposing yourself to sunlight (be it simulated or natural) first thing in the morning helps to align your circadian rhythm. In turn, your body will get used to producing alertness-enhancing hormones like cortisol earlier in the day and sleep-inducing hormones like melatonin come evening, so you feel switched on for classes and sleepy when it's time to wind down for bed at a reasonable hour. That could mean better grades and less time tossing and turning at night as you'll be able to fall asleep fast, even if your dorm room bed doesn't come equipped with one of the best mattresses.

Want the trending sunrise alarm clock instead?

Eight Sleep and Sleep Number are two of the biggest names in the smart bed market. They've both integrated innovative technology into beds to help customers get the best quality, most comfortable sleep possible.

In fact, they're the makers of some of the best smart beds and mattresses you can buy online today. We rate the Eight Sleep Pod 4 smart mattress cover as the best smart bed overall and consider the Sleep Number i8 to be the best value option.

Each brand has its own specialty targeting different sleep needs. For example, Eight Sleep excels at temperature regulation while Sleep Number is the place to go for adjustable firmness. Plus, while the Eight Sleep Pod 4 is generally sold at MSRP, there's 25% off the i8 smart bed at Sleep Number, in the early Labor Day mattress sales.

Because of the advanced tech involved, not to mention price points well above most of the best mattresses, there's a lot to wrap your head around when deciding which smart bed is the right choice for you and your sleep needs. So, here we'll dive into how the Eight Sleep Pod 4 compares to the Sleep Number i8 in terms of smart functionality, design, support, comfort and price.

Eight Sleep vs Sleep Number Bed: price & trials

• Smart beds, so neither comes particularly cheap
• Eight Sleep Pod 4 also requires a monthly app subscription
• Sleep Number has the better benefits, including a 100-night trial and 15-year warranty

Both Eight Sleep and Sleep number are sleep tech innovators, so it shouldn't be any surprise that there prices are well above what you'll pay for most mattresses.

Comprising a smart mattress cover and bedside control hub packing the brand's "previous generation technology", the Pod 4 is now the entry-level model at Eight Sleep. That's not to say it isn't incredibly smart; it's just cheaper (and slightly less advanced) than the newly launched Pod 5 and Pod 5 Ultra.

At MSRP, where it currently sits as Eight Sleep mattress sales are not as persistent as other mattress sales, a queen size Pod 4 will set you back $2,649 and you'll have to budget for a monthly subscription fee to access all smart features the bed has to offer. Prices are tiered at $17/month for a standard plan, $25/month for an enhanced plan or $33/month for the elite plan. The main difference with the first two plans is warranty length (it extends from two year to five years with enhanced); you'll also get an advanced Health Check feature with the elite option. Note: each plan covers two users.

On the other hand, the Sleep Number i8 is a one-and-done purchase without any payment ties for nightly sleep tracking. A queen size is $3,999 at MSRP, but Sleep Number rotates discounts around its smart mattress range. Luckily, there's currently 25% off the i8 bringing a queen to $2,999.25, which is a great price for a bed that you can literally fine-tune to your ideal firmness feel while it tracks your sleep metrics. This isn't the lowest price we've seen on this smart bed (we saw 30% off during President's Day sales this year), but it's a cracking deal nonetheless.

But the $3,000 question is: are Sleep Number beds worth it? Compared to other smart bed systems, you can rest assured you're getting good value for money at Sleep Number considering you get a complete mattress with smart functionality. Plus the benefits you get (we're talking a 15-year warranty and 100-night trial) knock Eight Sleep out the park. That said, hot sleepers should note Sleep Number fall short in terms of climate control.

Eight Sleep vs Sleep Number Bed: design

• Eight Sleep Pod 4 is a smart cooling mattress cover with connected control hub
• Sleep Number i8 Smart Bed is a foam mattress with air chambers
• Both can be upgraded with an additional base

The Eight Sleep Pod 4 is a smart cooling mattress cover (not a mattress). The system consists of two parts: the mattress cover, designed to fit over your existing bed, and the control hub, which sits next to your bed.

The smart cooling mattress cover is fitted with a series of sensors. As well as helping the cover to cool or warm up your bed as needed, these sensors record health and sleep data, which can be accessed via the connected Eight Sleep Autopilot app.

The Sleep Number i8 Smart Bed is a 12-inch tall mattress consisting of multiple foam layers and air chambers. The air chambers are used to adjust the firmness of the mattress, while the layers of foam provide the comfortable cushioning.

Both Eight Sleep and Sleep Number are companies focused on innovation, so of course it's not quite that simple. There are plenty of additions you can make to the Eight Sleep Pod 4 and the Sleep Number i8 to make your bed smarter and, possibly, better.

The Eight Sleep Pod 4 can be upgraded to the Pod 4 Ultra. Featuring the temperature control smart mattress cover of the Pod 4, the Pod 4 Ultra adds a smart adjustable base that sits between your mattress and the bed frame. You can also add a foam mattress and an optional leg kit, to transform your Pod 4 into a full bed. Learn more with our guide to the Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra.

Sleep Number also gives you the option of adding an integrated base. You can keep things basic or you can upgrade to an adjustable base featuring head and foot elevation. And for the ultimate comfort, consider the adjustable bed base with integrated foot warmer.

Eight Sleep vs Sleep Number Bed: support & comfort

• Eight Sleep Pod 4 is a mattress cover that fits over your current mattress
• Sleep Number is an all-foam bed with adjustable firmness
• Eight Sleep Pod 4 makes minimal changes to the feel of your bed

The Sleep Number i8 looks like an obvious winner here, for the simple fact that it contains an actual mattress. Even better, it's a mattress with adjustable firmness, which means it can be altered to suit your needs (even if those needs change every night).

However, the Eight Sleep Pod 4 does have its own comfort benefits. Ultra-thin and made using dynamic materials, the Pod 4 should hardly disrupt the feel of your bed. So if you place it on the best luxury mattress, you can still feel that premium bed beneath.

In addition, reviews indicate that the Sleep Number i8 lacks bounce, which might be an issue if you like to move around in the night. The Eight Sleep Pod 4, which can be used with the most responsive of the best hybrid mattresses, might be a better choice for combination sleepers.

But the Sleep Number i8 Smart Bed does have an ace up its sleeve in the form of its automatic firmness adjustment. This allows the mattress to respond to your needs, feeling softer or firmer depending on your mood, your sleep position that night, and any aches and pains you need to consider. And dual zoning allows you to alter the feel on each side of the bed – so you can call off that sleep divorce.

Eight Sleep vs Sleep Number Bed: temperature regulation

• Eight Sleep Pod 4 provides adjustable cooling and heating
• i8 Smart Bed has good temperature regulation, but no climate control
• Upgrade to the Sleep Number Climate360 for temperature control

Climate control is where the Eight Sleep Pod 4 excels. With the mattress cover you can pick the temperature you fall asleep at, whether you like things icy cold or comfortably cool. The bed adjusts between 55 and 110°F (13 and 43°C), which is why we rate it as one of the best cooling mattresses of the year.

Dual zones allow you to change the temperature on each side of the bed, while smart sensors detect heat fluctuations through the night to maintain optimal sleep temperature. The pod will heat up come morning to suppress melatonin production so you feel less groggy upon waking.

While there are layers of ceramic gel infused throughout the Sleep Number i8 which are meant to draw heat away during the night to keep you sleeping comfortably, our reviewer says the mattress has "poor breathability and heat retention". She found it stifling to sleep on during springtime in Texas, when the days fluctuated between cool and warm temperatures.

Temperature regulation is at the heart of the Eight Sleep system, but Sleep Number does have a comparable options in its range. The Sleep Number ClimateCool and Sleep Number Climate360 offer adjustable firmness and temperature control, so you can completely fine tune the feel of your bed. But they are expensive upgrades: queen sizes have MSRPs of $6,999 and $10,249 respectively.

Eight Sleep vs Sleep Number Bed: Sleep tracking

• Both have in-bed sensors that track your sleep habits and biometrics
• Eight Sleep's sleep tracking is more accurate
• You must pay a premium to access sleep tracking at Eight Sleep — Sleep Number's is included

Sleep tracking sensors line both the surface of these smart bed options, and connect to the beds' respective apps where you can access nightly sleep reports and scores.

Sleep Number sensors monitor when you get in and out of bed, how restless you are (or are not), and the time it takes for you to fall asleep and records your nightly biometrics – heart rate, breath rate, and heart rate variability. The app collates this data to give you a daily SleepIQ Score, reflecting how restorative your rest has been.

We found that it wasn't entirely reliable, however. Our i8 smart bed tester writes: "Over the course of a month, there were four times when I thought that the Sleep Number i8 glitched and did not record my full night of sleep, instead recording that I slept for only a handful of hours, even though I know I had seven to eight hours’ of sleep that night."

Eight Sleep sensors collect similar metrics including time in bed vs time asleep, time spent in each essential sleep stage, sleep latency, heart rate, HRV and breath rate. The Pod 4 also records how much you snore, though it can't mitigate it without the adjustable base add-on.

In the app, you can makes notes about your sleep hygiene habits too to keep track of how things like alcohol, caffeine, late meals and sickness affect your sleep quality. Our Eight Sleep Pod 4 reviewer found her Eight Sleep score mostly married up to scores on other trackers like the trusty Oura Ring 4 and how well rested she felt.

Evidently, both Eight Sleep and Sleep Number offer detailed sleep analysis through their respective apps. But, as per reviews online and judging by our own testing, Eight Sleep's sensors are generally considered more accurate and its app more feature-rich and user-friendly, but remember that they come at a price, in the form of a monthly subscription.

Eight Sleep vs Sleep Number Bed: which should you buy?

Buy the Eight Sleep Pod 4 if...

✅ You prioritize cooling: Incredible temperature regulation is the focus of the Eight Sleep Pod 4, with a water-based temperature regulation system giving you total control over the climate of the bed.

✅ You like the feel of your current mattress: The Eight Sleep Pod 4 promises to slip onto your current mattress, with a thin and dynamic build that means you hardly know it's there. Ideal if you like everything about your bed — apart from the temperature regulation.

✅ You want reliable sleep data: After testing, we believe the Eight Sleep Pod offers more accurate, thorough sleep tracking and didn't experience as many glitches with sleep data.

Buy the Sleep Number i8 Smart Bed if...

✅ Your support needs change regularly: A twinge in the elbow requires some softer cushioning? Or maybe an aching knee could benefit from a firmer support? We don't all have the same sleep needs night after night, and the dynamic firmness adjustment of the Sleep Number i8 reflects that.

✅ You and your partner have different sleep styles: If you lie on your stomach and your partner curls up on their side, it can be hard to find a bed that suits you both. The Sleep Number i8 uses dual zone adjustments to keep the firmness level just right for you and your fussy partner.

✅ You need a whole new bed: Unlike the Eight Sleep Pod 4, the Sleep Number i8 is an actual mattress. So if you want a brand new bed and you only want to make the one purchase, this is your best choice.

Unless you're lucky enough to naturally fall asleep shortly after your head hits the pillow, it's likely you've struggled to fall asleep at some point in your life. Whether as a result of stress or anxiety, noise (snoring, anyone?), a poor sleep environment or something else, not getting to sleep quickly affects many of us.

In fact, the most recent CDC data showed that 14.5% of Americans struggled to get to sleep most days or every day over 30 days. So it's no surprise that the Military Sleep Method has gained popularity, particularly on social media.

This sleep hack claims to help you fall asleep within two minutes, but there is a catch that many people might not be aware of when they see TikTok posts praising its effectiveness. Here, we're speaking to an expert to explore what that the Military Sleep Method is, how you can help make it more effective for you, and other sleep techniques (aside from making sure you're sleeping on the best mattress for you) and tech you can try tonight.

What is the Military Sleep Method? 

Unsurprisingly, given the name, the Military Sleep Method is a sleep hack first employed by the US military in order to assist soldiers in falling asleep more quickly.

"The Military Sleep Method is a relaxation technique reportedly developed by the U.S. Navy during World War II to help pilots fall asleep quickly, even under noisy, stressful conditions," says licensed clinical psychologist specializing in sleep and trauma, Dr. Leah Kaylor.

"It was popularized in the 1981 book Relax and Win: Championship Performance," she explains.

Written by Lloyd 'Bud' Winter, the book details the Military Sleep Method and how it can help you sleep in just two minutes.

One of the big draws of the Military Sleep Method, is the claim that you may have seen in viral TikTok videos, which is that it can help you fall asleep in just 120 seconds.

"It works by guiding you through full-body relaxation and mental quieting," explains Dr. Kaylor, who briefly explains the process:

"First, you relax your face (including jaw and eyelids), then drop your shoulders and let your arms go limp. You exhale fully, relaxing your chest, then move down to release tension in your legs. Finally, you clear your mind for about 10 seconds—either by visualizing something calming," she tells us. This can be lying in a canoe on a still lake with a clear sky, or in a velvet hammock in a completely dark room.

If your mind wanders, try repeating the phrase 'don’t think', says Dr. Kaylor.

"This reduces muscle tension, slows your breathing, and quiets mental chatter, all of which help trigger your body’s natural sleep response," she explains of how the method works.

So... what's the big catch? 

Falling asleep in two minutes certainly makes the Military Sleep Method sound like a dream fix if you're having trouble dropping off. But there is a drawback to this method, which Dr. Kaylor explains to us.

"The catch is this takes weeks if not months of consistent nightly practice to master," she says.

The method is said to be effective for 96% of people within a period of six weeks. Our Senior Sleep Editor, Certified Sleep Science Coach Claire Davis, has been practicing the method for several years and finds it an effective way to fall asleep within a few minutes, but she acknowledges that it won't be a way to drop off in such a short amount of time without practice (and certainly not on the first few attempts).

How can you make sure the Military Sleep Method works for you?

Sleep hacks like the Military Sleep Method can help you fall asleep faster, but they're likely to work best if you practice them while also paying attention to your sleep hygiene and nighttime routine.

"Over time, this builds a strong “sleep signal” so that when you start the Military Sleep Method, your body is already primed for rest," explains Dr. Kaylor.

Perfect your sleep environment

Part of the Military Sleep Method is imagining you're somewhere relaxing, like on a canoe or in a hammock in a dark room. It's likely this is going to be more effective if your sleep environment is already primed for a good night's rest.

"Make your bedroom dark and cool," says Dr. Kaylor. The best temperature for sleeping, according to recent research, is 65 to 70°F (18 to 21°C), so it's worth adjusting your thermostat to within that range.

You could also take a look at our guide the best cooling mattresses, which are all designed to help you avoid overheating at night.

And, if you don't have a pitch black bedroom (who does?), consider blackout blinds or a sleep mask (check out our favorite for 2025 here).

Avoid consuming certain things before bedtime

This is a tip we've shared plenty of times before, but it bears repeating.

"Avoid caffeine and alcohol in the evening," says Dr. Kaylor.

Caffeine's half life means that it can stay in your system for five, six, or even up to 12 hours, though this will depend on your individual physiology and lifestyle. Experts generally advise that it's wise to stop consuming any source of caffeine around eight hours before bed.

Alcohol might feel trickier, since we often indulge in a glass of wine with dinner, or drinks in the evening. And while the sedative effect it provides might give you the illusion that you're falling asleep faster after a few alcoholic beverages, your REM sleep can be delayed and disrupted, and later as the alcohol is metabolized, you can spend more time awake or in the lightest sleep stage, meaning you're not getting enough full sleep cycles to enjoy the restorative effect of sleep.

Focus on your nighttime routine

"Create a relaxing wind-down routine like stretching, reading, or light journaling," advises Dr. Kaylor.

While a nighttime routine might conjure memories of childhood, it's actually a really effective way of signaling to your mind and body that it's time to relax, and it can then help you to drift off more quickly.

Generally, it's sensible to allow an hour before bedtime for this routine, and to select activities that you personally find relaxing. Those might be the suggestions Dr. Kaylor provided above, or listening to calming music or having a warm shower or bath, for example.

Sleep hacks that can help you fall asleep faster tonight

While the Military Sleep Method is certainly worth investing the time in to master, if you want a few additional tools in your sleep kit that can assist you in dropping off more quickly tonight, we've got you.

"If you want something that works right away, try a 4-7-8 breathing exercise, progressive muscle relaxation, or listening to calming audio like white noise or guided meditation. Lowering the lights an hour before bed, avoiding screens, and keeping your bedroom cool can also help you fall asleep faster tonight," advises Dr. Kaylor.

Our Sleep Features Editor, Lauren Jeffries, has tried nine sleep hacks that claim to help you fall asleep fast, and found cognitive shuffling to be among those she found effective.

What sleep tech can also help you fall asleep fast?

Adopting sleep hacks and methods like those we discuss above are great tools, but sleep tech designed to improve your slumber can also help too. We've selected three items you might want to consider...

1. A sleep mask

In an ideal world, we'd all have a completely dark sleep space, largely because darkness helps stimulate the production of melatonin (the 'sleepy hormone,') from the pineal gland, while light suppresses it. Since that's not always possible, investing in a sleep mask, can block out light and help you drop off more swiftly.

What you pick depends on your needs (and your budget). High tech options include the app-controlled Aura Smart Sleep Mask (pictured, MSRP $229), which promises to block out 100% of light and has speakers built in so you can listen to one of Aura's sleep sounds as you drift off. Alternatively simple satin sleep masks can often do the same job of keeping out light for a fraction of the price; many are available for around $10.

2. A smart bed

If you want to really upgrade your bedroom in your quest to fall asleep fast, smart beds including the Eight Sleep Pod 4, the Saatva Solaire and the Sleep Number i8 (all of which feature in our guide to the best smart beds and smart mattresses available) can offer features like dual temperature control (meaning each side of the bed can be set to a different temperature), and adjustable firmness (the Solaire has 50 firmness settings!). Typically app-controlled, smart beds are high quality and packed with the latest sleep tech to help you customize your sleep experience in order to fall asleep as easily, quickly and comfortably as possible.

They do have a price tag to match, the Eight Sleep Pod 4 starts at $2,649 MSRP, while the Saatva Solaire starts at $2,999 (was $3,299) for a twin XL. The Sleep Number i8 (pictured) is currently on sale for $2,549.25 for a twin, but the MSRP is $3,399.

3. Ear plugs

If the sound of snoring, late night revellers, traffic or roommates clanking around the house doesn't lull you to sleep or disturb your rest, you're lucky. Because research has shown that "nocturnal noise pollution significantly impairs sleep."

A generally affordable piece of sleep tech that can combat unwanted noise pollution at night is the humble ear plug.

Our sleep editor swears by the Loop Dream Ear Plugs (pictured, $49.95 MSRP) which are designed for sleep, made from silicone and silicone-foam tips, and offer 27 dB (SNR) of noise reduction. A more affordable option is the silicone Kaugic Ear Plugs for Sleeping, which are currently available for $9.99 on Amazon, and according to the production description, 'reduce harmful noise level up to 30dB.'

Today, world-leading sleep fitness company Eight Sleep announced a new and advanced cooling feature will be hitting its smart bed systems.

This upgrade is the first step in the company's new Women's Sleep Initiative, a long-term commitment to advancing the science, knowledge and solutions around women's specific sleep issues.

Between menopause, menstrual cycles, pregnancy and PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), sleeping isn't always an easy feat for many women (yes, the gender sleep gap is real). And much of this boils down to hormone changes and body temperature dysregulation.

"Women are more sensitive to nighttime temperature changes, especially during their cycle, pregnancy, and menopause," Dr. Nicole Moyen, Ph.D., Senior Director of Science and Clinical Research at Eight Sleep, explains.

This is where Eight Sleep's new Hot Flash mode comes into clutch.

Tracking sleep quality, body temperature and various other recovery metrics, Eight Sleep pods, which we think are some of the best smart beds on the market, already help many people get a handle on their sleep health and general wellness.

Now the Hot Flash mode will take even better care of women's sleep no matter their stage of life or where they are in their menstrual cycle.

“Women’s bodies change dramatically over time, and as wearables become more popular, it’s important to recognize that data is not enough when looking to solve the challenges that we encounter during sleep,” said Alexandra Zatarain, Co-Founder and VP of Brand & Marketing at Eight Sleep.

“We recognize that it’s time to use technology to solve women’s sleep challenges, and we are starting with hot flashes, one of the most common and disruptive symptoms of menopause,” she adds.

