How smart home products can help you nod off to sleep
Whether full or part-time, night shift work can put a real strain on your sleep. We’ve been fine-tuned since birth to drift off when it’s dark outside so our natural body clock can find it difficult to adjust to sleeping during daylight. If you’re one of many who have problems nodding off after the night shift, here are some smart home products to help you sleep.
1. Use smart lights to get your body in the mood to snooze
Sleep technology has come a long way and now the right lighting can really help you drift off more easily and feel more relaxed when it’s time to wake up again. So what are the best lights for sleep? Well, our smart lights can glow in 16 million colours, all of which can be controlled through the app, making it easy to set it to the best light to help you sleep.
Most people know that the blue light from phones and TV are bad for your sleep. But the harsh, white light of your average incandescent bulb isn’t that great either. Your body releases the sleep hormone, melatonin, when it starts to get dark in order to encourage your body to get ready for sleep. A bright light confuses this. Swap your normal bulb for a smart night light and set the bedroom lights to a warm red which is the best light colour for sleep. This soft hue mimics the sun setting and will encourage your body to power down.
The best sleep devices also help you wake up feeling more refreshed too. Hive Lights can be scheduled to gradually get warmer and brighter, mimicking the sunrise and slowly waking you up. By using light, rather than a noisy alarm, your body will naturally stop producing melatonin and start releasing serotonin instead. This hormone helps to make you feel awake and refreshed.
2. Use a smart thermostat to keep things cosy
When it comes to catching a few more zzzz’s a smart home bedroom solution can be more than just lighting. Hot, cold or draughty rooms can all play havoc with your sleep. If the room is too hot, you’re likely to toss and turn. But if it gets too cold it can be difficult to drop off. Thankfully, using a smart thermostat makes it simple to get the temperature spot on for a peaceful sleep.
Firstly, you can set and adjust schedules straight from your phone. So if the weather ends up being warmer than you expected, you can adjust the heating on your way home, rather than sticking with the schedule you created months ago.
Also, Hive thermostats come with a ‘Ready by’ function. This means it will pre-heat your home to exactly the right temperature at exactly the right time. It’s great if you like to wake up to a warm room but don’t want to be disturbed earlier than that because it’s got too hot. Pair this warm cosiness with a Hive night light and you’re bound to have the sweetest of dreams.
3. Use a smart TRV to get things right for the whole family
Smart TRVs (thermostatic radiator valves) – like the Hive Radiator Valve – are great for shift workers as they make it really easy to heat your home to your whole family’s schedule, whatever time of day. You can have one in the bedroom, set at the ideal temperature for sleeping and another in kitchen, making things warmer while the rest of the family eat their breakfast.
4. Use smart plugs to switch off
One of the biggest problems shift workers face is switching off, especially if they are trying to sleep in the middle of the day. It’s easy to get distracted by thoughts like whether the iron is on or if your teenage daughter remembered to turn the TV off before leaving for college. Smart plugs make it really easy to manage your home appliances even your Hive night light, straight from your smartphone.
With the Hive plug, you can check if you’ve left electrical devices on and set schedules to turn things on and off each day. It slots into a socket just like an adaptor, so you can easily plug in the appliance, use it as you normally would and control it remotely. It’s a simple way to get your home working around you, so you can concentrate on getting some shut-eye.
Check out the rest of Hive’s smart home products to help aid you with your sleep.
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