BEDROOM BLISS: FOUR SMART IDEAS FOR EMBRACING TECH IN THE BEDROOM
From wearables to smart appliances, new frontiers in smart home technology are opening up everyday—all with the aim of helping your daily life go by a whole lot more smoothly. It's been said people spend a third of their lives in bed and that quality sleep is key to productivity and longevity. If so, why not make the bedroom a priority in the smart home craze? Here are some super smart ideas you can employ in your bedroom to improve your sleep, streamline waking up, and generally make bedrooms more convenient.
HELP YOURSELF RISE
Let’s face it, weekday mornings are a struggle, unless you’re an early bird. Smart home technology can help anyone rise each morning with the lark and a spring in their step—even those who usually hit snooze three times every morning. For example, with a Control4 Smart Home you can make sure your lights gradually turn on before finally ringing in the day with your favourite playlist. It can even automate routines around the rest of your home so you don’t need to bother with adjusting the thermostat, opening window shades, or waking up other sleepyheads. It can do all that for you! A home system that gradually wakes you up in a peaceful way is a happier and healthier way to start your day. You’ll feel more energised and more attuned to your circadian rhythms, which will lead to better performance no matter what you’re doing during the day.
GET SOME INSIGHT INTO YOUR SLEEP
A lot of modern smartphones have a built-in sleep tracker that will give you some insight on how you’re sleeping and for how long, but this data can be imprecise. Recent advances in technology mean that sleep trackers have got a whole lot more accurate. With products such as the Nokia Sleep currently able to track your heart rate, whether you’re in REM sleep (the most restful kind) and more.
All this data is sent to your phone so you can gain insight into your sleeping patterns, which will then lead to a better, more restful night’s sleep. Alongside this, you should invest in something that has enough storage space for various gadgets, such as an ottoman bed, which is a savvy combination of style and storage.
MAKE SURE TO TURN DOWN THE BLUE LIGHT
Limiting screen time around your bed is recommended by some doctors to increase the quality of your sleep, but sometimes you can’t avoid using your phone or laptop in the bedroom. That’s why you should always opt for a screen-tinting software that’ll reduce the amount of melatonin-suppressing blue light pumping into your eyes. Plugins such as Flux, alongside built-in options like Night Shift on Apple devices, are vital if your tech-focused bedroom is going to help you sleep well.
NEVER WALK IN THE DARK AGAIN
Another advantage of a completely orchestrated smart home solution, such as Control4, is that it can make your lights turn on automatically if you’re walking through the house in the dark, or automatically come on as the sun sets. Of course, if you work a night shift, you can inverse these settings and combine Control4 with automated window shades so your daytime sleep isn’t disturbed unnecessarily.
Ultimately, the tech in your bedroom should reflect your lifestyle. Whether you’re a night owl that loves a Netflix binge until the early hours or an early bird that needs a perfectly attuned morning routine, there’s tech out there that can help you.