Eight Sleep's Hot Flash Mode

The Eight Sleep Hot Flash Mode is a first-of-its-kind technology providing quick cooling to counteract nighttime hot flashes as soon as they materialize.

Women suffering with temperature imbalances will know these flashes can come thick and fast, so this speedy cool-down feature, backed by extensive user research and clinical testing, promises to be a real game changer.

"Hot flashes, which affect 80% of menopausal women, can also significantly affect sleep," Dr. Moyen says.

"With Eight Sleep’s Hot Flash mode, women can get rapid cooling to help them cool off and fall back asleep quickly vs. laying awake drenched in sweat."

But how exactly does it work? By simply tapping the Pod’s embedded button (found on the side of the mattress cover), sleepers activate the Pod's water-based cooling system. Colder water spreads through the tubes lining the smart mattress cover, reducing the temperature of the bed surface.

The aim of the rapid-response cooling experience is to minimizes sleep disruption while restoring thermal comfort in real time for optimal recovery every night.

And it doesn't only benefit menopausal women. "Body temperature changes throughout the menstrual cycle, and so even the small 0.3-0.7C increase in body temp during the luteal phase can lead to more wake ups or discomfort, and so sleeping on a temperature-regulated cover, like the Eight Sleep Pod, can help regulate temperature and keep you sleeping through the night," Dr. Moyen explains.

"We can support women’s needs for cooler sleeping temperatures during the 3rd trimester by cooling the bed temperature," she adds.

Before launch, Eight Sleep invited women experiencing hot flashes to test this technology. The results spoke for themselves. After activating the Hot Flash Mode, 10 minutes was all it took for 8 out of 10 women to feel relief from hot flashes.

Dr. Moyen says a clinical study presented at the 2025 SLEEP conference found that menopausal women using the Pod with temperature regulation experienced 55% fewer nighttime hot flashes on average.

In the Eight Sleep app, you'll now be able to access Hot Flash Reports too, helping you track the frequency, timing and patterns of hot flashes throughout the night and from night to night. These insights empower more informed conversations with healthcare providers.

Eight Sleep's Women's Sleep Initiative

The Women’s Sleep Initiative builds on Eight Sleep’s mission to deliver higher-quality sleep, tailored to how real bodies sleep, recover and perform.

Alongside the launch of Hot Flash Mode, the first phase of the initiative includes major investment in women-focused sleep research (that means large-scale data collection from tens of thousands of women), development of adaptive Pod features for menstrual, reproductive and menopausal transitions, and collaborations with leading experts in reproductive health and sleep science. Watch this space.

I've been a dedicated wearer of top-rated Garmin watches for over seven years. The brand has seen me through many half marathons, a marathon and triathlon, and one of the key health metrics I've tracked to get ready for these challenges is my sleep.

A reliable sleep tracker keeps me accountable when it comes to maintaining a consistent sleep schedule and following sleep-friendly habits (we're talking getting enough daily light and avoiding too much screen time in the evening) to boost my sleep score.

If I wasn't quite so attached to my Garmin Forerunner 255 and was shopping Prime Day sleep deals with a $200 budget, these are the sleep trackers I'd buy...

4 sleep tracker deals under $200 this Prime Day

While everyone's complaining about hot nights, I'm smugly sleeping on my Eight Sleep Pod 4, which cools my mattress surface down by up to 13°C before I jump into bed at night.

As the best smart bed you can buy online right now, the Eight Sleep Pod comes at a hefty expense. So, I've been on the hunt for cheaper alternatives in current Prime Day sleep deals.

Surprisingly, I'm not going to send you to Amazon for this deal (although, we are also tracking the latest Prime Day sleep deals.) In a rival Prime Day event this week, there's up to $480 off the 3 Dual Zone Climate Comfort Sleep System at BedJet.

Is the BedJet worth it?

Costing over $1,000, the BedJet will dent the bank account, so it's not an off the cuff purchase. But if you've tried our free cooling sleep hacks and are struggling to sleep in the heat, we think an investment like the BedJet is totally worth it.

This cooling bed fan works by blowing cool air under your bedsheets (but remember to dress your bed with cooling sheets for the best temperature regulation in summer.)

What do customers love about it? 83% of reviewers award the BedJet 3 five out of five stars. One US customer says: "I have never slept better." Another adds: "Our nightly sleep routine has changed all for the better! We feel more rested, don't wake in the night too hot or too cold, and our sheets feel cleaner!"

Any drawbacks? Some people note there are "a few design improvements" needed and say it lacks auto temperature adjustment (which you get with the more luxury Eight Sleep pod).

Want sleep tracking too? Try Eight Sleep...

I've tested sleep trackers of all shapes and sizes this year, from top-rated smart beds like the Eight Sleep Pod 4 mattress cover, through to Garmin, Apple and Whoop wearables.

While all of these leading sleep tech brands have built great value, reliable sleep trackers, the Oura Ring is the one I always recommend to friends. Right now the Oura Ring 4 is 15% off at Amazon for Prime Day, cutting the price to less than $300.

We rarely see a discount like this at Oura, which is why this Amazon Prime Day deal is worth snapping up fast. In fact, it's one of the best Prime Day sleep deals we've seen so far.

• See all Amazon Prime Day deals now 

• Read more: New sleep-tracking study just compared Oura Ring vs. Apple Watch vs. Fitbit — here’s which one is most accurate

On a tighter budget?

• Read more: Don’t waste your money on the Oura Ring 4 — the older model tracks sleep just as well and is $150 cheaper

Is it just me, or do nights become a lot noisier in the summer?

Neighbors hosting barbecues into the early hours of the morning, people out and about during lighter evenings, insects chirping — all these can provide an unwelcome nighttime soundtrack when you're trying to get some sleep.

I live in a city apartment with no air conditioning, so I need my bedroom window wide open to avoid overheating. However, my apartment is located in a tourist-magnet city, so an open window can invite unwanted street noise from vacationers into my home and make it harder to fall asleep at night.

That's why I was eager to test a highly-rated white noise machine. You can buy the LectroFan EVO White Noise Machine for $59.95 on Amazon and the bestseller promises to drown out distraction with 22 sleep-inducing sounds.

After testing the LectroFan EVO White Noise Machine for a week, I can now open my window at night without worrying about the noise — here's why.

What is the LectroFan EVO White Noise Machine?

The LectroFan EVO White Noise Machine is a sleep sound machine that offers 22 different noises separated into three categories: ocean sounds, white noise, or fan.

As well as drowning out any distracting sleep-disturbing sounds, this sound machine is designed to provide a soothing sound to help people sleep (good news for 38% of Americans can’t sleep in silence), unwind, or focus.

Like most sound machines, you simply place the LectroFan EVO White Noise Machine near your bed and switch it on. It's a corded USB-design, so you'll need an electrical outlet nearby.

3 things I noticed when using LectroFan EVO White Noise Machine

1. It has a simple screen-free design

Going screen-free before bed and banishing your phone from your bedroom for better sleep can prevent sleep-postponing activities such as doom scrolling and stops you from potentially activating your body's stress response.

However, if listening to sounds such as ocean waves or pink noise helps you sleep, then you may have found that you need your phone to play these noises.

Luckily, the LectroFan EVO White Noise Machine has an intuitive design with a simple screen-free control panel featuring buttons for each sound, two volume buttons, a timer button and an on/off button.

The machine comes with easy-to-follow instructions which tells you how to select your preferred sound, adjust the volume, and set it on timer.

2. It's easy to set-up

There's no DIY involved here, as the white noise machine comes fully assembled. The unboxing process was simple, with the box containing the essentials: a machine and a cord (plus an AC/DC adapter and sockets as extras).

There's also a simple instruction booklet which tells you how to use the machine and goes over any troubleshooting issues.

To get it started, I simply plugged the machine in and pressed the on switch. As soon as it's turned on, the first setting (brown noise) begins to play, and you can jump through each noise by pressing the pitch button until you land on the one you like (see the below image for how you control the fan sounds).

3. It's highly customizable to suit your needs

In the booklet, there's a page which gives you the lowdown on the types of color noises, ocean and fan sounds it can play:

Nope, I'd never heard of cinnamon noise either.

While it may read like a color chart for nail polish shades, this is a list of the sounds the machine makes that have been color-coded based on their frequency (pitch is essentially how we perceive frequency).

Brown noise is low frequency, said to be deep and soothing, and has been compared to strong winds or waterfalls. It can assist your transition to REM sleep, according to research.

Pink noise, meanwhile, has a slightly higher pitch than brown, but it's still soft and relaxing and can be helpful for sleep and studying. It's been compared to rustling leaves or rain with a steady rhythm. Research shows that it can slow brain waves to improve sleep.

Then you have white noise, which is the classic (and generally best known) sleep sound that is higher frequency than pink and brown and is often compared to the sound of TV static. Research has shown that it can help with sleep disturbance due to noisy environments.

I found that the noises between brown and pink provided the deep, soothing sound for sleep that suited me, so I usually slept with Tan, Amber, or Cream noise playing. Whiter noise was too high-pitched for me.

There are also ocean sounds (ocean or surf) which sound like crashing waves, while the fan sounds mimic the whirring of different fans.

With so many options (22) to choose from, you will definitely find the sound that's right for your sleep or relaxation. Plus, you can leave it on all night or set it on a timer so it can gently switch off while you sleep.

4. It blocks out noise

Honestly, I prefer to sleep in complete silence and have never needed sound effects to help me drift off. But silence isn't always an option.

One night, with my window wide open to let the cooler night air into my stuffy bedroom, I could hear plenty of tourists in the street below, which distracted me from my sleep.

However, putting on an Amber noise (though it's worth noting that pink and white noise are also considered good for noise-blocking) and turning up the volume completely drowned out the ruckus.

5. It's space-saving and travel-friendly

When I first unboxed the LectroFan EVO White Noise Machine, I was shocked by how small it is.

Measuring at just 4.7 x 4.7 x 3.3 inches, it barely took up any room on my nightstand and I could easily carry the machine in my hand luggage during overnight trips thanks to its compact, lightweight build.

I've been a diehard eye mask user for over a decade now and I credit masks with transforming my sleep. I can drop off pretty much anywhere thanks to the super-cheap eye mask I take on every single trip.

The humble eye mask needs no improvement in my opinion but as a sleep writer I'm always trying things to help my rest, whether that's the joy of testing the best mattress for my sleep style or the misery of taping my mouth shut.

And I was intrigued by the concept of headphone sleep masks, which use Bluetooth speakers to combine light blocking with immersive sound.

After several nights of testing the sleep mask I've been pleasantly surprised and I might have found a new must-have for my carry-on.

The headphone sleep mask I tried

Headphone sleep masks are pretty self-explanatory — this is an eye mask with integrated headphones.

There are numerous options available on Amazon but MUSICOZY is by far the most popular (the eye mask I opted for has upwards of 18,000 reviews, largely positive.)

From the front, the MUSICOZY looks like almost any other blackout eye mask, apart from the control panel in the middle.

Tucked inside the mask are two thin speakers, designed to sit over the ear. Using a Bluetooth connection, you can pair your mask to your phone, pumping music into your ear while you sleep without disrupting your comfort.

My first thoughts on the MUSICOZY headphone sleep mask

My first thought after putting the MUSICOZY sleep mask was "wow, this is dark."

That's a good thing. The primary goal of any eye mask is, in my opinion, to block out light. If it can't, it's not a good eye mask regardless of whatever else it has to offer.

Next came the set-up. Okay, I took the MUSICOZY off my head for this but honestly? I could have done most of it in the dark.

Only three buttons are needed to activate the MUSICOZY and they're intuitive to use. I paired the mask quickly to my phone and after minimal fussing, music was pumping through the speakers.

Admittedly the sound quality isn't fantastic. We review the best headphones at Tom's Guide and I doubt the MUSICOZY would crack the top 100.

But that's less of an issue that you might expect. For white noise, soothing sleep sounds and calming background music, the MUSICOZY's sound quality is good enough.

Then it was time to go to sleep. MUSICOZY promises the headphone eye mask is designed for side sleepers. After a bit of wiggling I managed to get ear, mask and speaker into a semi-comfortable position.

However, with my left ear pressed against the speaker, the music was significantly louder on one side and after a full night lying on the MUSICOZY, my left ear was sore in the morning.

Which is why I probably won't be using the MUSICOZY every night. But I will be using it next time I travel — it's ideal for helping you sleep on the go.

Why the MUSICOZY headphone eye mask is my new travel companion

I have a multi-hour road trip coming up (as a passenger) and I can't wait to strap the MUSICOZY to my face and completely disengage from everyone else in the car. Here's why...

1. The light blocking is exceptional

I tried the MUSICOZY eye mask in bright sunshine and dark night and the effect was the same: pitch black.

The interior of the headband features padded molding around the eye with a soft nose barrier that can be prodded into place for total blackout.

At the back, a Velcro band allows you to secure the eye mask tightly around your face, for no slipping no matter how much you toss and turn.

On public transport, the MUSICOZY can effectively block out other passengers (even if they are your own family).

2. It's lightweight and portable

High tech sleep aids can often be needlessly complicated but the MUSICOZY is small, sleek and easy to fit in your hand luggage (it even comes with its own pouch).

It also looks like any other sleep mask, meaning you won't feel self-conscious about strapping it to your face.

And it charges via USB-C (cable included), which means you can power up just about anywhere.

3. The surround sound effect is immersive

With the mask blocking out light and music playing right into your ears, the MUSICOZY is suitably enveloping. In my bedroom, it was like being tucked up in a cozy cocoon.

The effect is likely to be diminished in a public place but it should still help you block out the often unwelcome presence of total strangers when traveling.

And once you've reached your destination, the MUSICOZY can help a hotel feel like home.

If you're someone who struggles to fall asleep in new places, the combination of blackout and surround sound will help you feel like you're tucked up in your usual bed.

Would I recommend the MUSICOZY headphone sleep mask?

The biggest point in favor of the MUSICOZY is that it succeeds as an eye mask, blocking out light and staying secure on your face as you sleep.

As a headphone set, the MUSICOZY isn't great. But at under $30 that's not a surprise and the sound quality is best described as fine.

Admittedly I'm not much of an audio snob, but I could listen to my favorite songs happily. And as someone who used to burn through cheap earbuds, I've experienced worse.

Side sleepers and back sleepers should feel comfortable in the MUSICOZY, although it's best suited for back sleepers. This is standard for almost any high-tech eye mask, however, so it's not a point against the MUSICOZY.

But in my opinion, the MUSICOZY excels as a travel companion. Light, comfy and immersive, it helps you block out all the other people on your long-haul flight.

It's also affordable and while some users have found the battery ages poorly, it should still get you through several holiday weekends with the family...

From sleep headbands to sleep masks and viral vagus nerve stimulators, my job as a sleep tech writer means I've tried my fair share of gadgets that promise to help you fall asleep fast and sleep well through the night.

But what's the one device that I think is really worth your money? A top sunrise alarm clock. Honestly, I've asked the same question as you — is there really any benefit to using a sunrise-simulating gadget in summer when natural daylight streams through your window?

While I can't wake up without one in winter, I assumed a sunrise alarm clock would be redundant come summer. Turns out I was wrong: I'm still using my beloved Philips SmartSleep Wake-Up Light in June.

From elevating your bedtime routine to fighting morning blues, here are the benefits of using a sunrise alarm clock all year round...

5 benefits of using a sunrise alarm clock in summer

You don't have to pack your sunrise alarm clock away during summer. Here's how it can still help you get a good night's sleep and wake up refreshed...

1. Elevates your nighttime routine

The sunset simulation and sleep sounds including with many sunrise alarm clocks are great year-round additions to your nighttime routine.

Personally, I love using my Philips SmartSleep as a reading light before bed. It provides a warm light that gradually dims as I read, helping me feel sleepy and relaxed as I get through a chapter or two.

Plus I don't have to get up or reach over to turn the light off just as I'm nodding off, counteracting the sleep-inducing effects of reading. You can put it on a timer so it turns off automatically.

According to Talker Research, 49% of Gen Z and 32% of baby boomers lean on sounds to fall asleep, and this is where a sunrise alarm clock can help you fall asleep fast.

The new Hatch Restore 3 sunrise alarm clock comes with an upgraded audio library holding more than 60 sleep sounds from guided mediations to sleep podcasts, soothing domestic sounds and ASMR.

2. You can use it as a normal alarm clock

Although simulating natural light is their main purpose, sunrise alarms have audio alarms too.

Even though the gradual light increase slowly pulls you from sleep, many people, including our testers, don't wake up to light alone and need an audio alarm too.

Packed with natural alarm sounds from tweeting birds to goat sounds, or upbeat music, sunrise alarm clocks have many alarm options that help you start your day on a better note than a jarring iPhone alarm sound.

Using an alarm device separate from phone means you can follow science-backed advice and keep screens out of bed for better sleep.

Plus, you're less likely to reach for your phone first thing, which experts say is bad news for sleep. Instead of mindlessly scrolling before your head leaves the pillow, you should get natural light exposure to help regulate your circadian rhythm.

3. Useful for shift workers

People subjected to poor sleep because of shift work schedules, or anyone who needs to sleep at irregular times of day or wakes up super early, would particularly benefit from a sunrise alarm clock in summer.

Shift workers may need to block out natural daylight for them to be able to nod off during the day to prepare or recover from a night shift.

The simulated sunrise can help them wake up gradually at any time of day, preventing grogginess upon waking.

While these people can't help their circadian rhythm being out of whack, the simulated daylight will help their internal body clock understand when to be alert and when to rest, which can help lift their mood, energy levels and sleep quality.

4. Gives you consistently brighter mornings

Heavy sleepers may not be woken up naturally by light coming in through the window, especially on greyer days which, unfortunately, still occur during summer months. The added intensity of light from the sunrise alarm clock can help them wake up.

The morning light exposure also helps reinforce your circadian rhythm, especially if you're exposed to late sunsets that can delay melatonin production.

What's more, the warm colored light from the alarm clock is more likely to boost your mood than grey skies.

This is because morning light exposure boosts serotonin levels, supporting a more positive mood and reducing irritability and grogginess.

5. Helps get the kids up

You may use blackout curtains to get your kids off to sleep at a reasonable time at night throughout the summer months when daylight hours are longer, so the sunrise alarm clock can help wake them up come morning.

Plus, they’re sure to enjoy the different color light options — particularly on the affordable Momcozy sunrise alarm clock available for $49.99 at Momcozy — and fun sleep and alarm sounds included with most clocks.

When I first picked up the Pulsetto, a vagus nerve stimulator, I was apprehensive about how this dog-collar-looking device could help me sleep.

I've tried a fair few sleep-enhancing gadgets from the state-of-the-art smart beds to the best sunrise alarm clocks and sleep trackers. But so far, nothing that has a direct influence on my nervous system.

Now, I must admit, I am usually a good sleeper. It is my job, after all, to find the best ways to optimize my sleep.

But if I do occasionally struggle to nod off it tends to be after a busy weekend where booze is involved — it's true, alcohol can really sabotage your sleep and trigger anxiety.

After a weekend away, I was keen to see if this device — which promises improved mood, lowered anxiety and better sleep — could help me beat hangxiety and get a good night's rest.

What is Pulsetto?

The Pulsetto vagus nerve stimulator is a non-invasive, neck-worn device that delivers electrical impulses to the vagus nerve.

How does it work? You apply an electrode gel to the device's pulse points that contact the skin, and place it around your neck. Start your preferred programme in the app, sit back and relax.

Pulsetto provides a mild pulsation to the vagus nerve, which runs through the neck and carries information to the central nervous system. Depending on your selected programme, the pulsation will last four to 20 minutes, and you can adjust the intensity via the app.

According to the Pulsetto website, the device improves sleep quality by 18% and promises immediate results.

To test these claims, I've worn the neckband before bed for the past week.

What are the benefits of vagus nerve stimulation?

If you've scrolled the internet or social media in search of stress relief tactics lately, you've likely come across vagus nerve stimulation. But what does it mean and does it really work?

The vagus nerve is the main nerve in the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for maintaining bodily functions when the body is in a relaxed, rather than a 'fight or flight', state.

Vagus nerve stimulation involves using a device, be it a collar, ear piece or headband, that sends electrical impulses to the vagus nerve, which travels to the brainstem and ultimately the brain.

