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Do you already track the sleep of your baby and yours? If you wear your fitness tracker in bed, you know everything about your sleep cycle. Does your smartwatch wake you up at exactly the right time to ensure you will have a good day? That’s great!
Smart pillows, or should we say smart pillow covers are different, though. Some of them go one step further and will not only track your sleep.
They will also make sure that you get to sleep listening to your favorite music or to relaxing sounds without disturbing the person next to you. Even better, smart pillows can help you stop, or at least snore less.
I did not choose to use a smart pillow. My wife did it! She was fed up with having to wear earbuds not to hear my snoring. So if smart pillows improved my nights and family life in general, they would certainly do the same for you!
But what can they really do? And are they worth the couple of hundred dollars investment?
Fall asleep in music
With eight built-in speakers, the Zeeq smart pillow connects wirelessly via Bluetooth to your smartphone. The Zeeq app directly streams music from your favorite music services to help you fall asleep peacefully. Read our complete review of the Zeeq for more information.
The Zeeq smart pillow also offers the possibility to listen to audio-books, or even discreetly watch TV while in bed. Keep in mind, though, that the speakers are embedded in the foam. To listen to the sound clearly, do not forget to press your ears against the pillow.
The sound pillow system also embeds speakers, but specific audio files to help you fall asleep can be downloaded and played through the app. Depending on your mood or personal preferences, you will listen to birds, waves, white noise, relaxing or inspiring tracks. Music to help you meditate is also included.
Have you already found your dream pillow but somehow would like to enjoy some music when it bed. The company Dreampad LLC is not new to the market and is currently conducting an Indiegogo Campaign for their new product: The Aurras. Consider the Aurras as a personal bed soundbar. Once slipped under a cushion, you only have to pair it via Bluetooth with your smartphone to listen to your music will it be in bed on the sofa while napping.
Stop snoring
According to the sleep foundation, more than 57% of adult males snore. Snoring is, in most cases, harmless even though, in some cases, it can be the sign of an underlying condition. But, snoring is certainly not harmless for your relationship. How many times did you wake up and had to push your partner to be able to sleep peacefully?
Mouthguard and fancy plastic nose clips are far from being effective in limiting the snore. They are also very uncomfortable to wear. Anti snore smart pillow may be the solution you and your partner have been waiting for.
Some models, such as the Zeeq, integrate built-in microphones and small vibrating motors. When snore sounds are detected, the pillow will slightly vibrate to make you change your position to open your airways. It will luckily stop the rattle concert.
The Goodnite anti-snore solution goes one step further. It includes mini-air chambers that will gently inflate to push your head. By modifying your sleep position, it will help stop snoring. It may be a little extreme, but the principle is sound and had been clinically proven. The associated app. will help you keep track of your snoring pattern and check on your progress towards a relaxing night for everyone.
Track your sleep
Smartwatches are real health powerhouses. New models such as the Fitbit Sense or the Apple Watch have the ability to monitor your sleep quality and record your ECG, blood oxygen saturation, and stress level at the same time. They also act as a smart alarm clock and wake you up at the perfect moment of your sleep cycle. Their only drawback is that you have to wear them at night.
Smart pillows come with associated apps that can also provide numerous information about the way you sleep. They somehow will not provide sleep tracking data as accurate as what you can get from your fitness watch. They act by sensing the movements of your head and checking the weight distribution.
For most of us, the data collected will be more than enough to check your sleeping habits and gently wake you up, will it be with a slight vibration or music, at exactly the right moment in your sleep cycle.
Keep your head cold
Moona pillow is different as it will keep your head fresh at night. The French startup raised $150,000 in Kickstarter to finalize the development of its pillow cooling device.
More than a real pillow, Moona is a smart memory foam cover that can accommodate any pillow. Tubes will flow through the cover to connect to a small water tank resting on the bedside table. The machine learning app will define the optimal temperature and heat or cool the water flow by detecting the environment’s temperature and sleep cycles.
Using the sensors embedded in the cover, the app will detect the movements and sleep patterns. By adapting the temperature of the pillow, Moona offers a truly unique solution to improve your sleep. At $399, this smart device does not come cheap. It somehow offers a 30-day night free trial to check if this solution is the right one for you.
Do you really need a smart pillow?
The average person will spend 33 years sleeping. Choosing the right cushion to sleep on is definitely worth it. With the possibility of tracking your sleep, waking you up refreshed, cool your head, and even helping you snore less, smart pillows have a lot to offer. The company NightWare developed algorithms to detect nightmares. It allows veterans suffering from PTSD to ease their sleep.
When combined with a good quality memory foam, they can not only improve your days but your family life as well. Your partner will be grateful to be able to rest as well, without having to endure your snoring. More than an investment for your own health, it may improve your family relationships, and that’s even more important. Doesn’t it?
