The photography is by Joel Low and the styling is by Sapphire Chin. This image first appeared in the June/July ’18 issue of Men’s Folio.
No shade to Gwyneth Paltrow or anybody who practices “New Age Medicine” but your advice sucks. While people have been preaching the concept of “wellness” as a tool for better sleep — earthing yourself, sheet masks or ingesting chia seeds — you can’t beat the power of science AKA intensively researched medical documents.
In 2015, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society published a statement denoting that sleeping less than seven hours per night on a regular basis will lead to a medley of medical maladies: diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, impaired immune function, obesity, and you falling down the stairs Looney Tunes style.
From overhauling your sleep routine (hey bud, maybe you should just stop using your phone before sleeping) to purchasing products that are proven to put you in a self-induced coma, let’s just say that we prefer the latter. We love surfing the internet in bed.
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Philips Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock
Designed like an Aaien pod, Philips’ light clock is down to earth in its function. When you’re trying to get to sleep, it displays dimming sunset colours and related sounds. Before it’s time to wake up, it’ll start shimmering with natural light which includes one of five calming sounds: birds, gentle piano sounds and the raking of a Zen garden amongst others.
And yes, it comes with a snooze button.
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Silentmode PowerMask
Eliminating visual distractions while you sleep by providing 100% blackout, this mask has a “nap mode” where you can input the kind you want prior to hitting the sheets. A power nap is available and so is a “wake-me-up-when-the-new-era-is-here” version. A Silentmode includes Breathonics (a nap training audio) that encourages a set of breathing techniques to help you hit K.O. status faster.
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Smart Nora
See that little white thing on the counter? That is the electronic device that’ll stop your partner from kicking you out of bed thanks to your snoring. To ease your “nightly singing”, the device (which should be placed under your pillow) will activate a small pump that moves your head to stimulate the throat muscles once it detects signs of it.
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Somnox Sleep Robot
Consider this funnily shaped sleep robot (a first in the world, in fact) your new favourite partner in bed. Well, if your other partners don’t simulate human breathing rhythms to help you relax or synchronise breathing pattern to help you relax, then do they play soothing sounds like heartbeats, lullabies, white noises and guided meditation? Yeah, we didn’t think so.
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Osim uMist Dream Humidifier
Air conditioning is the best invention next to sliced bread and WiFi but unfortunately, it also makes you crankier in the morning if cranked too high. This humidifier works up to eight hours at night while pumping a fine mist to add moisture to prevent your skin, eyes, throat and nasal passages from drying out.
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Vitruvi Stone Diffuser
The venn diagram sections of essential oil diffusers are: 1) a strong stream of mist, 2) a nice design and 3) the option to dim the lights if you absolutely have to sleep in a dark room. Vitruvi’s very own diffuser nails all three with the middle coming in a variety of neutral shades.
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