Stimulating the vagus nerve is said to have many benefits, all revolving around calming the body and brain as it activates the parasympathetic nervous system.

This means it helps lower blood pressure and heart rate, contributing to better cardiovascular health, promotes relaxation, reduces stress and anxiety and provides pain relief.

However, some experts suggests there are ways to practice vagus nerve stimulation for free, using auricular massage, humming or cold water exposure.

My first thoughts on Pulsetto

Setting up the device posed no issues. The app is easy to navigate with clear signposts and icons.

There's a section where you can log your symptoms, mood, energy levels and sleep quality to keep track of how they change (or don't change) in response to your Pulsetto use.

After getting familiar with the app, I applied the gel and placed the band around my neck. As an average size female, the band fit best on the smallest circumference.

I didn't immediately find the device comfortable. In fact I squirmed when it touched my neck.

I started on the lowest intensity (one) of sleep mode and gradually turned it up. I reached five, but couldn't bare the fuzzy vibrations on my neck, so settled back at a just-bearable two for my first night of testing.

Putting Pulsetto to the test: Night 1

The first night I used the Pulsetto was after a day of traveling. Although I was physically tired, I was finding it hard to relax with unpacking and returning to work after some time off on my mind.

Pulsetto recommends using the device 20 to 30 minutes before bedtime. So, I gel-ed up and put on the device while reading in bed.

Once the session was complete I read a few more pages and drifted off peacefully, regardless of feeling anxious just half an hour before. So far, so good.

Putting Pulsetto to the test: Night 2-7

I continued using Pulsetto device through the week. After one particularly muggy, rainy day working from home, I felt restless going to bed. But I made a point of putting on the Pulsetto and laying down for 10 minutes of enforced relaxation and mindfulness, and soon felt less irritable. Again, after a few pages, I slept well through the night.

As I used the Pulsetto as part of my already well-established nighttime routine, it was hard to tell whether it was the device alone or other sleep-promoting habits that were helping me sleep when odds were against me.

So, on the final two nights of testing, I left Pulsetto to its own devices. Instead of reading in bed with my Bon Charge red clip light, I put on the Pulsetto (braving a sleep mode intensity four) and laid down to relax.

On the first of the two nights, I have no tossing or turning to report and slept well through the night, gaining a 94 sleep score, according to my Eight Sleep Pod 4 smart mattress cover.

That said, I still felt sleepy when my alarm sounded for me to get up for a gym session the next morning. Were Pulsetto's snooze-inducing effects that long lasting, or was I still catching up on sleep debt from the weekend? I'd say the latter.

The following night, however, was a different story. Inflicted with stomach cramps (thank you, mother nature) I struggled to nod off even after completing the sleep programme on intensity five (the highest my flinching neck could stand) and woke up frequently though the night.

Are there any drawbacks?

At $478 MSRP, this sleep gadget isn't cheap. You must also use a gel with it, although one bottle comes with the device (and goes a long way), you’d need to repurchase for continued use, incurring more expense.

Pulsetto recommends using the device two times a day for the best results. Remembering to do this amid an already busy-schedule can feel like a chore.

The Pulsetto device also comes with a warning of potential side effects including irritation at the application site, dizziness, headache or muscle twitching in the face and neck.

Although these side effects are said to resolve immediately after the stimulation is complete, they can be alarming. And for what it's worth, I didn't experience any side effects.

Pulsetto also warns against pregnant people, people with active medical implants (pacemakers or hearing aids), heart arrhythmias or breathing problems using it.

Is Pulsetto worth it? My thoughts

Although Pulsetto stood no chance against period cramps, I'd say it did a decent job of helping me relax the previous nights.

Be it placebo or not, I have slept better than I usually would post-boozey-weekend while using the Pulsetto before bed. Yet the cynic in me says this is not solely due to Pulsetto, but a combination of healthy sleep habits.

In all honesty, I'd say save your dollars. The neckband works on more or less the same mechanism (calming the nervous system) as guided sleep meditations, breathwork and relaxation techniques have done for decades.

An achy neck, discomfort and dead legs, sleeping on a plane, bus or train is no easy feat. But after several long haul flights and countless early morning commutes, I've mastered an on-the-go sleep routine.

My friends say they don't particularly enjoy my company on flights — not because I'm a restless traveller or relentless yapper, but because I simply sleep through. I rarely stay awake from take off to landing and I have a handful of sleep products to thank for my ability to drop off in the sky, on the tracks or on the road.

With Memorial Day sleep sales on the horizon, now is a great time to think about which gadgets to snap up for peaceful travels this summer. From SOMO's acupressure sleep mask to Tempur-Pedic's travel pillow and a trusty Kindle, here are the essentials I won't travel without...

1. A good light-blocking eye mask

Your body clock can be thrown all over the shop while traveling, meaning you'll often need to sleep while it's still light outside. Light pollution on an aeroplane can also be distracting, whether it's the flashing lights of the wings or the individual reading lights, making it difficult to sleep.

For this reason, I'm always sure to pack a comfortable sleep mask. My current favorite is the SOMO Sleep Fitness mask, which is made from a butter-soft material and uses acupressure to help you relax.

The eye mask is fitted with a disk between the eyebrows, which gently applies pressure to the Yin Tang acupoint. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, this relieves anxiety and reduces restlessness — a dream mid-flight.

The digital Aura Sleep Mask ($229 at Aura) and Bob and Brad eye massager ($49.99 at Amazon) are two other reliably calming eye masks I'd suggest.

2. A reliable travel pillow

If I had to pick a favorite on-the-move sleep essential it would have to be a reliable travel pillow. Getting comfortable on-the-move without somewhere to rest your head is near impossible.

Adding cushioning around your neck for you to rest your head, travel pillows do wonders. It also saves you slouching onto the person next to you (a situation no one wants.)

A good pillow for travelling is one that's portable and, like this year's best pillows, supportive. Trust me when I say an infinity pillow or suitable travel pillow will be your wisest-selected travel companion.

The Tempur-Pedic travel pillow below is a plush option, or you can shop more affordable travel pillows at Amazon. For example, this Napfun neck pillow is 28% off now at $15.86 (was $21.99).

3. Sleep headphones or earplugs

Blocking out cabin or carriage noise is essential if you want to drift off on a plane or train. Depending whether you prefer a lullaby or complete silence to fall asleep, you can chose between headphones or noise-cancelling earplugs.

While standard quality headphones can do the trick, specialised ultra thin headphones can be more comfortable to doze in.

My sleep-inducing sound track tends to include binaural beats or a sleep podcast, which help me relax when afflicted by the anxiety that can sometimes come with travelling.

4. An enjoyable read

For entertainment and relaxation, you'll always find a book (or rather a Kindle) in my carry-on luggage. I prefer a light-hearted read, be it an Emily Henry romance or trending best seller, while travelling as these feel-good stories set the perfect holiday tone.

Alternatively, I'll pick up a magazine at the airport to be inspired travel destinations. In the same way reading at bedtime can help you relax, I find reading mid-flight can have a similar effect. After a chapter or two, you'll be snoozing into your neck pillow.

A Kindle is the travel essential for book-lovers. If you're looking for recommendations, the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is our top-rated e-reader of the year.

5. Compression socks

Compression socks can help you sleep better on a flight by improving blood circulation, reducing swelling, and potentially alleviating leg fatigue and discomfort.

By applying graduated pressure to your legs, especially at the ankles, these socks help blood flow back to the heart more efficiently, which can improve your comfort while sitting in an upright position in tight plane and train bays.

In a more comfortable position, you're more likely to sleep longer and get better sleep quality on a long flight, helping you feel more refreshed when you land at your destination.

More and more people are recognizing the essential role sleep plays in health and wellbeing, according to consumer research organization Mintel.

It makes sense then, that products including sleep trackers, the best mattresses and smart alarm clocks and eye mask are becoming ever more popular. Wearable sleep trackers in particular are nighttime accessories now worn by many health-conscious individuals.

Recognising this trend, the World Sleep Society has issued recommendations on how wearable consumer health trackers (which brands like Apple, Oura, Garmin and Withings produce) can be used to improve personal health, assist sleep research and aid sleep disorder treatment.

However, the WSS says individuals should use these trackers with caution and not always trust every metric. Let's dig in to their recommendations...

Key takeaways

• Your sleep tracker can help you optimize your sleep, but there are limitations
• Personal sleep tracking assists wider sleep research
• Sleep trackers aren't 100% accurate all the time

The World Sleep Society is a global, non-profit membership organization made up of sleep researchers and clinicians, who describe themselves as "dedicated to advancing sleep health worldwide."

As the world of sleep tech expands the WSS has released their 'Recommendations for the Use of Wearable Consumer Health Trackers That Monitor Sleep,' which was authored by sleep experts, including those in the fields of sleep medicine, biomedical engineering and circadian health.

In it, they note the importance of cautious use, noting that many consumer sleep trackers lack rigorous validation against clinical standards and may not accurately measure sleep stages or detect sleep disorders.

Why the World Sleep Society recommends wearing a sleep tracker

1. Advancements in sleep research

People wearing sleep trackers out of their own curiosity helps researchers gather more data over longer time periods than is possible within dedicated sleep studies.

The study authors say: "Sleep researchers are beginning to use CHTs [consumer health trackers] as an additional screen for sleep disorders in research participants, following the decades-old practice of using research-grade actigraphy."

They state objectively determined sleep metrics, especially sleep duration, are more reliable than questionnaire-assessed measures.

With a better understanding of sleep trends and habits among the general population, researchers can do more to assist public understanding and awareness of sleep health, recognising areas warranting further research to help the public optimize their sleep.

2. Individuals can learn how to sleep better

Sleep trackers can help individuals identify sleep patterns and trends based on lifestyle choices and environmental factors.

For example, many sleep tracking apps allow you to log your alcohol and caffeine intake and where you are in your cycle as a woman, which can all influence your sleep architecture, overnight heart rate and sleep temperature.

"The effects of alcohol or substance use on elevated nocturnal heart rate and sleep should be discussed to encourage healthier behavior," recommends the WSS.

Tracking this information alongside your sleep metrics can help you make informed choices like limiting alcohol and avoiding caffeine later in the day to improve sleep hygiene and habits.

• Read more: My sleep tracker says I keep waking up at 3 a.m. but an expert told me not worry as long as my sleep score also shows these 3 things

3. Better understanding of sleep problems

Data from sleep trackers can be used by healthcare professionals in conjunction with patient reports to identify sleep disorders.

The WSS note that, as of the end of 2024, the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch obtained FDA clearance for the identification of individuals at risk for moderate to severe sleep apnea who have not yet been diagnosed. Withings received EU approval for this function in early 2025.

Nightly sleep data offers a more comprehensive view of sleep behaviors which can aid in tailoring treatment. However, the World Sleep Society warns consumer trackers cannot solely diagnose disorders and you should consult a medical professional if you suspect symptoms of sleep apnea.

Beware of sleep tracking limitations, say World Sleep Society

The World Sleep Society's recommendations serve as a framework for responsible use of consumer sleep technologies. But they say you should be aware of the limitations of wearable sleep trackers. For example, time in bed can be confused with total sleep time.

The study authors write: "Users should be reminded that sleep staging values differ in quality across devices and are meant to be indicative only and are not authoritative," and advise individuals to stay away from sleep tracking where it contributes to anxiety (i.e. orthosomnia).

They add: “Devices often require a minimum threshold of continuous sleep (often >3h) to designate a sleep bout. As such, a person with multiple shorter but highly fragmented sleep separated by long (>∼1hr) wake periods may not have a meaningful TST value for that night’s sleep. Instead, the record might show multiple sleep periods that night.”

By focusing on healthy sleep behaviors and acknowledging the limitations of wearable trackers, individuals can better integrate these tools into their sleep routines. Meanwhile sleep professionals can gain a better understanding of the world's sleep habits to fine tune their advice and research.

While Rory Mcllroy was winning the 2025 Masters last weekend, other twenty-somethings probably partied until the wee hours. What did I do? I bagged myself a 100% sleep score.

Unlike most weekends, I had nothing in my calendar besides recharging between weeks of work and marathon training. Without social plans in the way, I decided my main priority would be resting and sleeping well.

As a sleep writer, trialling and testing ways of optimizing sleep is all part of my day (and night) job. From reviewing everything from the latest sleep tech to the best mattresses for my sleep needs, I have tried out many snooze-enhancing measures.

But you may be surprised to learn that the sleep hacks I utilized to help me hit a 100 sleep score involved simple lifestyle choices, a little dedication to routine and a healthy sleep environment. So, without further ado, here's how I managed to ace my sleep...

What does a sleep score tell you?

Your sleep score is a numerical rating provided by your sleep tracker. It collates a range of your sleep data to give you an indication of how well you've slept at night.

Different brands use different algorithms and metrics to give you this score. But sleep quality, sleep latency (the time it takes for you to fall asleep), sleep duration and heart rate variability are all metrics that tend to be included.

This means you can get a different score from different trackers for the same night sleep. But if you stick with one device, you can get a more accurate gauge of how your sleep quality differs from night to night, helping you understand how to optimize your rest.

Apple, Garmin, Oura, Whoop and Fitbit are all popular sleep tracking brands and a 'good' sleep score tends to range between 70 and 90, with 90+ generally considered 'excellent.'

• Read more: I hate wearing a watch to bed but want to track my sleep — the Garmin Index Sleep Monitor is the wearable I've been waiting for

My sleep score hit 100

Not to brag, but if there’s one thing I’ve become good at over the past year, it’s sleeping. According to the app connected to my Eight Sleep Pod 4, my sleep score sits in the nineties most nights. This weekend I hit the jackpot for the first time, waking up on Sunday morning to a sleep score of 100.

The sensors lining the Eight Sleep pod determine this score by measuring how long you spend in essential sleep cycles including REM and deep sleep, your heart rate variability and breath rate, sleep routine consistency, sleep latency and time slept.

With all these measures falling in the 'green zone,' my sleep was considered perfect on this particular night.

5 things I did to improve my sleep score

I've tested sleep headbands and TikTok sleep trends, but these are the methods I used to bag myself a golden sleep score...

1. I deep cleaned my sleep space

It might not have been the most glamorous of evenings, but on the Friday before I got my perfect sleep score, my plans revolved around organising, cleaning and vacuuming my bedroom, and dressing my bed with fresh Prossioni sheets.

There's a certain sense of calm that only a clean, clutter-free bedroom can induce and research shows an organized bedroom can do wonders for your sleep too.

Cleaning my bedroom straight after clocking off from work on Friday meant I could enjoy the luxury of a just-cleaned sleep space all weekend, and it paid dividends in my subsequent sleep quality.

2. I stuck to my sleep routine

I rarely have a problem sticking to an early bedtime and early morning wake up during the working week. But I'm not always quite as dedicated to a consistent sleep schedule over the weekends.

However, with no social plans, there was nothing standing in my way this weekend. So, by 9pm on Saturday evening I had taken a warm shower, brushed my teeth, moisturized and stretched before curling up in bed with a book and Moonbrew mint hot chocolate. By 10pm it was lights out and I was soon snoozing.

I've also been using the Rise Sleep app to track my sleep debt and stay on top of my sleep routine. On Sunday morning, as well as clocking a 100 sleep score, I also woke up to a notification telling me I had reached a sleep debt of 0 hours.

Thanks to sticking to my established routine over the weekend as well, I had achieved the sleep my body needs to function optimally.

3. I read before bed

My relaxing activity of choice in my nighttime routine tends to be reading. This helps me avoid sleep-sabotaging screentime (1 hour of screen time in bed increases insomnia by 59%, according to a new study) and let go of any stress built up during the day as I focus on the book.

No matter how much I'm enjoying the book, I can almost guarantee I'll be nodding off one or two chapters in. Lately, I've also swapped my bedside lamp for a Bon Charge blue light blocking clip light, which has helped me feel even sleepier while reading at bedtime and I've noticed I drop off faster.

This is likely because the warmer red light it uses (rather than white and blue light) is known to promote melatonin production(which is hormone that helps you feel sleepy).

4. I slept with my window open

I'm aware that, according to an Oxford Academic Sleep journal study in 2022 the best temperature for sleeping is between 65 to 70° F (18 to 21 °C).

This is because, as part of your circadian rhythm (your internal body clock), your body naturally cools down when it is preparing to sleep.

However, depending on your preferences, it's likely that the recommended temperature above is on the cooler side of the average temperature you keep your home at, so taking measures to cool down your bedroom is key to making it sleep-friendly.

Keeping my window ajar is a simple way of cooling down my sleep space. Plus I'm able to enjoy the fresh feeling of having a little breeze flow through my bedroom.

5. I woke up to natural light

Alarm: off. Blinds: open. Experts say light mornings are the answer to better sleep, that's why I always sleep with my blinds open.

From improved mood to more energy, there are many benefits to waking up to natural light. While I have relied on this year's best sunrise alarm clocks to wake me up through the winter months, I'm now taking advantage of the brighter spring mornings.

Waking up gradually as natural daylight streams in through your window allows you to complete all necessary sleep cycles. This is far more humane than being jolted awake mid-cycle by a blaring alarm. Spending ample time in these sleep cycles contributed to my high sleep score and I woke up feeling refreshed.

More from Tom's Guide

• The best mattresses you can buy — tested and rated
• Trouble sleeping? Being deficient in this vitamin could be why you can’t sleep through the night
• I was waking up every night until this quick fix helped me sleep through
• Stretching before bed helps you sleep better — 7 we recommend for falling asleep quickly

We're no longer keeping quiet around bedtime. More than a third of Americans can't sleep in silence, with Gen Z having the hardest time doing so, according to new research.

A survey of 1,000 Americans carried out by Talker Research found sleep preferences have shifted between generations. The findings show 49% of Gen Z lean on sounds to fall asleep, while just 32% of baby boomers rely on sound aids to sleep.

Constant streaming, relentless notification pings and endless TikTok feeds means we're used to noisy, over-stimulating environments nowadays, and it seems this noisy culture is influencing our sleep habits.

But heavy metal or political discussion aren't exactly the best lullabies. Fine-tuning our listening and switching to soothing sounds is essential for conducing restorative, peaceful sleep.

Here, we'll dive into which sound tracks are best for sleep, how to use sleep sounds to elevate the quality of your rest and which gadgets can help you do just that.

How can noise help you sleep?

For years we've been searching for ways to block out sound at night. Foam and silicone earbuds are popular sleep companions used to muffle noisy neighbours or a snoring partner.

But now people are getting more experimental and using audio to help them drift off.

There are many ways intentional sleep sounds can help you sleep. First, they can mask more disruptive noise pollution coming from outside your window.

They can also help promote relaxation by distracting you from anxious thoughts, quietening a busy mind before sleep.

Additionally, putting in your headphones and turning on a sleep meditation, white noise or calming music can help you form a consistent nighttime routine.

This routine signals to your body that it is time to wind down, giving you a greater chance of falling asleep fast.

• Read more: Trouble sleeping? Calm just launched a new app with 300 hours of sleep content— get a year free and save $50 on Ozlo earbuds

7 of the best sounds for better sleep

There are certain sounds that are proven to help you sleep. Here are a handful of science-backed recommendations…

1. Nature sounds

Falling asleep to the sound of crashing ocean waves, a flowing river, rain, forest ambience or a crackling fire is bliss for many people.

There's plenty of evidence indicating interactions with nature have a positive effect on relaxation and overall well-being.

A study by scientists at the University of Sussex shows the sound of nature influences bodily systems that control the flight-or-fright and rest-digest autonomic nervous systems, which are associated with the brain's ability to relax and, hence, our ability to fall asleep and clock quality ZZZs.

2. Guided meditations

Our team of sleep gurus takes snoozing seriously. From moon breathing to the body scan technique, we've tried and tested countless sleep meditations (yes, it's a tough job).

Navigating the hundreds of sleep meditations on YouTube can be overwhelming. So, how exactly do these meditations work, and which ones do we really recommend following?

By targeting both anxious thoughts and physical stress symptoms, guided sleep meditations induce relaxation that prepares the body for sleep.

They usually involve the calming voice of a sleep practitioner who helps you focus on the here and now, your breath and bodily sensations so you can let go of worries at bedtime and drift off peacefully.

After testing, we recommend the famous Floating Among The Stars and Sleep Talk Down Guided Meditation by certified meditation teacher Jason Stephenson. These mediations have helped us calm our minds before sleep, no matter how long our to-do list is or how anxious we felt about an early-morning alarm.

