Bose Created Noise-Masking Sleepbuds to Help You Sleep Better at Night

From House Beautiful

Nothing, and I repeat nothing, is m ore infuriating to me than not being able to sleep due to noise around me. Whether it's a snoring bed partner, construction work outside, or a loud roommate, I'm sure many can relate to the frustration. In personal experience, I've tried bulky sound-cancelling headphones, or blaring music in my AirPods loud enough to drown out the noise-and well, those methods are both extremely uncomfortable and probably awful for my ears.

Bose Sleepbuds, on the other hand, are tiny, wireless earphones designed to stay in place throughout the night. The noise-masking Sleepbuds seal off unwanted noise (like excessive snoring), while playing sounds "that have been optimally tuned to mask those noises that interfere with your sleep," according to the product description.

The Sleepbuds eliminate the need for a sound machine, since you can choose to fall asleep to the sound of rolling waves on the beach, rustling leaves, or the crackling of a campfire, to name a few. Within the Bose Sleep app, there's an entire library of different sounds-some for noise-masking and others for relaxation.

To design the Sleepbuds for the most comfortable fit, Bose used 3-D scans to better understand ear geometry. The tiny earbud conforms to the upper ridge of your ear, so the tip stays in place throughout the night, even for side sleepers. There are three ear-tip sizes (small, medium, and large) that come with the Sleepbuds, so you can see which best fits the shape of your ear.

The rechargeable battery on the Sleepbuds provides up to 16 hours of use (more than an entire night of sleeping). The earbuds come with a charging case, too, that stores and charges the Sleepbuds when you're not using them.

After you choose which soothing sound you want to sleep to, you set your volume level, and decide how long you want the Sleepbuds to play during the night. You won't have to worry about the earphones masking your alarm-you can set one through the Sleepbuds.

One reviewer on Amazon said, "they fit, they stay in, you can sleep on your side with the pillow pushing the earbud into your ear-and thus they do what all other ear buds fail to do." The same review, though, complained about the price (given that the earbuds don't even play music). Also, the reviewer noted that the only way to control the volume is through the app, which requires that yo u use your phone in the middle of the night should you choose to adjust the volume in your ears.

For more information on the Sleepbuds, check out Bose's website.

Follow House Beautiful on Instagram.

('You Might Also Like',)

Read More

I want a producer who doesn’t want to sleep with me – Feli Nuna cries out

Speaking on Class Drive, the Gelaway' singer has been reported by classfmonline.com to have said that "I want an executive producer who does not want to sleep with me but who wants to bring me money and work with me"

READ ALSO: Whose business is it if I had sex with Lil WIn? - Efia Odo

Felicia Nuna Tawiah, further detailed that ever since she left her former record label, Beehive Entertainment, other labels that come her way has people who show interest in having a sexual affair with her.

"I've had a lot of offers from people who want to invest in my craft but they all say: 'Your waist is nice', or 'you are a nice girl', and at the end, sometimes they might not start from the beginning but it always gets there and I always complain," the 28-year-old musician lamented.

READ ALSO: Girls strip naked to jam to "wrowroho" song

Davi Diva continued that she's been facing this sex for music deal challenge ever since she started pursuing her career. Feli Nuna suggested that female entrepreneurs should invest in female acts to save them from these sexual predators. 

"I've been facing this [challenge] from the outset of my career. I urge women who are financially sound to invest as well, they should also invest in other female artistes as well. Trust me, the music business is booming, you can make a lot of money from the music business if you take it seriously. More record labels focus on the show, not the business," she advised.

"All the male artistes you see, big men and influential people support them, so, does it mean that they also sleep with them? You are investing to get your money back; that is the same way you should approach it with a female artiste as well," she stressed.

Read More

How to Fall Sleep Easily, Stay Asleep Longer, and Power Through "Sleep Inertia"

Getting a good sleep can be tough, and this can lead to feeling less than refreshed when you wake up in the morning. Falling asleep and waking up are brain processes we don't fully understand, but research suggests these transitions are a lot more gradual than the flip of a switch.

Even if you feel like you're unconscious until morning, sleep has a typical structure, cycling in and out of lighter and deeper stages. All stages of sleep are important for waking refreshed; if sleep is disrupted or you're not getting enough, waking up in the morning can be really hard.

Most adults need between seven and nine hours a night to ensure they're functioning at their best. Getting enough sleep is important for good physical and mental health. Getting enough good-quality sleep will ensure you wake up feeling alert and are more productive during the day.

See also: Body Clock Study Shows Mental Health Effects of Being a "Morning Person"

Everyday Habits That May Be Affecting Your Sleep

Bright lighting will help you get up in the morning.

Bright light in the morning helps reset your body clock and keeps your circadian rhythms ticking along regularly. To help keep your sleep/wake schedule regular and improve health and alertness, seek out bright light in the morning when you wake up.

In contrast, too much bright light at night can make falling asleep difficult. This is because bright light suppresses melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep. This is why we don't advise the use of devices like mobile phones, tablets, or laptops in bed before sleep.

Digesting a big meal can disrupt your sleep.

