Tech Habits and Tools to Help Improve Sleep Quality at Night

According to the CDC, most adults require at least seven hours of sleep during the night to promote overall well-being. Sadly, the CDC researchers found that 35 percent of American adults suffer from insufficient sleep. The problem affects men and women similarly, and even 25 percent of children don't get enough sleep.

Does Technology in the Bedroom Interfere With or Improve Sleep?

At the same time, most respondents to a Sleep Foundation survey reported using tech in their bedrooms at night. People tend to use this tech to delay falling asleep, and blaring speakers and blazing screens can stimulate people's brains to make it harder to fall asleep.
Most households own various electronic devices, including PCs, smartphones, tablet computers, and home assistants. The pervasiveness of these devices means that most people have at least one device on during most of their waking hours.
Sometimes, people can't eliminate technology from their bedrooms. Thus, many sleep experts suggest leaving most technology outside the bedroom door or inside a dresser drawer at night. Most folks should still try to reduce nighttime tech options to the absolute minimum and try to minimize potential disruptions by silencing alarms and turning down screens and lights.
For example:
  • Instead of using a smartphone as an alarm clock, many light sleepers would benefit by switching to a regular alarm clock.
  • People who have on-call jobs might improve the quality of their sleep by dedicating an old-style landline for calls from work and leaving the smartphone in a drawer.

Can Technology Improve Sleep Quality?

Most people have had their sleep disrupted by technology at one time or another. Who hasn't stayed up late to watch one more video or been woken by a beeping phone? It might seem odd to suggest using technology to sleep after advising people to consider keeping it out of the bedroom. At the same time, some technology can help people understand and improve their sleep.
For instance:
  • Smart light bulbs: Sleep doctors suggest dimming lights shortly before bedtime, and Phillips makes smart bulbs that users can control with a smartphone or home assistant.
  • Smartwatches: Many smartwatches provide sleep trackers to help users understand their sleep patterns. For example, the Fitbit Sense monitors various sleep stages and rates overall sleep quality.
  • Apps: Apps like Calm can help people relax, making it easier to fall into a restful sleep and wake up refreshed. YouTube also offers various sleep-meditation recordings.
  • White noise: People can buy white-noise machines or run apps on smartphones and tablets. Some people find white noise soothing, and it can also distract attention from other interruptions. For instance, ElectroFan's EVO produces white, brown, and pink noise plus ocean sounds.

The Best Protection for Valuable Tech

Few sleep experts doubt that household electronics can negatively impact sleep. At the same time, almost everybody relies on gadgets for work, entertainment, communication, and school. Keeping electronics out of the bedroom at night might help some people enjoy an easier time meeting the sandman. On the other hand, technology can also help people understand their unique sleep patterns and overcome sleep issues.
Upsie offers affordable, high-quality extended warranties for electronics. In addition, they provide their protection plans directly to customers and cost up to 70 percent less than the extended warranties offered by retailers. Even more, protection includes 24-7 live claims from friendly phone representatives and a choice of local or by-mail repair services. Best of all, Upsie's broad protection includes accidents, defects, and wear forĀ laptops, earbuds, and tablets.
Upsie helps customers sleep better, knowing they won't replace unexpected bills for repairs or replacements.

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* This article is over 6 months old and may or may not be updated.