• Read more: I tried this fall asleep fast method with 23 million views on YouTube — here’s what happened

3. Sleep podcasts

Many podcast hosts probably don't want you to fall asleep mid-episode. But sleep-specific podcasts are designed to lull listeners to sleep with a combination of quietly-narrated stories, guided meditations and calming audio snippets.

Reading is often lauded as an elite bedtime activity, yet some people can find it too stimulating or demanding, which is no good for dozing off. Hence, a bedtime podcast is a great alternative.

Leading sleep podcasts include Sleep With Me, which features deliberately boring stories read calmly by Drew Ackerman, Sleep Whispers, which, as its name suggests, involves the host reading anything from poetry to Wikipedia pages, in a soothing whisper, and Headspace Sleepcast, which sends you to dreamlands via long, meandering descriptions.

4. Binaural beats

Harnessing the power of physics to help you snooze, binaural beats are an auditory illusion that occurs when two tones of different (but very close) frequency are played simultaneously to each ear through headphones.

The aim of the game here is to slow down brainwave activity and induce alpha wave brain activity. This promotes a calm state of mind, making it easier for you to fall asleep.

You can find binaural beat playlists on both Spotify and YouTube and use them to bag a quick nap during the day or fall asleep peacefully at night.

5. White noise

White noise has been around since the 1960s as a popular sleep aid used to soothe adults and babies to sleep, and there's been a particular uptick in interest in recent years with 73.2K posts under #whitenoise on TikTok.

Likened to the sound of a television static, it blends all frequencies across the audible spectrum in equal measure, creating a 'fuzzy' noise. White noise essentially provides a monotonous backdrop that drowns out other sound.

Therefore, white noise is particularly effective for anyone looking to mask a noisy household, disruptive neighbours or a busy city outside your bedroom window.

After prolonged use, your mind will come to associate the sound with sleep, helping you nod off.

• Read more: What is green noise and can it help you fall asleep fast? An expert answers

6. Chill-out music

Research shows music can reduce sympathetic nervous system activity and decrease anxiety, blood pressure, heart and respiratory rate.

As such, it has physical and psychological calming effects, promoting muscle and mind relaxation which is essential when it comes to getting quality sleep.

The kind of music you find calming will depend on your music taste. But you'll want to avoid stimulating lyrics and booming basses.

Experts, including Dr Mayank Shukla, generally recommend relaxing classical music or instrumental songs as effective sleep aids.

Wham's Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go wouldn't be our go-to sleep track. But something like Conan Grey's Heather should do the trick.

7. ASMR

ASMR refers to sounds that stimulate an autonomous sensory meridian response and are associated with a euphoric, sensory experience.

From immersive cooking and cleaning videos to hair brushing, whispering and chewing (yuk!), social media is obsessed with ASMR right now. But can these sounds help you sleep?

ASMR is said to trigger relaxation, reduce stress and promote feelings of well-being, potentially leading to easier and deeper sleep.

A study published in the Malaysian Journal of Medical and Health Sciences, which used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index to assess the impact of ASMR on sleep, concluded that ASMR stimulation for 14 days can significantly improve sleep quality.

Finding your ideal ASMR soundtrack for sleep will depend on personal preferences. But, if you're looking for a steer, experts at Sleep.com recommend letter pronunciation, whispering, tapping, typing, blowing and scratching sounds

Combine sleep sounds with good sleep hygiene

For these sounds to have the positive effect they promise, you must ensure the rest of your sleep hygiene is on point too.

This will include sleeping on the best mattress and best pillow for your sleep style and sleep needs. Plus, for the best quality rest, you should follow a consistent sleep schedule where you go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time each day.

Regularly cleaning your mattress and sleep space to ensure it is free of irritating allergens and dust mites is also essential for getting a good night's sleep.

The best gadgets for sleep sounds

Whether you want to listen solo or with your partner, there are plenty of bedroom gadgets for sleep sound streaming. These are a selection of deals to shop today...

We know sticking to a regular sleep schedule is key to falling asleep fast and getting good quality sleep throughout the night.

While it seems simple, finding the discipline to put your phone down at bedtime and drag yourself out of bed early in the morning can be hard.

From the best smart beds that help you regulate your temperature to sleep headphones that lull you to sleep with music, there are plenty of gadgets to help you overcome your sleep woes. But if sticking to a regular sleep routine is your main sleep vice, the Rise Science sleep app is the sleep tech you need.

I've been using this app for a month to track my sleep routine and learn more about my energy potential. Despite being initially sceptical, I have to admit my sleep has improved.

But what does it actually do? I'm diving deeper into my experience so you can find out if it's the right sleep gear for you.

What is the Rise sleep app?

Founded by sleep scientists Jeff Kahn and Leon Sasson, who have experience in helping top-tier athletes improve their performance with the power of sleep, Rise is a mobile app that monitors your sleep debt, helps you harness your energy levels throughout the day and stay on track with your sleep schedule.

It does this through a built-in alarm clock, a daily energy chart and sleep coaching based on your own biology.

Although it can't singly track metrics like your sleep quality and sleep cycles, you can pair the app with a wearable tracker from the likes of Oura, Garmin, Apple or Fitbit for more accurate sleep and energy data.

• Read more: Trouble sleeping? Calm just launched a new app with 300 hours of sleep content— get a year free and save $50 on Ozlo earbuds

First thoughts on the Rise app

The set up process includes answering a series of questions about your sleep habits, daily movement and energy levels, and agreeing to the subscription fee ($69.99/year with 7 day subscription).

While I initially thought this was pricey for a mobile app, a CNET survey shows Americans are willing to pay up to $1,000 a year to improve their sleep. So, this subscription fee is a minor dip in that budget.

After transferring data from my health trackers, the app calculated my ideal sleep routine, how much sleep I personally needed each night and the initial sleep debt I was in.

I was surprised by the metrics it came up with. According to the app, I need 7.5 hours of sleep a night (I always assumed I needed more around the 8 hour mark).

Interesting but not life changing. What really threw me was the time it was suggesting I went to sleep and woke up.

I’m all for a 9:30pm bedtime but an alarm between 4:45am and 5:45am seemed a bit extreme. But why not give it a try? So, I trusted the app and the sleep specialists behind it and put this routine to the test.

3 things I found when using the Rise app

It helped organize and optimize my sleep schedule

Rise gives you a ‘smart bedtime’ and ‘smart wake up time’ (aka a sleep / wake up time goal) which helps you organize your sleep schedule.

Sticking to these suggestions has been helping me fall asleep fast and sleep through the night undisturbed.

I used to focus on sleep duration, counting up the hours I’d sleep if I went to bed at X time and set my alarm for X.

But Rise takes that mental load away, optimizing your sleep schedule for you based on your daytime activity (when paired to a fitness tracker) and melatonin window.

It sends you notifications telling you when the best time is for you to have your last caffeine hit, start winding down, and go to bed for the best quality sleep.

Rather than focussing on overall sleep duration, Rise encourages you to hit bedtime and wake time goals.

This is a good method of optimizing your sleep routine as emerging research suggests sleep regularity, the day-to-day consistency of sleep-wake timing, can be a stronger predictor for some health outcomes than sleep duration.

My energy dips and peaks were as expected

The app sends you notifications alerting you to when you’re likely to feel energy peaks and dips.

It works off the basis that it takes 90 minutes for sleep hormones to leave your body, meaning your morning energy peak should arrive 90 minutes after waking.

Be it placebo or not, I have found the energy peaks and dips to be accurate. I am a morning person through and through and the app has shown this with my predicted energy levels.

I’ve long found myself victim to the typical 3pm dip, and the app has accurately predicted this. And, unsurprisingly, I tend to have a burst of energy when closing my laptop at 5:30pm.

The notifications are a handy reminder to harness your energy peaks and dips. The 'peak approaching' notifications have been encouraging me to get things picked off my to-do list.

Meanwhile, the 'dip approaching' remind me to give myself a break amid a world where constant productivity and an 'always-on culture' are causing burn out.

It is natural for the human body to experience these energy fluctuations throughout the day, after all.

It accounted for a heavy weekend away

I was doing well at sticking to my Rise sleep schedule with my energy potential sitting in the 90th percentile, even hitting 99% some days.

But, as a 20-something, you can't be entirely committed to an early bedtime if you want to maintain a social life, and a heavy weekend away sent my schedule into disarray.

I racked up a high sleep debt thanks to a trip full of cocktails and late nights, but the app accounted for this in my suggested sleep schedule the following week and added 25 minutes to my nightly sleep need.

It also reassured me that after two nights back in routine, my sleep debt returned from a ‘high’ to an ‘okay’ range.

As someone who likes to 'do it all', balancing wellness and fitness alongside a busy work and social life, I like how Rise allocates your sleep debt.

Splitting it up into 25 minutes over the week makes catching up on rest seem more manageable.

Whereas before I assumed I'd need to spend a full day bed bound after a night out to recover, following Rise's suggested sleep times has proven you can catch up on sleep incrementally.

I've felt more refreshed this week than I usually do after a groggy day in bed.

Final thoughts

After a month of regularly sticking to the Rise app suggestions, I found it was very helpful for forming a consistent sleep schedule, managing sleep debt and learning more about how sleep affects your energy levels throughout the day.

But, admittedly, it didn't do anything revolutionary compared to other sleep trackers. In fact, without sensors in touch with your body, it can’t measure your sleep patterns or sleep cycles like most trackers can.

So, for more bang for your buck, you may be better off investing in a wearable tracker that can measure your sleep stages and overnight heart rate to give you an accurate picture of your sleep quality and how restorative your sleep has been. These trackers also hold you accountable around your routine.

But these wearable trackers will command a higher price. Garmin watches that track sleep cost $200 or more and an Oura Ring will set you back upwards of $249. That said, you can get a Fitbit Inspire 3 sleep and health tracker around the same price point as a yearly subscription to the Rise app.

With multiple notifications sent a day, it is important not to become fixated on the app as this risks orthosomnia, an unhealthy obsession with achieving "perfect" sleep.

Instead use it as a tool for holding yourself accountable around your sleep schedule. As my experience has shown, a weekend of little sleep can be fixed.

• Read more: World Sleep Society officially backs sleep trackers — but it comes with a warning

Sports massages, fancy recovery tech and recovery-boosting supplements are great for marathon runners. But what if I told you there's a more powerful, free recovery tool? You've probably guessed, it's sleep.

I’m a sleep writer training for the London Marathon 2025, and to push myself through my training block, hitting faster paces and running longer distances than I have before, I’ve been prioritizing and optimizing my sleep.

This has involved sleeping on one of the best smart mattresses of the year, testing various sleep gadgets and, most importantly, sticking to a regular sleep schedule.

This World Sleep Day, I’ve spoken to former British champion runner, lecturer and Coopah head coach, James Thie, and UK Sports Institute performance innovation consultant and sleep and circadian scientist, Dr Luke Gupta, to find out exactly how important sleep is for endurance athletes.

Learning from the greats

When you imagine someone training for a marathon, you likely think of them pounding the pavements early in the morning, sporting a trendy running vest and trainers, getting their run ticked off before work.

What you might not think about is them curled up in bed by 9pm the night before a long run. But in fact, a lot of time during a successful marathon training block is spent sleeping.

Paula Radcliffe slept nine to 10 hours a night and another couple of hours in the afternoon during training.

While training to break two hours in the marathon, Eliud Kipchoge slept 8 hours each night and took a two-hour nap during the day. Granted I will not be running close to a two hour marathon.

I’ll be happy to run anything under four hours. But taking leaves out of the professionals’ books does no harm and one thing is clear — you cannot underestimate the power of sleep in boosting running performance.

More and more people are toeing the start lines of marathons worldwide. London Marathon 2025 had a record breaking 840,318 people apply for the public ballot and Strava’s Year in Sport 2024 Report found 43% of the app’s users said they want to conquer a big race or event in 2025.

With this comes a greater need to understand the importance of rest, recovery and, crucially, sleep when taking on these intense physical challenges.

Sleeping well is essential when I'm training for a marathon — here's why

Most marathon training blocks last between 12 and 18 weeks, which is a long time to be pushing your body through its paces. Therefore, rest, recovery and, crucially, sleep is extremely important to any endurance runner, especially if you want to reach peak performance.

“Sleep is one of the most underrated forms of natural recovery,” says Thie. “People will spend hundreds of pounds on the best running shoes, drinks, energy gels and all those things. They go and pay for a massage, go and see physios. But sleep is our natural healer.”

“Our bodies are the smartest bit of technology, equipment and kit that we're ever going to get. You only ever get one. So, you've got to look after it and sleep is when it repairs.”

A 2023 study published in the National Library of Medicine by researchers from Athens and Zurich reviewed the relationship of strenuous physical activities like long-distance running with sleep.

The researchers found that the longer the distance of a running race, the greater the importance of an optimal sleep for race performance as well as the impact of a race on sleep.

It’s not all about the amount of sleep you get, but the quality of sleep too. A growing body of research suggests slow-wave sleep, otherwise known as deep sleep, is most important for recovery in athletes.

This is because the body releases human growth hormone during this stage of sleep, aiding muscle tissue repair and regeneration.

Without sufficient slow wave sleep the body can’t repair the damage sustained to muscles, bones and tendons during intense training sessions like a long run or speed session.

As Thie explains: “If we think about our body like an electric car; when we fall asleep is when we recharge our body battery.

If we are awake longer and longer, then that battery runs down. If you're trying to run and exercise, you run the battery down even more, increasing the need for you to recharge through sleep.”

• Read more: Stretching before bed helps you sleep better — 7 we recommend for falling asleep quickly

3 ways sleep can make you a better runner

While sleeping well is not going to miraculously make you a speed sensation. It is part of the puzzle of improving your running performance. Here's how...

1. Allows your heart to rest

Although your heart becomes stronger with every stride you run, it also needs time to recuperate.

As an intense cardiovascular exercise, running places stress on the cardiovascular system including your heart, meaning it is important to take good care of this vital organ.

Although the heart never stops working, your heart rate and blood pressure slow down while you sleep at night, giving it a much-needed chance to rest and adapt to your training.

“When you train, your circulatory system undergoes adaptation. So, your body starts to get better at delivering nutrients and oxygen to all the different muscles that are needed to run a marathon,” says Dr Gupta says.

And your body best adapts without burning out when you maintain a good balance of training and sleep.

2. Strengthens the immune system

The last thing you want is to battle through your training block, sacrificing social activities for a long run and lay-ins for cold early mornings pounding the pavements, only to be struck with the flu on race day.

Under the physical stress of marathon training, our immune system can become compromised.

“Doing lots of physical exercise on top of an already exhausting lifestyle is going to damp down your body’s responses to viruses and bacteria," Dr Gupta says. "But sleep can balance the books.”

Getting good sleep is key to building a solid defence against illness and injury as a runner because this is when the immune response kicks in.

“In the day, there's lots of different pathogens entering our bodies through eyes, nose and mouth," Dr Gupta explains.

"It's not until we sleep that our bodies actually start to form a defense to stop them doing any damage.”

3. Improves mental fitness

Marathon training is as mentally demanding as it is physically. A gruelling marathon training block requires mental endurance and can be stressful, especially when you’re juggling increased training alongside full time work and family commitments. Again, sleep can help.

“Sleep can have a profound effect on the cognitive and emotional elements of running," Dr Gupta says, explaining that "It can boost your motivation to train, your ability to make [pacing] decisions and your ability to sustain attention, which are important in long distance running.”

Sleep primes your mental state to take on a marathon and all the waves of emotion and adrenaline race day will bring.

• Read more: Sleep expert reveals her secret weapon for falling asleep fast— and you can do it in 15 minutes

How I optimize my sleep for better training

1. I stick to a sleep schedule

Helping to regulate your internal body clock and hormone cycles, a consistent sleep schedule is the bedrock to quality sleep.

I aim to go bed and wake up at roughly the same time each day as this helps me fall asleep faster and wake up easier.

My sleep-tracking smart bed (the Eight Sleep Pod 4) helps me stay accountable when it comes to my sleep schedule as a consistent routine improves your sleep score.

Other sleep trackers I recommend include the Oura Ring and Garmin sleep coach.

With a consistent bedtime, your body will learn when it is time to wind down for sleep and when it should wake up and be energetic.

In turn, it will release and suppress the relevant hormones (i.e. melatonin in the evening so you feel sleepy and cortisol in the morning so you feel more alert.)

Most marathons start early in the morning and you must account for travel time to the start line too. So getting your body used to running earlier in the day after an early alarm is key to getting your energy peaks in line for race day.

2. I don't run too close to bedtime

My chronotype is a morning lark, which bodes well with marathon training. Granted, adding marathon training into a jam packed schedule means squeezing a run in where you can.

However, for the benefit of your sleep, I recommend a morning run over an evening one where possible.

This is because exercise spikes your cortisol levels and raises your core body temperature, which is no recipe for peaceful sleep.

Experts recommend avoiding intense exercise three to four hours before bed and swapping vigorous physical activity for gentler forms of movement in the evening like yoga or a walk (both of which can assist marathon runners.)

Plus studies show morning exercise is better for your sleep. A morning run outdoors exposes you to sunlight and spikes cortisol at the right time, helping you sustain energy throughout the day and regulate your circadian rhythm.

3. I relax my mind and body

Finding ways to manage the mental overload of marathon training is important for getting quality sleep.

I incorporate calming activities like reading, yoga and listening to music into my evening routine and rest days.

This ensures I give my mind and body time to wind down before sleep and allow time to switch off and fully recharge between runs.

But I don’t let the pursuit of perfect sleep stress me out. As Dr Gupta reminds me: “You’ve got to fit your training in somewhere and you're probably going to compromise your sleep at some point.”

Accepting that not every night’s sleep will be perfect and not every run will be your best eases the mental pressure of endurance training.

4. I stretch before bed

Skipping stretching seems to be a common bad habit among runners. I admit I’m not the most dedicated stretcher and I often hear fellow runners say the same thing.

One way to put this running vice to bed and improve your recovery is carving out time in your bedtime routine to stretch your body.

Since replacing bedtime scrolling with bedtime stretching, I’ve noticed an array of benefits. My muscles feel less tense and I feel more relaxed by the time I get into bed, helping me drift off to sleep.

And my sleep score shows an improvement too, climbing from an average of 59 over a week before I established a solid nighttime routine to an average of 91 over a week in February with a calming routine, including stretching, in place.

Stretching before bed also releases endorphins which can alleviate stress built up through the day, so you go to bed in higher spirits, which does wonders for sleep quality. Anxiety and stress are two of the main disruptors of sleep, after all.

5. I keep my body temperature low

A sleep hack that many people aren’t aware of is controlling your temperature. This is because your body naturally cools down before you sleep.

Therefore, making an effort to cool your sleep space down, be that with a cooling mattress or by opening a window, can help you drift off to sleep and promote muscle recovery overnight.

While it sounds contradictory, taking a warm bath or using a sauna before bed can help you cool your body down.

This is because, although your body temperature rises while in the sauna or bath, once you exit there is a sudden drop in body temperature and this signals that it is time to sleep.

In response, your body will release melatonin, making you feel sleepy, drift off quickly and get those all important deep ZZZs.

6. I nap where I can

A common denominator in the world-record breaking marathon training schedules I mentioned earlier is the daytime nap.

If there’s one thing Thie misses about being a professional athlete, it’s the luxury of an afternoon nap. “I think countries where they have a siesta have got it absolutely spot on,” he says, because napping “doubles your recovery time, allowing your body to heal itself from the activities you've done.”

“If anyone has the ability to have an afternoon nap, absolutely have it,” advises Thie.

Taking this advice on board, I’ve napped where I can and when I think I need it. Working full time, this usually means a weekend afternoon nap after a long run when the extra kip is especially needed.

7. I refuel properly

Alongside sleeping well, properly refuelling with a nutritious, balanced diet is an essential recovery tool in the marathon runner’s belt, and your diet can influence your sleep quality too.

Endurance training depletes glycogen stores in the muscles therefore replenishing these stores with plenty of carbohydrates before and after a run is key to keeping your body functioning and sleeping well.

While heavy meals around bedtime are not advised, I always have a snack before bed to prevent nighttime awakenings due to hunger.