Eating a large meal too close to bedtime can put pressure on your oesophageal sphincter (the muscles at the end of the oesophagus that prevent acid and stomach contents from traveling backwards from the stomach) when you lie down, causing heartburn that can disturb sleep. Eating your last main meal at least two to three hours before bed will ensure food is adequately digested.

Fluid intake should also be reduced prior to bed so you don't wake up needing to go to the toilet.

Avoid drinking alcohol too close to bedtime.

Alcohol can make you feel sleepy but consumed too close to bedtime can also disrupt sleep. The metabolism of alcohol during sleep causes more frequent awakenings, night sweats, nightmares, headaches, and decreased quality of sleep in the second half of the night. It's advised to avoid alcohol for at least four hours before bedtime.

Tips to Help You Go to Sleep and Stay Asleep

Reading will help you relax before going to sleep.

De-stress and wind down before bed. Try a warm bath or quietly read a book (old-school paperback, not the electronic version) and have a warm drink of milk. Exercising, playing computer games, and watching TV directly before bed is not advised as this can increase physiological arousal and amp you up before bed.

Meet the Pod

The first bed that learns the perfect temperature for your sleep, and dynamically warms or cools according to your needs.

Buy Now

Stress itself can affect sleep — relaxing and unwinding before going to bed can help prevent restless nights spent staring at the ceiling.

Try to wake up at the same time every morning.

Set a good sleep routine and stick to it. The body runs on an internal clock that controls sleep and wake. This internal body clock works most effectively if you have a regular routine. Try to set a consistent sleep and wake time and remember bright morning light is important to reset your body clock.

Create a good sleep environment — one that is quiet, dark, and cool with comfortable bedding and good temperature control.

A Bit of Grogginess Is Normal

The first 15 minutes after waking can be difficult for the best of us. That's because your brain is not yet working properly. This is called sleep inertia. Sleep inertia is the groggy feeling when you first wake up and occurs because some of your brain is still in a sleep state.

See also: A Creepy Robotic Cradle Worked Wonders on Sleep in a Weird Study

Sleep inertia helps us go back to sleep if we've been woken briefly. But if you're woken suddenly, say to an alarm or a telephone ringing, sleep inertia can impact your cognitive ability to respond to the alarm or phone. The magnitude of sleep inertia is affected by prior sleep loss, time of day, and if you wake from a deep sleep or not.

So if you're suffering in the morning and finding it hard to wake up, make sure to get a good sleep and allow a bit of time to gradually wake up in the morning.

This article was originally published on The Conversation by Crystal Grant and Siobhan Banks. Read the original article here.

Read More

How to improve sleep quality naturally

What is sleep? The dictionary definition is "a condition of body and mind such as that which typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is relatively inactive, the eyes closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness practically suspended."

But actually, sleep equals rest. And it's an important part of your daily life — most of us spend approximately one third of our lifetime sleeping. Without sleep you can not survive, and it's important for a number of brain functions, including how nerve cells (neurons) communicate with each other. In fact, your brain and body stay remarkably active while you sleep. And it also plays a housekeeping role that removes toxins in your brain that build up while you are awake.

Sleep affects almost every type of tissue and system in the body — from the brain, heart, and lungs to our metabolism, immune function, mood, and disease resistance. Many studies have shown that a chronic lack of sleep, or simply poor sleep quality, can increase the risk of disorders including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, and obesity.

There are four stages when we sleep. Stage 1 is the transition between being asleep and awake. Stage 2 is light sleep. Stage 3 is deep sleep, which is the most refreshing and the time for the body to repair its tissues. And stage 4 is REM sleep. This 4th phase is also known as paradoxical sleep, and it is the sleep state during which we have most of our dreams, and is also involved in the regulation of emotions and memory consolidation. REM sleep disturbances are common in mood disorders, such as depression.

Did you know, however, that our body actually does not really require sleep? It really only requires rest. That's why the quality of our sleep, and getting enough of the deep sleep phase, is the most important. I'm sure you have experienced too that sometimes even if you sleep for 9 hours you really didn't rest, and you will wake up feeling tired. Unfortunately, as we get older we get less deep sleep.

The circadian rhythm is our body's biological clock that directs a wide variety of functions, from daily fluctuations in wakefulness to body temperature, metabolism, and the release of hormones. It works together with our body's homeostasis to regulate when we are awake and when we sleep, causing us to be sleepy at night and a tendency to wake in the morning, without an alarm. Homeostasis is a state of equilibrium. Homeostatic sleep drive reminds the body to sleep after a certain time and regulates sleep intensity.

So how can we improve the quality of our sleep, and wake up refreshed, not tired? I'll mention some natural supplementation in a moment, but before I do of course first I want to remind you again that what you eat, and how much exercise you do, especially outdoor exercise, will hugely affect your sleep quality.

Our nervous system relies on neurotransmitters to communicate. During nerve impulse transmission, the nerve cells release neurotransmitters to communicate with neighboring nerve cells, triggering more nerve transmissions.

This network of communication allows for a range of nervous system functions such as muscle control, memory, and regulating our heart rate and body temperature.

