August is “Good Night, Sleep Right” month at ButYouDontLookSick.com! Sleep Gadgets Edition
Traditional alarm clocks wake you with a sudden jolt of noise that interrupts your final stage of sleep, causing a condition known as sleep latency that makes it hard to get out of bed. The effects of sleep latency can last all day. Especially with the upcoming winter season, it is even harder to wake up when it still may be dark outside.
We’ve taken the liberty of reviewing a few ‘sleep gadgets’ that use different methods to help you get to sleep and/or wake up feeling rejuvenated – not slow and lethargic.

SleepTracker Pro www.sleeptracker.com
Worn like an everyday watch, SLEEPTRACKER® is ideal for anyone who wants to wake up alert and ready to start the day. The watch device detects the movements associated with the light sleep stage and gently wakes you when it is the perfect time to wake up before you cycle into a deeper sleep. This gadget takes sleep studying to a new level with allowing you to upload your sleep data via USB to your computer and review it by day, week or month. The alarm can be set to audio, vibrate or a combination of both. This product also has what you would expect in a normal watch like time, day, date and night glow. This product is $179 and can be found at www.sleeptracker.com
The Daybreak™ Duo www.apollohealth.com
The Daybreak™ Duo creates a natural sunrise that tells your body clock that it’s time to wake up, gently waking your body from its final sleep stage so you can wake refreshed and alert. Instead of a noisy alarm clock, this product wakes you up gradually with light to let your body’s own internal clock know that it is time for morning. This product goes a step further and does more then most others on the market, by having an evening setting where the lighting slowly dims to resemble a sunset. This will help your body know that it is time for sleep. You plug your bedside lamp into your Daybreak Duo. It does not have a lighting feature on its own; it uses your own household lamp. This product is small and will fit easily on your nightstand, no need to redecorate! Retails for $199 US.
Sunrise Dawn Simulator by Full Spectrum Solutions www.fullspectrumsolutions.com
Integral lamp plus a built in stereo MP3 player enables you to wake or relax with personalized dawn/dusk light simulation and soothing sounds or music. Mimics a morning sunrise and will reach full brightness at the wake up time you have chosen. At that time you can either wake to an audible alarm or to the music, alarm, or recorded radio program of your choice. Alternatively you can choose to wake with just the dawn light simulation. The text display shows Year, Month, Date, Day, and Time, plus MP3 title and artist This product comes with a free MMC smart card with pre-recorded sleep sounds. This item is sleek and modern looking. It does not take up much space on your night table. It is easy to use and get started the night you get it. This product is available online at fullspectrumsolutions.com and retails for $179.
Tranquil Moments Sleep Sound Machine by Brookstone www.brookstone.com
I sleep better in the summer with the hum of the air conditioner helping me fall asleep. The Tranquil Moments® sleep therapy system is more appropriate and isn’t picky about the weather outside – not to mention the energy savings. This sound machine use five nature soundscapes and seven clinically engineered sounds developed by the Center of Neuroacoustic Research and includes preset program times of 30, 60, and 90 minutes. The sound system also automatically slows the playback speed during the last 20 minutes of the program to lull you to sleep. The Tranquil Moments sleep sound machine is great for travel and can operate on batteries (not included) or the included AC adapter. This product retails for $129.00 and is available exclusively at Brookstone.com.
POWR NAPS Audio Nap Solution www.nap26.com
We could all use a good nap now and then. With today’s fast moving pace, more and more of us are suffering from sleep deprevation and rely on caffiene for energy. NAP26 from POWR NAPS is a 26 minute audio recording using sophisticated “pulses and beats” to relax the listener while training the brain to awaken refreshed. The audio is delivered on CD, which you can load onto your iPod or MP3 player and play it any time to relax and provide your brain and body with a perfectly timed 26 minute nap. This is great for anyone who is looking to give themselves a little pick-me-up during the day – and since the program is only 26 minutes long, it fits well into the standard lunch-hour time limits so common in today’s corporate world. NAP26 from POWR NAPS retails for $19.99 and is avaialble at www.nap26.com.
Pajama Warmer www.pajamawarmer.com
Here is one of those ideas that you see, and wish you thought of yourself! Everyone loves a warm pair of pajamas in the winter – like ones you just took out of the dryer. Now you can enjoy warm pajamas anytime. The Pajama Warmer looks like a large fuzzy envelope, with a heating pad in the center. Just place your pajama tops on one side of the heating pad, and the bottoms on the other. In about ten minutes, your pajamas will be warm and cozy. This product can also be used to warm baby clothing, socks, gloves, blankets, towels, and any other garment you can think of, but warming times will vary with garment thickness. The Pajama Warmer is avaialble at www.pajamawarmer.com, retails for 39.95, and comes in a variety of colors.
*Please use your own judgment, or consult your doctor before using any of the above products.
Reviews written by Christine Donato and the butyoudontlooksick.com staff, butyoudontlooksick.com ©