My nutrient-packed nighttime snack of choice is usually Greek yoghurt with almonds, seeds and peanut butter.

This is because almonds are rich in magnesium, which is well known for promoting sleep. Meanwhile, yoghurt contains tryptophan (an amino acid that regulates sleep), protein which helps avoid blood sugar spikes and calcium which promotes muscle relaxation.

How running can help you sleep better

The good news is that there’s a two-way relationship between running and sleep. While sleeping better can make you run better, running can also help you sleep better.

Studies show adults who exercise for at least 30 minutes a day sleep an average of 15 minutes longer than those who did not exercise. This is because exercise increases adenosine in the body, a compound that promotes sleep.

Essentially, exercise tires you out physically and mentally. In turn, your body craves more rest, helping you fall asleep faster and sleep through the night.

Research from the French Institute of Sport shows increased training load promotes sleep propensity and slow-wave sleep in endurance runners. So, while your body demands more deep sleep during marathon training, it usefully becomes better at gaining it.

Tom's Guide created this content as part of a paid partnership with Helix Sleep. The contents of this article are independent and solely reflect the editorial opinion of Tom's Guide.

Although the clocks are springing forward this weekend, bringing naturally lighter mornings, a decent sunrise sound machine still has a place in your nighttime routine. There's 20% off the Sunrise Sound Machine at Momcozy now when you enter the code MOM2025, which is great value.

I've tested the Momcozy alongside the best sunrise alarm clocks of the year and am impressed with the features it offers at such an affordable price point. The versatile device is complete with 30 calming sleep sounds, 7 night light colors and a digital clock, alongside a soothing sunrise and sundown light simulation.

Although it is marketed towards mums and babies, anyone can benefit from the Momcozy. I enjoyed using it as a reading light before bed; the warm amber light setting particularly conducive to sleepiness. I also found the natural sleep sounds, especially the sound of crashing waves, authentic and relaxing and they did wonders in lulling me off to sleep. Here's why I recommend buying it in this month's sleep sales...

The Momcozy Sunrise Sound Machine has an array of quality features at a reasonable price point. It is a great alternative to the Lumie Bodyclock Shine 300. Its morning sun alarm is designed to resemble the ascending sun on the horizon as it rouses you from sleep, helping you wake up refreshed rather than groggy.

By night it can help you dispel stress and sooth your baby to sleep too, thanks to its library of 30 high-fidelity sounds, including 17 nature sounds, 3 fan sounds, 7 baby sounds, and 3 soothing noises (1 white noise, 1 pink noise, and 1 brown noise).

Already a budget-friendly sunrise night light, the Momcozy is rarely discounted like it is now, making now a great time to snap up a deal before summer rolls in. Even though the sunrise simulation won't be as necessary on brighter summer mornings, the sleep sounds are always useful.

High performers including NFL player Travis Kelce, leading neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, and award-winning actress Scarlett Johansson rely on smart beds to help them get quality rest amid their busy schedules.

I've been sleeping on an Eight Sleep Pod 4 for months and it's helped me supercharge my sleep. Can a smart bed be your ticket to better rest, too? I'll share the reasons why a high-tech bed might be what you need to feel your best in the morning.

When you're sleeping, you cycle through REM and deep sleep stages. Each contributes to how restorative your rest is, and getting quality sleep is about spending enough time in each sleep stage.

Finding the best mattress for your needs and body type is crucial to allowing your body to move through these essential sleep cycles undisturbed — and leveling up to a smart bed can help you track that progress more closely.

Of course, with advanced sleep technology comes higher prices. Browse this month's mattress sales for ways to save on top smart beds and mattresses from Eight Sleep, Sleep Number, Bryte, and more.

How a smart bed has improved my sleep quality

After sleeping on the Eight Sleep Pod 4 mattress cover for four months (and improving my sleep routine in the process), my sleep score has gone from an average of 59 over a week in early November to an average of 91 over a week in February. Below is an example of how an average night's sleep looked for me during those weeks.

As you can see from the data above, I am getting more consistent high sleep scores now.

Consistency is key when it comes to sleep, especially since new research published in the National Library of Medicine demonstrates that sleep regularity, meaning the day-to-day consistency of sleep-wake timing, can be a stronger predictor for some health outcomes than sleep duration.

Elsewhere, studies show sleep quality is more important than quantity when it comes to maintaining energy, strength, and immunity. This science suggests that rather than focusing on how long we sleep, we should focus on the quality of the ZZZs we get. This is where smart beds can help.

• Read more: Forget the Scandinavian Sleep Method — why the Eight Sleep Pod 4 could be the answer to your bed sharing woes

3 ways my smart bed has boosted my sleep quality

Smart beds employ a range of technology to help you sleep better night after night. Here's how the Eight Sleep Pod 4 has helped me get better quality rest...

1. My bed keeps me accountable

A consistent sleep schedule where you go to sleep and wake up at roughly the same time each night and morning is key to regulating your circadian rhythm and sleeping efficiently.

But when scrolling TikTok or watching television in bed — neither of which we recommend for quality sleep, by the way — it can be hard to keep track of what time you actually fall asleep.

Having your smart bed record how long it takes you to fall asleep (known as latency) compared to the amount of time you spend in bed doing other things helps keep you accountable when it comes to maintaining a steady sleep schedule.

Eight Sleep's algorithm incorporates your dedication to your pre-set routine into your nightly sleep score. So, if you're striving to improve your score, you must stick to a consistent routine. This can regulate your internal body clock and help you improve your sleep quality.

• Looking for a reliable sleep tracker? Check out our Garmin Index Sleep Monitor review and Withings Sleep Analyzer review

2. I sleep at the right temperature

Temperature is one of the key regulators of your body's sleep and wake cycles. Experts say a cooler bedroom temperature can help you drift off as your body naturally cools down before falling asleep.

The optimal sleep temperature is said to be between 20 and 25°C (68 and 77°F). Maintaining this temperature through the night can help improve your overall sleep quality and duration, reducing nighttime awakenings.

While cooling mattresses can regulate your sleep temperature, smart beds go a step further. Many smart beds have integrated climate control systems and sensors that track your body and room temperature through the night.

These systems tend to be water or fan-based and adjust accordingly to keep you at an ideal temperature while you sleep.

The Eight Sleep Pod 4 cools down at bedtime to help signal to the body that it's time to rest and the Autopilot system adjusts the temperature through the night. Since sleeping on the Pod 4, I haven't woken up in a hot flush.

3. I've ditched my iPhone alarm

Thanks to the Eight Sleep Pod 4's vibrating thermal alarm, my mornings are less groggy. The Pod 4 wakes you up by a gradual temperature rise (remember cooler temperatures are conducive to sleep) and in-bed vibrations.

Similar to the best sunrise alarm clocks, it uses natural circadian rhythm cues to wake you more gently than a blaring iPhone alarm jolting you awake mid sleep cycle. I've found this helps me wake up with more energy and in a better mood, so I'm more inclined to get out of bed and start my day. Keeping in-sync with your circadian rhythms might also help beat fatigue if you feel tired all the time.

Ditching an audio alarm also means I can sleep with my phone away from my bed, which has done wonders for my nighttime and morning routine, cutting out the temptation to scroll at night when I should be sleeping or first thing in the morning. Hence, I am going to sleep and waking up in line with my well-intentioned routine, which boosts my sleep score.

How else can smart beds and mattresses improve your sleep quality?

Other smart beds, especially Sleep Number mattresses, offer customizable sleep positions and automatic firmness adjustments. This helps you remain in the most comfortable, supported position through the night with your spine aligned and pressure points alleviated.

Therefore, back pain or achy joints are less likely to disrupt your rest and you'll wake up feeling more refreshed come morning.

• Read more: Eight Sleep launches world-first AI-powered smart mattress cover that knows when you’re going to get sick — a first look at the cooling Pod 5 Ultra

3 other methods for boosting sleep quality

A smart bed can do wonders for your sleep quality, but it ultimately comes down to making the effort to improve your habits, which no mattress can do for you. Here are a few ways you can improve your rest, whether or not you have a high-tech bed...

1. Get ample sunlight

Light is another key regulator of the circadian rhythm. Making sure you expose yourself to daylight, especially in the morning, can help regulate your sleep and wake cycles.

Light spikes cortisol levels, telling the body it is time to be alert, while darkness prompts the release of melatonin, the hormone that makes you feel sleepy.

Timing your exposure to light can help you manage your energy levels over 24 hours. Morning sunlight will help you wake up, and evening darkness will help you fall asleep faster and sleep through the night.

Additionally, making sure you get enough fresh air, vitamin D, and outdoor exercise can offset fatigue, preventing you from feeling tired all the time and helping you get better quality sleep at night.

2. Establish a bedtime routine

A sustainable, relaxing nighttime routine is the gateway to quality sleep. While everyone's bedtime preferences will differ, your routine should include an activity you find helps calm your mind and body.

For some, this might be reading; for others, it might be listening to music, practicing meditation, or making a to-do list.

A warm bath and sleep-inducing drink are also great additions to your bedtime routine as they promote sleep onset, helping you fall asleep fast.

3. Maintain a clean sleep space

Your environment is a reflection of your mind, meaning visual clutter and mess can trigger anxiety. Therefore, maintaining a clean mattress and bedroom will help your mind relax more easily before bed so you sleep more peacefully through the night.

Regular and thorough cleaning will also mean less dust mites and allergens accumulate in your sleep space. This improves air quality, which can especially benefit those who suffer with allergies at night.

Quality sleep is essential for your health and wellbeing. And while there's plenty you can do to improve your sleep without spending a cent, I've found some really cool gadgets that can help you fall asleep faster, sleep better, and stay asleep through the night.

Over the past six months my fellow writers and I have been on the hunt for good sleep tech, which includes the best mattresses with the latest cutting-edge cooling tech, to noise-masking sleep earbuds.

While there were many gadgets we didn't like (looking at you, mouth tape), there's some sleep tech that I now swear by for a better night's rest. Here are my picks from the gadgets I've tried and love so far...

Better sleep Tech: Gadgets I recommend

Whether you’re struggling to snooze due to stress, a snoring partner, light pollution or an out-of-whack sleep schedule, here are the products that can help put your restless nights to bed...

1. Sleep tracking smart rings

From in-bed sensors to smart rings, I've tried a lot of sleep tracking methods and one of my favorites is the Oura Ring 3 (read our Oura Ring 3 review for more), which you can get for $249 (was $299) on sale at Oura now.

This silver ring, worn by A-list wellness fans including Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow, is designed to sit comfortably on your finger throughout the day and night, and as such, its less prominent (and therefore potentially less distracting to your sleep) than wrist-worn sleep trackers.

It collates sleep metrics including your sleep efficiency, overnight heart rate and heart rate variability to give you a sleep score, as well as amount of REM sleep and deep sleep and your sleep latency.

While testing the Oura Ring 3 I have found it keeps me accountable when I'm aiming for a consistent sleep schedule. And recently, after tracking my rest, I've managed to get an impressive sleep score of 100.

• Read more: World Sleep Society officially backs sleep trackers — but it comes with a warning

2. Smart eye masks

Eye masks are great if light pollution is keeping you up at night, but if you're experiencing eye strain or want some extra help falling asleep, smart eye masks have additional technology to help you. We've tested both the Bob and Brad Eye Massager and Aura Smart Sleep Mask, and think they're worth considering for any nighttime routine.

If you're staring at a computer most of the day or having to focus during regular long drives, you may be putting strain on your eyes. This is where the Bob and Brad heated eye mask (which you can buy for the reduced price of $69.99 (was $74.97) at Amazon now) can help.

This gadget effectively blocks out light, while providing a combination of heat, pressure and acupressure (you can choose from two heat settings and three compression levels) to help ease symptoms of puffiness and dry eyes (an effect of eye strain).

Similarly, the Aura Sleep Mask (available for $229 at Aura) is a breathable, cushioned mask packed with tech to block out light and provide personalized light and sound therapy.

The mask has Bluetooth-enabled speakers and you can customize audio-visual dreamscapes in the compatible app, picking from nature sounds, guided meditations, ASMR, and much more. There's even a sunrise alarm feature, giving you the option to be woken up gradually using light.

3. Sleep headphones

If you need complete silence to lull you to sleep, a quality pair of sound-reducing ear plugs, aka some of the best sleep headphones, will be your favorite thing to take to bed.

We love the Loop Quiet 2 Ear Plugs, which you can buy for $29.95 at Amazon now. Our main tester noted that these soft silicone ear plugs remained comfortable all night long and credited them for drowning out enough noise to help her sleep next to a nightclub and her snoring other half.

On the flip side, recent research from Talker Research, commissioned by Newsweek, shows that the sound of silence keeps 38% of Americans awake at night.

So, if you'd rather drift off to calming sounds, a pair of sleep headphones, like the Philips Sleep Headphones currently available for $216 (was $270) at Kokoon, can help.

With super thin earbuds, these headphones are connected to a small control panel that sits at the nape of your neck. They connect to your phone, so you can turn on a guided meditation, binaural beats or a soothing symphony as you fall sleep.

4. Smart beds

If you're really looking to invest in your sleep and learn more about what happens to your body overnight, a smart bed is a great investment. Built with world-leading sleep technology, the best smart beds and mattresses are engineered to help you tackle your sleep woes, be they night sweats, back pain or a restless partner.

Sleep Number mattresses for example all come with dual adjustable firmness, making them a great choice for couples with different firmness preferences, sleep styles or body weight as you can customize the pressure relief on each side of the bed.

Although they're the most expensive sleep tech in this round-up, typically requiring a budget upwards of $1,000, smart beds give you a personalized sleep experience night after night, along with sleep tracking analysis.

Some even offer additional features like snore detection, zero gravity positions, massage and silent alarms.

5. Sunrise alarm clocks

Obviously alarm clock are meant to wake you up rather than send you to sleep, but smart versions of this product are now incorporating wind down features too.

Take the best sunrise alarm clocks for example, including the newer Hatch Restore 3 ($169.99 at Hatch), Philips SmartSleep Sleep and Wake Up Light ($219.99 at Phillips) and Lumie Bodyclock Shine 300 ($159 at Lumie). These sunrise simulating lights also have sunset simulation and relaxing audio features to help you drift off.

Plus, waking up to the simulated sunlight (rather than darkness and the sound of an alarm) will help regulate your sleep-wake cycle, which can lead to falling asleep faster in the evening, waking up more easily in the mornings and sleeping deeper through the night.

3 top tips to help you sleep better at night

The products above can help improve your sleep quality, but there are other ways to sleep better that won’t cost you anything...

1. Clean up your sleep hygiene

One part of good sleep hygiene is literally cleaning your sleep space. Regularly cleaning your mattress will make sure dead skin cells, dust mites, sweat and body oils don't build up, which can cause skin irritations, allergies and respiratory issues that will disturb your sleep.

Practising good sleep hygiene also means optimizing your sleep environment by keeping it dark, cool, quiet and comfortable, and practicing healthy habits like limiting stimulants such as caffeine late in the day, getting regular exercise and exposing yourself to ample daylight.

2. Maintain a regular sleep routine

Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, where you go to sleep and wake up at roughly the same time, can help you sleep more efficiently and improve your sleep quality.

This is because it will help regulate your circadian rhythm (that's your natural body clock) and help you to release melatonin (the sleepy hormone) at the right time in the evening so you can doze off more easily, and prompt your body to release cortisol in the morning so you can feel alert and awake.

3. Limit screens before bed

Nearly all sleep advice, including that from the CDC, advises against screen use in the lead up to bedtime.

This is because the blue light that is typically emitted from a screen suppresses melatonin, delaying sleep onset. Instead of nighttime smartphone scrolling, add a calming activity like reading, meditation or stretching to your bedtime routine for better sleep quality.

Be it night sweats, a snoring partner or health curiosity, there are many reasons why you might be considering investing in a smart bed. Complete with state-of-the-art technology, you can't be surprised that smart bed systems come with a hefty price tag, even after discounts are applied.

But sleeping on the best mattress for your sleep style and body type is sure to bring you blissful rest. And if you have particular difficulties sleeping, a specialized smart bed with world-class technology may be just what the sleep doctor ordered.

I've tested a leading smart mattress, researched sleep tech and tracked smart bed deals over the past six months, learning exactly what a smart bed can offer and who they can help. Here's what you should know before making the big purchase in the Presidents' Day mattress sales...

What is a smart bed?

We categorize the best smart beds as bed bases, mattress covers or complete AI mattresses that use high-end technology to help you sleep. They are designed to allow you to customize your bed through adjustable positioning, customizable firmness levels and climate control systems. Plus they use sensors to track your sleep and various aspects of your health to respond to your sleep needs.

Working to improve your sleep quality and quantity, they track your heart rate, breathing, body temperature, movement and sleep cycles. Smart beds can also calculate your bedtime, wake-up time and sleeping position and provide personalized sleep reports.

These beds are either fully app-controlled, remote-controlled or use a mix of both, offering manual and responsive mattress customization.

5 things to consider before buying your first smart bed

1. What's your budget?

Laced with cutting-edge technology and designed by leading sleep scientists, no smart bed is particularly cheap. That said, there is a broad price range out there including more budget friendly options.

Smart beds range in price from just under $600 (Sleep Number's most affordable model, the c1 smart mattress, starts at $599 MSRP) to over $18,000 — a split California king Tempur-ActiveBreeze smart bed will set you back a whopping $18,596 at MSRP. Hence they are investment purchases so you’ll want to be sure you’re getting good value for money.

Sleep Number is best known for its affordable smart bed options. Their entry-level smart mattress range goes up to $1,899 for a 9" tall queen size. For this you will get manual and automatic adjustable firmness and in-bed sleep tracking, but no smart climate control.

This sits around the same price point as our #1 mattress of the year, the Saatva Classic, which is a luxury mattress that comes in two heights (11.5" or 14.5") and three comfort levels (plush soft, luxury firm and firm). Ultimately, you must ask yourself what you can afford and what you want to receive from it. Do you want to prioritize sink-in, luxury comfort or high-end sleep tracking technology? You can get both, but it will cost you.

2. What sleep woes are you hoping to tackle?

Different smart beds have different specialities tackling various sleep disruptors. For example, Eight Sleep specialize in dual, active temperature regulation. Their pods have a water-based thermal control system that tracks and responds to your body temperature through the night to keep you at an optimal sleep temp. This is a dream for hot sleepers plagued by night sweats or hot flushes looking for the best cooling mattresses.

Meanwhile, all Sleep Number smart beds excel in dual adjustable firmness, meaning you can customize the feel of them, making them a good option for people with sensitive joints that need extra pressure relief or couples with different body weights and sleep styles.

Smart beds with adjustable head positioning like the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Ergo smart base can mitigate snoring and even help you manage symptoms of sleep apnea. Undoubtedly, a smart bed is a worthy investment if your partner's snoring is sending you towards a sleep divorce.

Additionally, lined with sleep tracking sensors in contact with every part of your body, smart beds are said to give the most accurate sleep metrics, which is great for anyone looking to get really clued up on their sleep health. But if you just want to get an insight into how day-to-day lifestyle choices affect your sleep quality, a wearable sleep tracker like a smart watch or the Oura Ring are the next best options.

3. Do you want to keep your existing mattress or replace it?

Many ‘smart beds’ aren’t actually complete mattresses but rather mattress covers or bed bases that fit over or sit under a separate or existing mattress. For example, Eight Sleep pods are smart mattress covers that fit over 10" to 16" mattresses, while the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Ergo is a smart base that fits between a mattress and bed frame.

This means you need to pair these smart bed components with a top-performing mattress to get the most benefit, comfort and support from them. Your existing mattress might do the trick if it is within its 10 year life span, but if your mattress is getting lumpy and bumpy or sagging, you should take these as signs that it needs upgrading. Of course, this incurs an extra cost alongside your smart bed.

Alternatively, you can get all smart features wrapped up in a complete new mattress if you're willing to fork out just short of $4,700 on the Bryte Balance smart bed and adjustable base set up.

4. Are you willing to pay a subscription fee?

Some leading smart beds like Eight Sleep require you to pay an additional subscription fee to access all features. The Eight Sleep subscription fee starts at $17 per month and allows you to access sleep tracking metrics and reports and set a sleep schedule to make use of the vibration alarm feature.

