Hate wearing a watch to bed? This $400 headband has burst onto our sleep tracking buyer's guide and it's helping me sleep through the night

On the left, our tester Ruth jones wearing the Muse S Athena sleep headband. On the right, a close up of the sensors on the inside of the Muse S Athena sleep headband — (Image credit: Muse | Future)

Why do watches dominate the sleep tracking industry? They're bulky and uncomfortable, so it's time to take a stand... with a headband. The Muse S Athena, from $474.99 at Muse, is a gold-standard sleep tracking headband with lab-grade sensors. What's more, it might actually improve your sleep.

Having just tested the Muse S Athena, it was an obvious choice for our guide to the best sleep trackers. It's packed full of sensors to create a detailed picture of your sleep quality. And, as someone who hates sleeping in a watch but uses an eye mask nightly, it's a comfortable alternative to most wearables.

Plus, while my smartwatch has many great features, the Muse is at the forefront of sleep tech. In my Muse S Athena review I was blown away by the sleep intervention features. It literally reads your mind (well, your brainwaves) and then uses sound frequencies to improve your sleep.

Sleep intervention takes sleep tracking to the next level

The Muse S Athena excels as a sleep tracker. But I'll be honest, you can get trackers almost as good for a fraction of the price.

If you want details of your brain activity overnight, the Muse is worth it. If you just want to know how long you slept for and if you got good quality sleep, the Withings Sleep Mat is a wearables-free alternative for under $200.

But it's not really about the sleep tracking here. It's what Muse does with this information that makes it so interesting.

Muse has two (free) features that stand-out. The first is Sleep Assist. Used before bed, these sleep sounds and meditations gently lull you towards slumber. And when the Muse detects your brainwaves are changing, it adjusts the sounds to match your sleepiness.

The second is Deep Sleep Boost. Starting after you've fallen asleep, when the Muse detects slow brainwaves, it plays frequencies designed to strengthen this restorative sleep phase. As a result, you should sleep deeper and wake up fresher.

So a must have for our sleep tracking guide... and an early contender for our guide to the 'best gadgets straight out of science fiction.'

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Ruth is an experienced Senior Staff writer at Tom’s Guide, covering all things sleep and mattresses. She writes to help people sleep better, from how-tos to the latest deals to mattress reviews, and has interviewed an array of experts who share her passion. She is also our specialist on memory foam — she’s flown around the world to see memory foam being made — and leads our hotel mattress content. She has a deep interest in the link between sleep and health, and has tried enough mattresses, from Helix to Nectar to Simba, to know the right bed really can make a difference to your wellbeing. Before joining the team at Tom’s Guide, Ruth worked as a sleep and mattress writer for our sister website, TechRadar.