Without this subscription, you can only adjust the temperature of the bed. In which case, you'd be better off buying a much cheaper cooling mattress pad like Sleep Number's DualTemp Layer ($999 now and if you buy one you get one 50% off). Ultimately, an Eight Sleep pod isn't worth the costs if you don't have this subscription. So, if this celebrity-adorned smart bed is the one you want, you'll need to factor in a mattress subscription to your list of monthly bills.

5. Are you confident using a smart phone?

Most smart beds (with the exception of the Saatva Solaire, our recommended smart bed for back pain and seniors) are operated via a compatible app where you can access your sleep metrics and sleep coaching features. Hence, we advise you only invest in a smart bed if you are tech-savvy enough to manage smart phone software, Bluetooth connectivity and the occasional, inevitable technical hiccup.

It's also worth considering whether you are comfortable with your mattress collecting and storing your personal data and sleep health metrics. Remember it will track everything from your overnight breathing rate to your sleep schedule. And you will need to give personal details when making an account with your chosen sleep tech brand.

Is Presidents' Day a good time to buy a smart bed?

Smart bed mattress sales coincide with usual mattress sales we see throughout the year, meaning Presidents' Day is in fact one of the best times to buy a smart bed. That said, current discounts aren't quite as sweet as those we saw around Black Friday.

Nonetheless, leading smart bed retailers, including Tempur-Pedic, Eight Sleep and Sleep Number, have sales live right now. Tempur-Pedic mattress sales are knocking up to $1,000 off their premium smart beds, the Eight Sleep mattress sales are offering savings of up to $150 and the Sleep Number sales are slashing a huge $3,799 off select mattresses.

3 smart bed deals to shop this Presidents' Day

If you have sleep apnea, you might be wondering if a smart mattress can help manage symptoms. We put that question to Dr Chelsie Rohrscheib, neuroscientist and head sleep expert at home sleep apnea testing company Wesper.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by your breathing stopping and starting during the night. So while sleeping on the best mattress for your sleep style and body type usually result a quality night's sleep, sleep disorders like sleep apnea may require a more specialized bed.

Designed with cutting edge technology, the best smart beds allow you to personalize your sleep space to target certain sleep needs and get better rest. Below, Dr Rohrscheib walks us though why investing in a smart bed could help manage sleep apnea symptoms. Plus, what features you should look out for.

Granted, smart beds aren't particularly cheap; world-class technology comes with a premium price tag to match. But this year's Presidents' Day mattress sales are here, bringing great deals from leading brands including Sleep Number and Tempur-Pedic, making it a great time to invest.

What is a smart bed?

Smart beds are mattresses or mattress covers that incorporate advanced technology to help you achieve the most optimal environment for sleep. They are primarily known for sleep quality tracking, ultimate comfort and convenience.

Their features include adjustable firmness, temperature regulation, heart rate monitoring, snoring detection and sleep cycle tracking. They allow you to customize your bed to find your ideal sleeping position, firmness level and sleep temperature, while integrated sensors measure your sleep metrics and produce nightly sleep reports, which you can access via compatible apps. You can also pair them with smart bed bases which allows the mattress to change positions.

How a smart bed can help sleep apnea

Monitors breathing

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder affecting your ability to breathe consistently throughout the night. Smart beds are laced with sensors that track your heart rate, breathing rate and oxygen levels through the night. Keeping an eye on your nightly breathing metrics can help you identify sleep apnea episodes and measure how severe they are. It can also help you identify triggers that worsen your sleep apnea symptoms.

Most smart bed systems are complete with sleep tracking tech. Sleep Number's Sleep IQ technology tracks breathing and is built into their smart mattresses, while Eight Sleep's smart mattress covers are lined with heart and breathing rate sensors and Tempur-Pedic's Sleeptacker-AI monitors how many breaths you take per minute.

"Individuals with sleep apnea experience long pauses in their breathing at night that disrupt the flow of oxygen and reduce their blood oxygen saturation, leading to very poor sleep quality," Dr Rohrscheib explains. "Smart beds that track respiration and breathing quality may be useful to patients with sleep apnea that want a way to track their disorder."

Adjustable positioning

Smart beds with adjustable head positioning, like Tempur-pedic's Tempur-Ergo smart power base and the Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra, help sleep apnea by allowing you to sleep in an elevated position. "Sleeping with your head elevated or sleeping at an incline can help to reduce the upper airway blockages that cause sleep apnea," Dr Rohrscheib explains.

Smart beds with automatic snore response are even more beneficial as they adjust your head position automatically as soon as snoring is detected through the night for easier breathing.

Temperature regulation

Hot temperatures can worsen sleep apnea symptoms by making it harder to breathe during sleep. Heat can cause tissues in the throat to swell, potentially leading to more frequent airway obstructions.

Dr Rohrscheib explains: "When the body overheats during sleep, it triggers frequent awakenings and lighter sleep stages, which can increase the number of respiratory events."

Smart beds with temperature regulating air or water systems track your body and room temperature throughout the night and adjust accordingly to keep you at an optimal sleep temperature. This stops you from overheating and reduces the chances of airways blockages. Many of the best cooling mattresses are smart beds for this reason.

Other ways to manage sleep apnea

If you suspect your have sleep apnea, you should always consult with your doctor for a formal diagnosis and guidance on the best course of treatment. Sleep apnea treatments usually include CPAP masks or mouthguards. Below are some ways to manage the symptoms in addition to medical intervention.

1. Gentle exercise

We all know that moving your body is pivotal to longevity and maintaining good health. A recent study found physical activity is a preventive measure for sleep apnea, and it needn't be intense activity.

The research suggests a daily 20-minute walk can reduce your risk of sleep apnea by 10% – and reduce the severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea overall if you have already been diagnosed. So, if sleep apnea is keeping you up at night, pull on your walking shoes and get your steps in.

2. Lifestyle changes

Alongside exercise, avoiding alcohol and smoking and maintaining a healthy weight can reduce sleep apnea symptoms. Studies have repeatedly shown a correlation between sleep apnea and alcohol consumption. This is because alcohol can slow down breathing and relaxes muscles in the airway, leading to blockages.

Unsurprisingly, smoking inflames the throat, also constricting airways. Furthermore, being overweight means there's excess fat deposits in the neck, which can block the upper airway during sleep. So, a balanced diet and active lifestyle are key to avoiding sleep apnea.

3. Practice good sleep hygiene

Here we mean hygiene in terms of keeping your sleep space clean as well as creating and following healthy sleep habits that can help improve your sleep quality. A clean sleep environment free of dust mites and other allergens will promote healthy breathing through the night.

Dr Rohrscheib also recommends "keeping the room cool and humidified to promote better airway health." She says: "If the bedroom is overly hot and stuffy, this can lead to airway drying, which may make breathing worse."

Additionally, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule where you go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day and establishing a relaxing nighttime routine free of screens will help regulate your circadian rhythm, promoting more restful sleep. Better quality sleep can enable better airway management, reducing the frequency of sleep apnea episodes.

• Read more: Sleeping on the Eight Sleep Pod 4 has taken my sleep score from 59 to 91 — here's how

A biohacker has shaved 30 years off his biological sleep age by sticking to a strict nighttime routine of getting 6.5 hours of quality sleep a night. Which, according to studies, is the amount of sleep that's linked to living the longest.

Dave Asprey is a technology entrepreneur who spent two decades and over $2 million optimizing his biology and sleep. He has worked with fellow biohacker Bryan Johnson on the newly-released Netflix documentary Don't Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever. Recently, he has perfected his sleep schedule and has seen huge benefits in his wellebing.

From sleepmaxxing to 'locking in' to the winter arc, it's becoming trendy to prioritize wellness routines and habits that improve our health and promise to prolong our lifespan. Asprey is a familiar face in this area of the internet. Here he shares how, at 51 years old, he gets the sleep quality of a 20-year-old (bearing in mind sleep quality tends to decrease with age.)

Sleeping six and a half hours a night

For most of his life, Asprey slept for about four hours a night, devoting the rest of his time to family life and building a company alongside working full time. Eventually he felt burnt out and resolved to hack his sleep for better health and a prolonged life span.

Now he sleeps an average of 6.5 hours a night and follows a strict routine to help him get the best quality sleep in that time, and he's reaping the benefits. Asprey tells Mind Body Green: "I became leaner, healthier, and younger on 6.5 hours of sleep per night."

Prioritising rest is now a mainstay in Asprey's quest for ultimate health and longevity. He says: "I have a goal of living to at least 180, so sleep is non-negotiable now." Science agrees that this sleep duration can do wonders for your overall health and biological age:

• Research shows 6.5 hours is a safe amount of sleep
• Study found no benefit to sleeping longer than 6-7 hours
• Study participants who slept 8 or more hours, or less than 4, had a higher death rate

A six-year study by researchers at the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine and the American Cancer Society involving more than one million participants between the ages of 30 and 102 years found that people who slept for six or seven hours a night had a lower death rate than those who regularly slept less than four hours, or indeed, more than eight hours. Hence, six to seven hours of sleep per night is taken to be the sweet spot for those who want to live the longest.

Biohacker reveals his exact wake-up and nighttime routine

• 6am wake up
• Hydrate and light exposure
• 5pm meal cut off
• 9pm shut off electronic devices as bedtime routine begins

Asprey wakes up at 6am using a SleepSpace alarm to gently rouse him from sleep without disturbing a crucial sleep cycle. From there, he says a short intention, drinks water with sea salt for electrolytes, takes a natural thyroid supplement and goes outside for 10 to 20 minutes sunlight exposure. Sometimes he'll add in a cold plunge or barefoot walk on grass.

Then it's coffee time for Asprey, followed by a shower, and on to the school run, all the while his phone is on airplane mode. Once the kids are dropped off and his morning health is taken care of, he turns on his phone and gets on with his day.

By the time 5pm hits, Asprey is eating a dinner consisting of grass-fed red meat, steamed veggies and a carbohydrate like white rice with a dose of grass-fed butter. He is conscious of eating relatively early in the evening, at least two or three hours before bedtime, to avoid upsetting his circadian rhythm and digestive system.

Once the sun has set, Asprey wears artificial light filtering glasses to prevent blue, violet, green and yellow light from sabotaging the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. He says these glasses allow him to "double" the amount of deep sleep he gets.

9pm is the time his bedtime routine begins. He starts by powering down electronic devices and taking a plethora of sleep supplements including Lion's mane, magnesium glycinate and GABA. Sometimes he'll also have a teaspoon of honey with MCT oil to ensure his brain gets enough glucose for cleansing and regeneration throughout the night.

Next he gratitude journals before closing his blackout curtains and kits himself out with a custom bite guard and mouth tape to prevent teeth grinding and promote nasal breathing through the night.

By 10pm, it is time for him to hop into bed (he has an organic mattress, of course) and turn on his bedroom cooling system to ensure he sleeps in an ideal thermal environment. Ten minutes later, Asprey is catching restorative ZZZs "ready for another day of kicking ass," he says.

How to hack your own sleep

Practising good sleep hygiene is key to getting quality sleep. This involves creating healthy sleep patterns, such as going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, and practising positive habits, like following a calming nighttime routine, that will help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep throughout the night.

Creating a bedroom environment that is conducive to sleep is also essential. You want to make your bedroom a relaxing sanctuary where you can switch off and let your mind and body rest.

• Read more: Can a mattress help you live longer? Biohacker partners with Essentia and Oura to launch a mattress system for longevity

How much sleep do you need?

The amount of sleep you need depends on your age, health and lifestyle. But the NHS and CDC generally recommend healthy adults get between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. Hence, eight hours has long been taken as the optimal sleep duration.

However, some studies, like the one from the University of California, suggest between six and seven hours is ample. Leader of the study Dr Daniel Kripke, a professor of psychiatry at the university who specialises in sleep research, says: "Individuals who now average 6.5 hours of sleep a night can be reassured that this is a safe amount of sleep. From a health standpoint, there is no reason to sleep longer."

Follow the table below to determine how much sleep you and your children need based on age:

Why your bedroom is the biggest hack for your sleep

A bedroom that is conducive to sleep is essential to getting quality rest. To achieve this you should be sleeping on the best mattress and best pillow for your sleep style and body type, sleeping at an optimal temperature (between 60-68°F) and blocking out noise and light pollution. By following these tips, your sleep space will be calm and distraction-free, allowing your nervous system to let go of any tension built up through the day so you can drift off peacefully.

An increasingly popular cooling mechanism in mattresses is phase change material (PCM), a substance that absorbs and releases heat to regulate your body temperature. Hot flushes and night sweats are two of the biggest disruptors of sleep. In fact, research shows 43% of Americans report occasionally feeling too hot when sleeping and 14% say they're too hot most of the time.

We've slept on some seriously comfortable beds while pulling together our best mattress of the year guide. But no matter how cushioning or supportive a mattress is, if it doesn't have specialized cooling technology, its no good for hot sleepers. Which is why the cooling mattress market is expanding and brands are using more scientific methods and materials like PCM to bring people cooler, more comfortable sleep.

If you're in the market for a cooling solution in this month's mattress sales, here's what you need to know about PCM and how it can help you keep cool through the night.

What is phase change material?

Phase change material (PCM) is a substance that can adsorb and release heat as it changes state from a solid to a liquid state. When used in a mattress, the material is usually found in the top layers, either blended directly into the comfort foam or sewn into the fabric of the mattress cover to make sure it is in close contact with the body for the best temperature regulation.

It absorbs excess body heat when you get warm during the night, holds it, and then releases back to your body when you cool down. PCM has many versatile uses. Alongside mattresses, it is used in sweat-proof clothing, energy-efficient buildings and medical supplies.

Cooling mattresses with PCM

Many of this year's best cooling mattresses use PCM as part of their cooling mechanisms to help deliver a more comfortable sleep experience. Below are the top-performing mattresses utilizing PCM:

• Bear Elite Hybrid mattress
• Cocoon by Sealy Chill mattress
• Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe mattress
• GhostBed Luxe mattress
• Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Breeze mattress

How does PCM keep you cool?

When your body temperature rises during the night, the PCM in the mattress absorbs heat, drawing it away from your body as it changes from a solid to a liquid state. When your body cools down, the PCM releases this stored heat, solidifying again. Mattresses with PCM essentially act like a heat reservoir to maintain a consistent ideal sleep temperature.

While this sounds a lot to be going on in your bed while you sleep, you won't feel the material changing state. You simply sleep peacefully while your mattress does the work of regulating your body temperature, preventing you from getting too hot or too cold through the night.

Our core body temperature drops at night, which is a key signal to our bodies to fall asleep and stay asleep. If our temperature rises, we're more likely to wake up. This is why PCM can help you sleep through the night.

PCM alternatives in cooling mattresses

1. Celliant

While PCM changes state, Celliant is a synthetic fiber that converts body heat into infrared energy. This energy is then reflected back into the body to improve thermoregulation and, in turn, aid restful sleep and promote wellbeing.

Celliant also increases blood circulation and oxygen supply to cells, which enhances muscle recovery. Plus, it wicks away moisture and dries fabrics quickly, which equals a more comfortable sleep for hot sleepers. Our no #1 cooling mattress of the year, the Bear Elite Hybrid, is known for its use of Celliant in the optional mattress cover.

2. Smart cooling tech

With temperature being one of the most common sleep woes, when sleep tech brands started building smart beds, temperature control was unsurprisingly one of their main concerns and along came water and air based smart cooling systems.

Now, many of the best smart beds offer dual climate control and active temperature regulation, including the Eight Sleep Pods, Tempur-Pedic Tempur-ActiveBreeze, the Sleep Number ClimateCool and Bryte Balance smart bed. These smart mattresses and mattress covers are laced with sensors that track your body temperature through the night and adjust accordingly.

3. Copper-infused foam

Unlike breathable hybrid mattress models, memory foam mattresses typically hold on to heat, creating a stuffy sleep environment for hot sleepers. But these sleepers may still crave the hugging cloud-like comfort and pressure relief offered by all-foam mattresses. Therefore, the brands behind the best memory foam mattresses have found science-backed cooling solutions.

One of which is infusing foam with elements that have high thermal conductivity, like copper. When copper particles are embedded in mattresses, they can act as a conduit to draw heat away from your body. The Nectar Premier Copper is the leading mattress using this cooling method.

• Read more: What is graphite in a mattress and does your cooling mattress need it?

How much do mattresses with PCM cost?

Just because a mattress features clever materials like PCM, it does not mean that it will be extortionate. There are plenty of budget cooling mattresses with PCM, alongside more luxury options.

Our best budget cooling mattress, the Cocoon by Sealy Chill, features memory foam made with phase change material, providing a strong balance of heat dissipation and contouring. This mattress is almost always discounted in Cocoon by Sealy mattress sales. It is now 35% off, bringing a queen to a bargain $699 (was $1,079) and you get a free sleep bundle too.

If you're looking for more luxury, at the other end of the budget spectrum there's the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Breeze. This plush mattress features the brand's specialist NASA-developed Tempur-Material which uses PCM to absorb excessive heat and promote airflow. But this innovation comes at a cost. A queen size will set you back $4,599 at MSRP where it currently sits.

In the middle sits the Bear Elite Hybrid, the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe and the GhostBed Luxe costing $1,614, $1,398.75 and $1,498 respectively for a queen size in this month's mattress sales.

• Read more: What is Tencel fabric and how does it keep you cool?

There's no getting around the fact that the leading smart bed systems from reputable brands like Eight Sleep and Sleep Number come at a high price. You will be sleeping on state-of-the-art technology, after all.

As part of a wider team of mattress testers, we've slept on, tested and ranked the best mattresses of the year for all sleep styles and budgets. Although it technically isn't a mattress, a highlight for me has been sleeping on the Eight Sleep Pod 4 mattress cover, complete with smart climate control and intricate sleep tracking.

I've been sleeping on the Eight Sleep Pod 4 for three months now and have been impressed with how refreshed I have felt in the mornings and have even noticed my energy levels have improved throughout the day. But it's not for everyone. If you're looking to add cutting edge sleep tech to your sleep set up, we're expecting deep discounts off of a range of smart beds in the upcoming President's Day mattress sales. But if the Eight Sleep Pod 4 is on your wish list, here's what you should know before buying.

What is the Eight Sleep Pod 4?

Designed to keep you at an optimal sleep temperature while measuring your sleep metrics and waking you up with a vibration, thermal alarm in place of an infuriating sound, the Eight Sleep Pod 4 promises to elevate your sleep quality and routine.

The Eight Sleep Pod 4 is a smart mattress cover and bedside hub that uses a water-based system to heat and cool your sleep surface. After testing the Pod 4, we rate is as one of the best smart beds on the market today (for detailed test analysis, you can read my Eight Sleep Pod 4 mattress cover review.)

The mattress cover is also laced with sleep tracking, thermal and motion sensors that measure your biometrics and body temperature through the night and and vibrate to wake you up come morning. This system pairs with the Eight Sleep compatible app where users can view nightly sleep reports, set a weekly routine, manually adjust temperature and keep track of how their sleep changes with their lifestyle.

Having slept on their Eight Sleep Pod 4 for three months, I now know why so many celebs favour it. But with a hefty price tag, you'll want to be sure this is the best smart bed for you before you invest.

3 things you should know before buying the Eight Sleep Pod 4

1. You'll still need a good quality mattress

As a smart mattress cover that fits over your existing mattress like a fitted sheet, the Eight Sleep Pod 4 will only be as comfortable and supportive as the mattress beneath it. While the cover provides a contouring surface that maintains the comfort of the mattress it is paired with, it doesn't have a major influence on support. Therefore, anyone experiencing back pain will need a reliable mattress beneath that provides ample spinal support.

Similarly, those prone to occasional overheating might want to opt for one of the best hybrid mattresses, which are naturally breathable in their open-structure design. (Very hot sleepers won't need to invest in one of the best cooling mattresses of the year, due to the Pod 4's outstanding temperature regulation - more on that below.) Meanwhile, light weight side sleepers might benefit from the softness, pressure relief and cradling comfort offered by the best memory foam mattresses.

The Pod 4 is compatible with mattresses between 10 and 16 inches thick. If your mattress is any shower, the material will sag and it will be difficult to use the mattress-side touch sensitive control pad.

2. You will need to pay a subscription fee

This is one of the main drawbacks of the Eight Sleep Pod 4. Beyond the initial mattress purchase, you will need to pay a subscription fee to access all smart features the pod has to offer. The Eight Sleep subscription is $17/month with a standard plan and $25/month with an enhanced plan. The only benefit of the enhanced plan is that it extends your warranty from 2 years to 5 years.

Wondering if you can bypass this monthly fee? Without it, you can't access automatic temperature adjustments, sleep and health reports, the vibration and thermal alarm feature or snoring detection. So, the Eight Sleep Pod 4 is not a worthy purchase unless you sign up.

3. It will record personal metrics to learn about your sleep patterns

Part of Eight Sleep commitment to bringing you the highest quality sleep through their tech-heavy sleep systems is their ability to get to know your sleep habits and preferences. This means sensors integrated in the mattress cover pairs with AI on the Eight Sleep Autopilot app to store and analyze your personal health and sleep metrics. The bed tracks everything from your breathing and heart rate to your sleep cycles, sleep latency, sleep duration and routine, and snoring tendencies. While harmless, that is a lot of data, which can make some less tech-savvy people feel uneasy.

But if you're wanting to learn more about what happens to your body overnight and get better health insights than wearables can offer, the Eight Sleep Pod 4 will make a great sleep tech companion.

Who should buy the Eight Sleep Pod 4

From smart mattress covers to adjustable bed bases, wearable sleep trackers, magnesium concoctions, anti-snoring pillows and a host of sleepmaxxing methods, there are plenty of trends and products saturating the modern sleep industry, all promising to revolutionize your rest. But if a smart mattress cover is tickling your fancy, after three months of testing, here's who we recommend does and doesn't splash their cash on the Eight Sleep Pod 4.

First and foremost, you need to have some degree of smart phone knowledge to operate the Eight Sleep Pod 4. You must download the app, connect the pod via Bluetooth, make your own account and use the app to view nightly analytics. In the same vein, we recommend people who feel overwhelmed or apprehensive about technology stay clear of the Pod 4.

Hot sleepers will also be in relieving hands with the Eight Sleep Pod 4. The pod cools your bed surface down to 13 degrees celsius. It then tracks your temperature through the night and adjusts accordingly to ensure you don't overheat. Temperature regulation is the selling point of the Pod 4. Hence, if sleeping hot doesn't disturb your sleep, the Pod 4 may not be the best use of money. Instead you could invest in a luxury mattress with extra cushioning or firmness, depending on your sleep needs.

In short, health-enthusiasts looking to geek out on their sleep metrics and nighttime sweaters will benefit from the features the Eight Sleep Pod 4 has to offer. Meanwhile, tech-resistant sleepers and those on a budget can find better options elsewhere in this month's mattress sales.

• Read more: Travis Kelce (and probably Taylor Swift) sleeps on this bed and he's heading to the Super Bowl — can a smart mattress help physical recovery?

Eight Sleep Pod 4 Alternatives

The Hatch Restore 3 is the new and improved dawn-simulating alarm clock from the brand behind our best sunrise alarm clock of the year, its predecessor the Hatch Restore 2. You can now bag it for $169.99 at Hatch, which is the same price as the previous iteration, but we expect to see discounts at some point over the course of the year.

Selecting the best mattress for your sleep preferences is, of course, key to getting a good night's sleep, but a sunrise alarm clock like the Hatch Restore 3 will elevate your wake up routine during dark winter months (and help soothe you into the aforementioned slumber). That's why we recommend them as one of the leading sleep tech products currently available.

With upgraded audio and phone-free controls but no price hike, the Restore 3 offers incredible value. Here's what it features and who we recommend it for...

Hatch Restore 3: Overview

We are yet to test the Hatch Restore 3, but based on our review of its younger sibling, the Hatch Restore 2, we have high hopes for its performance.

Complete with even more sleep sounds and phone-free controls, alongside Hatch's signature chic design and top quality sunrise simulation, the upgraded Hatch Restore 3 addresses some of the issues of the older version, while expanding on what made the Restore 2 great.

If you're looking for a gentle wake up call to help you start the day in a better mood, or a device that can help you drift off peacefully at night, a Hatch Restore alarm clock is likely to be a worthy investment. You can customize your wind down and wake up routines through the Hatch App, which also features a sign-up quiz where you'll answer questions about your sleep to get recommendations on what would benefit your morning and nighttime routines the most.

Despite its top-quality features, the Hatch is not extortionately priced, but you will have to budget for a monthly subscription fee to access all the features for the clock. You can now buy it exclusively at Hatch, but it will be available from third-party retailers later in the year.

Hatch Restore 3: Price & Trials

• Despite its upgrades, the Restore 3 costs the same as the Restore 2
• You must pay a subscription to access all features
• You get a 1 year warranty and 30 night trial

This is a new and improved version of the bestselling Restore 2 sunrise alarm clock, but Hatch isn't raising its prices. The Restore 3 is available at Hatch for $169.99 right now, which matches the MSRP of the (no longer available from the brand) Restore 2, even with the upgraded features.

In comparison with other top-performing sunrise alarm clocks, the Hatch Restore 3 is expensive, but with that higher price tag comes top of the range features. While it is almost five times the price of our best budget option, the JALL sunrise alarm clock currently at $34.98 at Amazon, it offers good value when you compare it with the Philips SmartSleep Sleep and Wake-Up Light, which has fewer features but costs slightly more than the Hatch at $179.95.

That said, the Hatch Restore 3 isn't a one-off purchase. You must sign up to the Hatch+ subscription to access the full range of the brand's exclusive sleep content. This subscription requires a monthly fee of $4.99/ or an annual fee of $49.99. Hatch runs regular sales, so we'll be keeping an eye out for discounts throughout the year. Plus, the brand offers free delivery, a 30-day trial and one-year warranty, which are decent perks.

Hatch Restore 3: Design

• The Restore 3 comes in three neutral color options
• We think it is the most aesthetically pleasing sunrise alarm clock
• The Restore 3 has more buttons

In terms of design, the Hatch Restore 3 is similar to it's predecessor, with the same curved, 'slightly more than a semi-circle' shape and fabric front, which aids it in providing an authentic sunrise simulation and makes it a chic bedside accessory. There are three neutral colors to choose from; putty, cocoa and greige, helping the clock to be an inobtrusive, stylish addition to any bedroom aesthetic.

Aside from the different color tones, the biggest difference between the older and newer version of Hatch's sunrise alarm clock is that the Restore 3 features more buttons for phone-free operation.

There's the addition of the 'Big Button' on top of the device, which has multiple functions, from turning the alarm on, to snoozing it and turning it off completely. It also works as a volume control. The 'Swap' button allows you to switch between three different unwind routines (which can each feature light and audio of your choice).

The 'Pause' button does what its name suggests, and the 'Bedside Light' button allows you to control the light function on the clock directly. There's also a new 'Alarm Toggle' function on the clock, which effectively turns off any set alarms or routines for when your schedule changes.

From our experience with the Hatch 2, we can confirm that this newer version is big enough to light up the room, but petite enough not to overwhelm your bedside table. Its dimensions are the same as the version before: 7.24" L x 2.43" W x 5.31"

Hatch Restore 3: Features

• The Restore 3 has upgraded with additional phone-free controls
• It now has more than 60 sleep sounds
• The sunrise and sundown simulations are top quality

Despite being a TikTok approved, top-rated sunrise alarm clock (and we can vouch for that after testing it), the main complaint about the Hatch Restore 2 was that it had to be operated almost entirely via a smart phone app.

It's not a hugely surprising gripe, the functionality of the Hatch 2 was somewhat counter-intuitive, considering we're constantly met with advice about keeping screens out of the bedroom and out of nighttime and morning routines to improve sleep quality.

Fortunately, Hatch took this feedback on board and provided more buttons on the device itself, so users can now start, stop and snooze their alarm, alter the volume, switch between preferred wind down routines, pause the audio and activate the light without reaching for a phone. However, setting up and altering your preferences requires smart phone connectivity, since these still take place through Hatch's app.

While we haven't tested the new version, our previous experience of Hatch's sunrise simulation is that it's beautifully effective. The clock phases through red, warm orange and white light, brightening up your bedroom over a standard 30 minute period to wake you up gradually and in a better mood than a traditional, jarring alarm sound. The sunset simulation works the other way, dimming the light while you drift off.

Hatch's upgraded audio library now features additional sleep sounds (from collections of soothing domestic noises to those that are water-themed), the brand says there are now more than 60 (although without having tested the clock ourselves, it's not clear how many are brand new.)

You can also expect guided meditations, sleep podcasts and ASMR sounds to help you unwind. Wake up sounds include tweeting birds, crashing waves or house music. Hatch has also upgraded the overall audio quality in the clock, meaning that those soothing sounds will be delivered with more clarity.

As the best smart beds offer customizable comfort, Hatch is getting more personal in its sleep offerings too. Users must complete the Hatch Sleep Persona Quiz on the Hatch app (as they did for the Hatch 2), the difference is that the app now suggests audio and light routines tailored to your individual needs. Meanwhile, the app itself has undergone a redesign.

Hatch Restore 3: Should you buy it?

Buy the Hatch Restore 3 if...

✅ You want help regulating your circadian rhythm: Morning sunlight is key to maintaining a healthy natural body clock and sunrise simulators like the Hatch Restore 3 can help create that effect on dark winter mornings.

✅ You want a calmer nighttime routine: With a library of 60 plus sleep sounds (including 20 new ones) and a sunset simulation too, the Hatch Restore 3 can make your journey into sleep a more peaceful one.

✅ You want a good looking sunrise alarm clock: Hatch prioritize aesthetics when designing their sunrise alarm clocks. With three neutral colors to choose from and a fancy fabric front, it will look chic by your bedside.

Don't buy the Hatch Restore 3 if...

❌ You're on a budget: With a high price tag and a subscription fee attached, the Hatch isn't the best option for anyone shopping on a budget. Cheaper options include the JALL or HomeLabs sunrise alarm clocks.

❌ You're not tech-savvy: Although it has phone-free controls, you must connect to the compatible Hatch App to set up your clock and manage your routines.

❌ You want the brightest sunrise light: While the Hatch offers a great sunrise simulation, other clocks, like the Philips SmartSleep, have brighter light settings to pull you from sleep without any audio.

Luxury health-and-fitness-focussed hotel brand Equinox have partnered with leading sleep scientist Dr. Matthew Walker to launch a sleep optimization lab at their flagship New York hotel.

Equinox is a wellness-first hotel and fitness club brand who understand sleep is the cornerstone of good health. The Equinox Hotel in Hudson Yards, New York has always prioritized superior comfort. However, the new project is an extension of their commitment to five-star, science-backed hospitality.

They've already designed guest rooms vetted by sleep experts, included the best mattresses for all sleep needs and boast recovery-driven amenities to ensure their guests get the best rest. Now, with the help of Dr Walker, Equinox Hotel is delving deeper into sleep science to push the boundaries of what sleep can do for health, recovery and performance.

Sleep tourism is set to be one of 2025's biggest travel trends and this partnership is leading the way, bringing travellers the highest quality rest. Long haul flights, jetlag and unfamiliar surroundings are no recipe for quality sleep, and travellers are searching for calmer spaces and slower routes so their travels can restore rather than drain them.

Therefore, the Equinox Sleep Lab is offering travellers a high-tech, recharging sleep sanctuary like no other. At Equinox, guests are able to offset jetlag and insomnia by utilizing cutting-edge technology.

What is the Equinox Sleep Lab?

Sleep science and technology meets hotel luxury at the Equinox Sleep Lab. Building on the luxury hotelier's existing Art + Science of Sleep program, which offers a two-night stay in a room designed to deliver optimal sleep.

Equinox's Sleep Lab will host immersive experiments where guests can trial pioneering sleep technologies and participate in studies led by Dr Walker, the author of Why We Sleep?

In addition to a suite of spa treatments geared towards deep sleep, guests at the Equinox Sleep Lab can also enjoy a raft of additional sleep amenities, including personalized sleep coaching, sleep-promoting IV-drips and circadian rhythm regulating rooms for travel-worn jet setters. Plus, guests can dine from a menu crafted from ingredients renowned for their sleep-inducing benefits. The goal of the lab is to explore new ways to optimize sleep environments and inform future hotel designs.

What can we expect next?

While the sleep lab is the main focus of this new partnership, it is not the only innovation coming from Equinox and Dr Walker this year. Equinox Hotels is also launching a digital Jet Lag Reset tool, which will offer personalized strategies to help guests manage time zone changes and recover faster. The tool will be available online, which means you can access the benefits remotely.

What's more, Dr Walker will be curating sleep science content for Equinox Hotels education schemes, helping guests understand the importance of good quality shut-eye in recovery and performance. On May 1, 2025, the brand will host its second annual Global Sleep Symposium. This event will bring together industry leaders, researchers, and curious guests and will dive into the future of sleep, including exclusive access to the Sleep Lab and insights from Dr Walker.

If 'become a morning person' is on your list of new year's resolutions, you're not alone. Many people strive to become one of those super humans who workout before work or turn up at the office in high spirits with a coffee in hand, with rising early being among the top sleep hygiene habits of the highly successful.This is where the best sunrise alarm clocks can help.

Unlike tinny-sounding alarms, sunrise alarm clocks take a calm, gentle approach to waking you up. They gradually light up at your desired wake up time making it easier for you to emerge from the comfort of your bed on dark, cold winter mornings.

Sleeping on the best mattress for you and your sleep needs is key to getting quality sleep, but there's a place for sleep tech too. A sunrise alarm clock could be the answer to waking up early AND refreshed. Here's how...

• Read more: Daylight saving time ends earlier this year — how that impacts your sleep and 3 steps to prepare

What are the benefits of being a morning person?

Regardless of natural chronotypes which determine whether you are a morning person with a propensity to wake early and get tired in the evening, or a night owl who wakes up later and slower and is wide awake late into the night, many people strive to be a morning person and there's good reason for it. Research presented by the American Psychiatric Association found that being a morning person is associated with better mental health.

Studies also indicate that people who wake up early are more productive and likely to exhibit goal-oriented behavior alongside sharper cognitive functions. This means they perform better at work or school.

Waking up early can help your body get in sync with natural daylight. As humans we are genetically disposed to sleep when it is dark and wake when it is light. Therefore, waking up early can help you craft a more consistent sleep schedule, which is crucial for overall health.

Most jobs also require us to be up early in the morning, meaning many people don't have a choice but to be a morning person. So, here's how a sunrise alarm clock can make that easier this winter.

• Read more: Why you should join the 5am club and how to do it without losing sleep, according to a doctor

3 ways a sunrise alarm clock can help you get up earlier

Waking you up with more energy and in a better mood, a sunrise alarm clock can help you become an early bird. Here's how.

Wakes you up gently

Simulating a sunrise inside your bedroom, a sunrise alarm clock wakes you up gradually with light rather than suddenly with a blaring alarm sound. This is believed to be a more natural wake up call as the light mimics daylight in the morning, and so the natural process of waking up, which can help you feel more well rested.

It also helps you wake up in a better mood as it eliminates the shock of waking up to a jarring sound. Instead you wake up slowly with the dawn simulation and, if you like, gentle nature sounds that can stir you from sleep. This allows your body to reach the end of deep sleep cycles rather than disturbing them, reducing sleep inertia and grogginess upon waking.

Promotes better quality sleep

Many sunrise alarm clocks also have wind-down features like sunset simulations, guided meditation audios and sleep podcasts, helping your nighttime routine as well as your wake-up one.

A mind racing with anxious thoughts at bedtime is one of the most common disruptors of sleep. Therefore, these calming features offered by sunrise alarm clocks help you destress at the end of the day so you can drift off into a peaceful, restorative sleep.

Having a well established, calming bedtime routine can promote sleep quality, ensuring you spend enough time in each essential sleep stage. This means you're better rested by the time you need to wake up, making early wake ups much easier.

Boosts energy levels

Gloomy winter mornings can drain your energy and this is where a sunrise alarm clock comes in. Light is the most powerful signal to your body that it's time to wake up. This is why exposing yourself to daylight in the morning is key to regulating your circadian rhythm. A well-regulated circadian rhythm makes it easier to wake up and fall asleep fast.

It also ensures your energy levels peak and dip at the right times in the day. Waking up to light boosts the stress hormone cortisol and suppresses the sleepy hormone melatonin, helping you feel more alert and ready to take on the day. The cortisol spike provided by the light emitted from a sunrise alarm clock makes it easier to get out of bed with ample energy early in the morning.

• Read more: Trying to stick to New Year's resolutions? Start with a consistent nighttime routine

3 sunrise alarm clocks I recommend

By night, the FRENZ Brainband aims to enhance sleep quality. By day, it works to improve focus and cognitive performance. This AI wearable has been developed by Earable Neuroscience and utilizes brainwave tracking and personalized audio therapy to help users fall asleep faster, sleep deeper and perform better.

The FRENZ Focus Flow Mobile App, compatible with the Brainband, has been awarded the Innovation Award in the Digital Health category at CES 2025. Adding this string to its bow, the FRENZ Brainband is the first EEG-based wearable and audio therapy device to earn a CES Innovation Award across three categories. In 2023 it was awarded in the Wearable Tech category and in 2024 it was awarded in the Accessibility and Aging Tech category.

“Achieving this CES hat trick is a significant milestone,” said Dr. Tam Vu, Founder of Earable Neuroscience. “It demonstrates the evolution of FRENZ into a multi-functional, AI-powered EEG-based platform for enhancing sleep, focus, and cognitive performance for daily application.”

We always recommend shopping the best mattress for your sleep type and needs as the first port of call when it comes to elevating your rest. But there is space for sleep tech too, especially when you want to learn more about your sleep trends or are suffering from sleep disorders like insomnia.

But, this kind of sleep technology doesn't come cheap. The Brainband costs $680 at FRENZ, which is a lot more than other wearable sleep tech. However, it does integrate cutting-edge neuroscience to enhance sleep, mental health and productivity, making it a worthy buy for anyone dealing with debilitating sleep problems.

FRENZ Brainband: Price

Compared to other sleep-enhancing wearable tech like the Aura Sleep Mask, which sets you back $229 at MSRP, the FRENZ Brainband is a premium buy.

That said, with features similar to those seen in the best smart beds, which track your sleep metrics and keep you sleeping peacefully by optimizing your sleep environment, the FRENZ Brainband is a cheaper alternative.

Considering most smart bed system from leading brands like Eight Sleep and Sleep Number cost between $1,500 to $5,000, the FRENZ Brainband enables you to give your sleep a tech makeover for less.

Deciding whether to buy the FRENZ Brainband will depend on your budget and sleep goals. If you do opt to buy, FRENZ's one-year warranty and 14-day money back guarantee offers some reassurance.

FRENZ Brainband: Features

The FRENZ Brainband is a slim band that fits over your forehead. It is designed to suit all adult head sizes and sleep positions to ensure it aids rather than disturbs your sleep.

The wearable device uses cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), a non-medical treatment that helps people sleep better by changing their thoughts and behaviors. The science-backed therapy uses specialized frequency music, binaural beats and contextual audio cues designed to increase beta and gamma activity in the brain's frontal lobe.

The audio-based sessions offered by the FRENZ Brainband have been proven to enhance natural sleep patterns. The band transmits sound though bone vibrations to ensure a comfortable, non-intrusive sleep experience. The audio is based on your biometrics and cognitive state to help induce a calm mind for restorative sleep.

Additionally, throughout the night, sleep tracking sensors record your sleep stages brainwaves (EEG), heart rate, SpO2, facial muscle activity (EMG) and eye movement (EOG). The band interprets this data and presents it via the compatible app to help you understand what happens to your body overnight.

In turn, your brain is better wired to perform during the day. “FRENZ Brainwaves Labs connects scientific innovation with practical applications,” said Kimi Doan, Earable’s Chief Innovation Officer. “By harnessing advanced brainwave monitoring and sleep tracking as biomarkers, we aim to unlock new possibilities in cognitive health. Research areas currently include neurodegenerative disease discovery, epilepsy monitoring, stroke rehabilitation, pain management and neuroplasticity.”

Hatch developed its Restore sunrise alarm clock range to help sleepers take control of their sleep routine, drifting off to meditative sounds and waking up gently with simulated sunlight. And the new Hatch Restore 3 available for $169.99 at Hatch promises to elevate your sleep and wake experience, launched in line with CES 2025, adding to the exciting list of sleep tech hitting the market this new year.

One of the few drawbacks we found when testing our best sunrise alarm clock of the year (the Hatch Restore 2, if you're wondering) was that you must be connected to your smartphone to operate the alarm clock. That's why our ears perked up when we heard the Hatch Restore 3 (which we have now reviewed here) has been upgraded with phone-free controls.

If you're looking to elevate your morning and nighttime routines for the best quality sleep, you're going to want to keep your phone away from your sleep space. Replacing your smartphone alarm with a sunrise-simulating alarm clock seems a great idea. So, the necessity of operating said clock through a smart phone app kind of defeats the object. But Hatch have recognised the mistake they made with Hatch Restore 2, and this new year the brand is coming through with a phone-free upgrade.

The Restore 3 was built with customer feedback in mind. “We’re surrounded by screens that are great at helping us navigate, search for things, document moments, and stay connected. But at night, we need boundaries,” said Ann Crady Weiss, Co-Founder and CEO of Hatch. "The new Restore makes it easier to say goodnight phone, hello sleep, through purpose-built routines that help build healthy sleep habits for life.”

As sleep gurus, we know one of the keys to getting quality, restorative sleep is exposing yourself to morning sunlight, and while the dark mornings persist for a few months longer, a sunrise alarm clock like the Hatch Restore 3 could be the answer to your sleep woes.

• Read more: Hitting snooze can damage our sleep — here's how a sunrise alarm clock can help

Hatch Restore 3: Price

It's a new and improved version of the bestselling sunrise alarm clock, but Hatch isn't raising its prices. It is available at Hatch for $169.99 which matches the MSRP of the Restore 2 regardless of the upgraded features.

In comparison with other top-performing sunrise alarm clocks, the Hatch is reasonably priced, coming with plenty of quality features at a lower cost than the Philips SmartSleep Sleep and Wake-Up Light and several of Lumie's sunrise alarm clocks.

Beyond the initial purchase, you can sign up to the Hatch+ subscription to access the full range of the brand's exclusive sleep content. More than 20 new sleep sounds will be available with the Restore 3, transporting you to idyllic destinations while you drift off into a peaceful sleep. This subscription comes with a monthly fee of $4.99 or an annual fee of $49.99.

Free delivery, a 30-day trial and one-year warranty come with every Hatch purchase.

Hatch Restore 3: Features

The Hatch Restore 3 has levelled up the already impressive features of the Restore 2 and added some extras. “We strive to build the best products that help people get the best sleep, and Restore 3’s mission is to do just that. We’ve added new controls and more content allowing you to limit screentime," says Weiss.

The Restore's new features include clock-face buttons for easy phone-free operation. There's the 'Big Button' which can snooze your alarm or turn it off completely.

The swap button allows you to switch between unwind routines from immersive light and audio to bedtime podcasts and meditative music, all designed to get you ready for sleep. The pause button does what its name suggests and the light button allows you to flick the light on without fumbling for a switch or phone.

The sleep tech industry is getting more personal than ever with mattresses with integrated sleep trackers, adjustable firmness pillows, customizable bed bases and more. The Restore 3 is following suit with its personalized onboarding experience. The Hatch Sleep Persona Quiz, completed on the Hatch app at sign-up, helps you identify your unique sleep challenges and suggests audio and light routines tailored to your sleep goals.

What's more, the Restore 3 develops audio quality and choice with 60 plus sleep sounds inspired by nature and backed by science. Based on your preferences, you can chose from sound collections like 'Around the Home' featuring a fan, dishwasher or washing machine, 'Dreamy Destinations' which captures the breeze at El Capitan or the crashing waves of Malibu Beach, nature sounds like rain and birdsong, immersive ASMR or entertaining podcasts.

As well as all of this, you can expect the basic features of a sunrise alarm clock done well, with personalised warm glowing sunrises and sunsets.

• Read more: Striving to be a morning person this year? A sunrise alarm clock will help — here's how
• Trouble sleeping? Calm just launched a new app with 300 hours of sleep content— get a year free and save $50 on Ozlo earbuds

At CES 2025 we've covered tech advancements for every area of your lifestyle – and that includes a good night's sleep. These innovative sleep tech products take a smart approach towards drifting off, using everything from AI to electrical pulses to improve your rest.

At Tom's Guide, our number one piece of sleep advice is to find the best mattress for your needs. But while we often recommending avoiding too much tech before bed, CES 2025 is proving that sleep and technology can go hand-in-hand.

Below, we've rounded up the stand-out products from CES 2025 so far, including a mattress that can prevent sleep apnea and a smart ring that can create your own personalized lullaby.

The best sleep tech at CES 2025

OptimizeME Smart Mattress

The OptimizeME Smart Mattress offers automatic firmness adjustments to relieve pressure as you sleep. So far, so Sleep Number. But the OptimizeMe bed takes things one step further, with the addition of real-time incline control.

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the airways become blocked, and flat on your back is the worst sleep position for it. The OptimizeME mattress uses integrated bio-AI-algorithms to analyze your sleep habits and breathing patterns, adjusting the feel and the incline to keep you comfortable and breathing freely throughout the night.

Produced by South Korean mattress makes Anssiil, the OptimizeMe is essentially a highly advanced air mattress. Inside, a series of strings run from the top of the mattress to the base. Adjust the firmness and the tension of the strings changes. The incline is also controlled by air bags and strings – no need for a bulky adjustable bed base.

ERA Smart Layer

The best smart beds and mattresses contain some impressive technology, but we rarely see cutting edge sleep innovation contained to just 3 inches (or thereabouts). The ERA Smart Layer combines sleep tracking, active spinal alignment and even a massage mode in something as thin as a mattress topper.

The ERA Smart Layer can potentially transform your old mattress into your health and wellbeing companion. As well as making real-time adjustments to you comfort level, the ERA Smart Layer can also connect to your phone to provide AI-generated sleep advice.

Winner of the Innovation Award in Digital Health at CES 2025, the ERA Smart Layer isn't currently available for purchase. But with Sleep Number and Eight Sleep proving there's plenty of interest in the smart bed market, we might not be waiting too long to see a smart mattress topper.

Motion Pillow

Pillows have long been a popular anti-snoring device, whether you're covering your ears with one to block out the noise or pummeling your partner with another in the hopes they'll finally roll over and shut up. But CES 2025 has a more high-tech approach to stopping snoring: the Motion Pillow.

The AI-integrated pillow listens and learns your breathing patterns until it's able to pinpoint the moment you start snoring. When you start snoring, the pillow inflates, gently moving your head and opening up your airways. The snoring then stops and you – and anyone else in the bed – can sleep soundly.

The Motion Pillow has won five consecutive awards for innovations in digital health at CES and is currently available to purchase from Motion Pillow.

Dianyx Oral Appliance Therapy for Sleep Apnea

The CPAP machine might be the gold standard for sleep apnea treatment, but these bulky machines have a high quitting rate. Dianyx is attempting to popularize mouthguards for sleep apnea through the use of next-level sleep tracking in unobtrusive devices..

Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT) uses small, AI-powered sensors that are integrated into a mouthguard to collect data including heart rate, head position and sleep stages. This information can help doctor's understand the effectiveness of your treatment plan.

For the user, OAT sensors should just be a small addition to your mouthguard. But for physicians, OAT offers a way to ensure a treatment is working – and make adjustments if it isn't. And with the data collected from this deep dive into mouthguards, what more innovations might we see in sleep apnea treatment?

VIV Ring

Say goodbye to your curated Spotify playlists – VIV Ring thinks it can craft the ideal soundscape for you to fall asleep to. This AI-powered smart ring generates a personalized sleep aid sound based on your biometric data and sleep patterns, for the perfect personalized playlist.

Similar to the best smart rings, the VIV Ring tracks your health data as you sleep and, connected to the VIV app, provides an overview of your slumber. But it's the personalized Generative Sleep Aid Sound that makes this smart ring stand-out. Drawing from a library of green noise – such as running water and rustling leaves – each sound has been chosen to help you drift off.

The VIV Ring is being debuted at CES 2025 and is expected to reach the market in February 2025.

Neurovalens Modius Sleep

With studies revealing roughly 12% of Americans are diagnosed with chronic insomnia, finding ways to help us sleep better remains a top priority in digital health. The Neurovalens Modius Sleep takes a fairly direct approach towards improving rest – it targets the part of the brain that controls our sleep / wake patterns

Awarded the National Sleep Foundation's 2024 Sleep Tech Award for Sleep Disorders and Conditions, the Modius Sleep is a non-invasive and FDA-cleared treatment for chronic insomnia. It looks like a headband, and in its most basic form it is a headband, but it delivers electrical pulses to the hypothalamus to induce sleep.

Electrical pluses to the brain can sound extreme, but most users report a soothing, swaying sensation when using the Moduis. The Neurovalens Moduis Sleep is available on prescription only.

iSleePad

Under the mattress sleep trackers offer a non-invasive alternative to wearable trackers. And the iSleePad from the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) offers the next step in sleep pad monitors.

Tracking heart rate, breathing and sleep position, the iSleePad provides an overview of your sleep health without requiring skin contact. It can also alert you to unexpected bed exits (particularly useful if you're caring for young children or older people). The addition of the Schumann wave mode uses low-frequency resonances to help you fall asleep.

And if you're worried your pooch isn't getting enough snooze, ITRI has also announced the launch of the iPetSuite. Suitable for cats and dogs, the iSleePad can fit into your existing pet bed – so you can finally figure out just what your kitten does once you're tucked up in bed.

• Read more: The best sunrise alarm clocks: Tested and ranked

The biggest global tech event of the year is here and we've been keeping an eye on all the gadgets gaining traction through our CES 2025 live blog. As a sleep writer, one product in particular that's caught my eye is the VIV Ring, aka the world's first intuitive smart ring with generative sleep aid sound.

Chris Yeh, CEO of Blitzscaling Ventures in Silicon Valley, recently identified smart rings as a leading technology trend for 2025, highlighting their potential in the personal health revolution. With real-time health data collection and AI-powered health predictions, the VIV Ring is poised to become a standout product in the wearable market.

The VIV Ring has similar features to Oura and Galaxy smart rings. It analyzes biometric data including heart rate variability, oxygen saturation and stress levels. But where it sets itself apart is in its sleep enhancement features.

VIV's "Generative Sleep Aid Sound" technology evaluates the biometric data, sleep patterns and sleep cycles collected by the smart ring and uses an AI algorithm to build a personalized sleep audio. This audio is constructed of natural sounds, including recordings of ocean waves, rainfall and birdsong combined with monaural and binaural sounds, to enhance sleep quality.

Having reached the final stage of production in December 2024, the VIV Ring is debuting at CES and is set to go on sale in February 2025. Although the cost of this sleep tech is yet to be confirmed, if the best smart rings on the market are anything to go buy, you can expect the VIV Ring to be priced between $200 and $400. If you're as intrigued by this revolutionary sleep product as we are, you can bag yourself a discount by signing up to a member's waitlist.

• Read more: Binaural Beats are your secret weapon to the perfect daytime nap – here's why

VIV Ring: Launch information

The VIV Ring is manufactured by digital health startup VIV Health, based in Seoul, South Korea. The company achieved its initial production milestone, completing development of the VIV Ring in December 2024.

After debuting at CES 2025, the VIV Ring is expected to commence sales in February 2025. While the price of the smart ring is yet to be confirmed, you can join a member's waitlist, which will bag you 10% off at VIV Ring.

Although the VIV Ring isn't recommended for medical use, a stand out feature of the VIV Ring is its continuous blood pressure tracking. VIV works with Gangnam Severance Hospital, a top university hospital in Korea, for their clinical trails. The company is working towards a medical-grade health tracking device to launch in mid 2025.

VIV Ring: Features

The VIV Ring is a wearable device that tracks your health trends day and night to help you learn more about your body and biometrics.

The ring is designed to be aesthetic and comfortable as well as functional. It features a scratch-free concave center, weightless titanium and sleek sensors and is complete with a satin finish, diamond-cut chamfered edges and a reflective surface, so you look good while tracking your health.

It offers 24/7 health monitoring for non-medical, wellness purposes, allowing you to track and hack your day-to-day wellness routine. From sleep cycles to heart rate, stress, step count and exercise tracking, like all the best wearable health trackers, the VIV Ring offers constant insights into your health trends, providing you can access the compatible app.

VIV focusses on simplifying user experience through their easy-to-navigate app where you can access and monitor your personalized health and activity data.

Offering insights into your sleep cycles and overnight breathing rate, the VIV Ring can help you understand what happens within your body through the night and identify areas where you can take action to improve your sleep quality. For example, if your breathing rate indicates symptoms of sleep apnea, you can take precautions to stop this breathing disorder from disrupting your sleep.

Thanks to the sleep aid sound feature, the VIV Ring is a plush edition to your bedtime routine, providing natural meditative sleep sounds for you to drift off into a calm, restorative sleep. A sunrise alarm clock has been my favorite piece of sleep tech for some months now, making waking up on dark mornings easier, but I can see this audio ring taking the top spot. 

A pioneering new study will use phone apps to explore the link between sleep quality and the risk of Alzheimer's disease. The landmark research will see the University of Cambridge and University College London (UCL) teaming up with sleep technology company Sleep Cycle to explore how app-based sleep-tracking data can help detect Alzheimer's disease in its early stages. 

The partnership will combine Sleep Cycle's extensive sleep data with the universities' previous explorations of the links between sense of direction, sleep disruptions, and detecting Alzheimer’s disease. 

Key takeaways:

• Cambridge University and UCL will collaborate with tech company Sleep Cycle to explore how sleep tracking data can help detect Alzheimer's disease
• The study will provide a deeper understanding of how sleep disruptions can be used to detect Alzheimer's disease in its earliest stages
• The study findings could assist in the development of a more convenient method of measuring Alzheimer's disease's effect on sleep and navigational ability

Mikael Kågebäck, Chief Technology Officer at Sleep Cycle, says he hopes the collaboration will make a "real difference" to worldwide health.

"By leveraging our proprietary technology and vast sleep data collected from users' homes, we hope to support this important research and deepen the understanding of Alzheimer's," Kågebäck told Sleep Cycle. 

Meanwhile, researcher Dr. Abhirup Ghosh also told Sleep Cycle that he expects the pioneering study will unlock a more accurate and modern method to measuring how sleep and navigational ability are affected in the early stages of Alzheimer's. 

"Phone apps offer a new approach that allows changes in these behaviors to be captured in and around people’s own homes, which is less burdensome for people, potentially usable at scale, and also relevant to real-life activities," he explained. "As such, this research could greatly aid efforts to detect Alzheimer’s disease from its earliest stages."

What is Alzheimer's disease?

According to the World Health Organization, Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, a term for several diseases that "affect memory, thinking, and the ability to perform daily activities". 

Alzheimer's contributes to around 60–70% of dementia cases, and early signs and symptoms include losing sense of direction or track of time, difficulties with problem solving, and forgetting recent events. These symptoms can worsen over time, and newer symptoms (such as a lack of independence or severe personality changes) can appear, too.

What is the link between sleep and Alzheimer's?

While this new study hopes to explore how sleep-tracking data can be used to detect Alzheimer's while in its early stages, many studies have been conducted over the years to see how our sleep patterns can influence the risk of developing the disease.

For example, a 2021 study by Harvard Medical School found that individuals who slept fewer than five hours per night were twice as likely to develop dementia. Meanwhile, a European 2021 study found that those who consistently slept six hours or less at age 50, 60, and 70 were 30% more likely to develop dementia compared to those in the same age group who slept seven hours. 

• Read more: Poor sleep makes it harder to stop intrusive thoughts, says new study — here's why

At Tom's Guide, we've praised the benefits of sunrise alarm clocks many times. Now we're adding another string to their bow as new research highlights how hitting snooze in the morning can leave you feeling more tired during the day and sleeping worse at night.

While sleeping one of the best mattresses of the year is the best way to get quality sleep and wake up refreshed, sleep tech products can offer a helping hand. And stopping the snooze for good is where sunrise alarm clocks can really shine.

Ultimately, resisting the snooze button comes from discipline, but there's no shame in getting a helping hand. Here's how this year's best sunrise alarm clocks can make your mornings easier and benefit your sleep in the long run.

Why is hitting snooze bad news?

New research from Amerisleep shows hitting the snooze button regularly can disrupt your body's internal clock, leading to sleep problems and low energy levels.

This is because, providing you go to sleep at a decent time the night before, by the time your alarm goes off your body's internal clock is ready to wake up. But when you hit snooze and go back to sleep, be it for a few minutes or more, you confuse your circadian rhythm. This means your body isn't as well attuned to when it's time to wake up and when it's time to sleep.

Professor Stuart Peirson from the University of Oxford explains: “If we have an irregular sleep and wake time, this makes hitting this optimal sleep window more difficult. Moreover, we sleep badly and wake up tired, meaning our circadian clock cannot keep us awake sufficiently the next day.”

Repeatedly hitting snooze leads to a cycle of getting poor quality sleep and feeling sluggish. Repetitive poor sleep can lead to heightened stress, lowered immunity and increased inflammation.

• Read more: More than 55% of people hit the snooze button daily — here's how it impacts your brain and body

What is a sunrise alarm clock?

A sunrise alarm clock is a digital alarm clock that wakes you up with light rather than sound (though many have audio alarms too). They gradually get brighter over a certain timeframe in the morning, simulating a natural sunrise inside your bedroom.

Many sunrise alarm clocks have sunset features, built-in FM radio and sleep meditations too. Lumie, Hatch and Philips are the leading brands in the sunrise alarm clock market offering top-range models. There are also more budget options at Amazon where you'll find more affordable brands like JALL and hOmeLabs.

How a sunrise alarm clock can stop you from hitting snooze

1. Helps you wake up naturally

Lighting up your bedroom gradually, usually over the course of 30 minutes, sunrise alarm clocks gently stir you from sleep rather than jarring you with a blaring sound.

The light signals to your body that it is time to start waking up. Therefore, your body will suppress melatonin (the sleepy hormone) production and release cortisol, which brings alertness. This gentle, gradual wake up call helps you move from sleep to wakefulness in a more natural way, where you reach the end of your sleep cycle rather than interrupt it. You are less likely to wake up feeling groggy. Our reviewer for the Lumie Bodyclock Shine 300 sunrise alarm clock review reported how mornings, especially in the winter, felt a lot easier a gradual sunrise.

Sleep inertia is the term used to describe morning grogginess where you feel disorientated and impaired upon waking up. By reducing sleep inertia, a sunrise alarm clock makes you less likely to want to fall back asleep, aka less likely to hit the snooze button.

2. Helps you establish a healthy sleep routine

With both sunset and sunrise simulation features, a quality sunrise alarm clock can help you elevate not only your morning wake ups but your nighttime routine too. A healthy wind down routine is the bedrock to good sleep, allowing you to drift off peacefully to get the best quality and quantity of sleep possible.

If you fall asleep at a decent hour and sleep deeply through the night, you are more likely to wake up feeling refreshed, making the snooze button less tempting.

Sunrise alarm clocks often feature sleep meditation and breath work audio to help you relax. The Hatch Restore 2 even has a bedtime story option where you can have historical stories read to you as you drift off. Read our full Hatch Restore 2 review to see its full features.

3. Regulates your circadian rhythm

The Amerisleep research found more than one in three adults press snooze three times before getting up in the morning. This shows how out of sync people's sleep and wake cycles are, as they don't feel ready to wake up when they need to.

Exposing yourself to light in the morning regulates your body's internal clock by suppressing sleep hormones and increasing alertness. While this needs to be natural daylight or light from a SAD lamp, a sunrise alarm clock can still be effective in helping you jump out of bed and get out into the great outdoors. This not only helps you wake up easier but also fall asleep faster, contributing to a more regular, efficient sleep routine and circadian rhythm.

What are the other benefits of a sunrise alarm clock?

The benefits don't end there. Other benefits of a sunrise alarm clock include improved mood and energy levels on dark mornings. Sending a wake-up signal to your brain, morning light gives you energy when you need it, which is usually early in the morning when you need to get to work. With your energy peaking earlier in the day, by the time bedtime comes you can usually wind down and fall asleep easier.

They are also multi-functional and can be used as radios and night lights. You can set the wind down timer and the light will dim over a set time, giving you time to read in bed without having to get up to turn the light off.

• Read more: Striving to be a morning person this year? A sunrise alarm clock will help — here's how