The foods we eat affect our brain's ability to produce and metabolize neurotransmitters, and consuming enough nutrients such as protein, vitamin C, vitamin B (specially B2, B6 and B3) helps maintain neurotransmitter function.

Some of the following natural supplements may provide benefits too, however if you are using anti-depressant (SSRIs) or sleeping pills make sure to discuss this with your doctor before you try.

First, tryptophan is an essential amino acid, a precursor to melatonin and the neurotransmitter serotonin, and it is a safe and effective sleep remedy. It can positively affect various serotonin-dependent brain functions, such as sleepiness and mood swings, and is actually also a wonderful remedy for anxiety and depression.

Foods high in tryptophan include meat, fish, spirulina, seaweed, spinach, bananas, eggs, oats, dates, and pumpkin and sesame seeds. Tryptophan supplements are typically available in 500mg and 1000mg tablets and capsules. You can take it on an empty stomach, or two hours after eating to increase the absorption.

L-ornithine is a non-essential, non-protein amino acid. It plays a central role in the urea cycle which converts ammonia to urea in the liver, and has been known to enhance detoxification of ammonia. Recent studies are showing that it can improve our stress levels and sleep quality. It is contained in various foods, with small amounts in meat, dairy, fish and eggs.

Another potentially beneficial supplement is niacin (vitamin B3). The body uses this water-soluble vitamin in the process of releasing energy from carbohydrates. It is needed to form fat from carbohydrates and to process alcohol. It can also help cholesterol. However niacinamide (the flush-free form) does not.

Niacin can be very useful for adrenal support, working with the adrenal gland to make stress-reducing hormones, thereby helping the body relax by reducing anxiety and depression. It can be used as a natural sleeping aid.

Food sources for niacin include leafy greens, cashews, peanuts, fish, cremini mushrooms, tomatoes, asparagus, eggs, and meat (especially organ meats such as liver). Some niacin is also found in whole grains. If supplementing then you can take between 50 and 250 milligrams about 30 minutes before bedtime for best results. Start with a small dosage, and be prepared that you may feel a tingling, blushing sensation and a hot flush for a short time — this is the normal "niacin flush."

In addition, you may also like to try valerian, passion flower, kava tea, and chamomile tea.

And finally, a few more tips to help improve your sleep:

w Try to sleep at the same time every day, and if you can, don't use an alarm clock.

w Do enough activity during the day, and use every opportunity to go outside and get fresh air.

w Don't exercise close to your bed time.

w Avoid caffeine and alcohol as you're getting closer to bed time.

w Relax before bed — try a warm bath, reading, or listening to relaxing music. When I was in school I was always listening to Richard Clayderman music, I found listening to the piano always made me relax, and my mom had to come to my room and turn off the music every night!

w Most importantly, don't leave any electronics in your bedroom — no TV, phone, clock with bright lights etc. Get them all out of your bedroom!

Lastly, and more importantly than any supplements, herbs or even medication, is to be good company with yourself. If you can not go to sleep, don't be angry at yourself, use this opportunity to learn how to relax, and learn what you need to do to heal yourself. Just take a deep breath, focus only on your breath, and listen … You are alive!

•••

Ayda Ersoy is a nutrition and fitness director at The Diet Doc Hawaii. She can be reached at DietDocHawaii.com, Ayda@DietDocHawaii.com or (808) 276-6892.

Read More

Scientists are creating music to unlock your brain’s potential

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Dan Clark is the CEO of Brain.fm — functional music made to help you focus, relax and sleep better, backed by science. He is passionate about implementing helpful technology into our daily lives ...

Read More

Insomnia? Listen to App-Based Bedtime Stories by ‘Extreme Sleep Adventurer’

Phoebe Smith has slept soundly on mountaintops and inside glaciers. Now she's sharing her secrets through the popular app Calm. Think bedtime stories for adults.

Smith has spent a better part of her life as an "extreme sleep adventurer." In fact, the U.K.-based travel author has written eight books related to sleeping in some of the weirdest places in the world. She's so good at it that the sleep and meditation app Calm recently tapped her to write and narrate bedtime stories for grown-ups.

To learn more, we caught up with Smith after a chilly visit to the Scottish Highlands. She explained how her "Sleep Story Collection" soothes buzzing adults to sleep like babies.

One Good Night in Australia

Smith didn't even grow up camping, aka sleeping outside. But one night over a decade ago while visiting Australia, she had the most remarkable night of sleep, drifting off while waiting for the sun to set.

"I got addicted," she said. "And that led to me traveling around the world and in my own country."

Since then, she has slept on mountains, glaciers, sea cliffs, and even inside a tree trunk. When she writes about her dreamy adventures, the crux is the tendency to end in profoundly deep sleep.

"I found that I slept really well on these trips, but not in my own bed," she said. Smith knew she wasn't alone. Research overwhelmingly suggests that people are more stressed, increasingly depressed, and sleeping less in the modern world. Insomnia is widespread.

"I realized that when in the outdoors you are focused on primal things like warmth and food, not emails and deadlines," she said. "All those modern things are pushed back in the outdoors. We're focused on staying alive."

And that is exhausting in its own special way.

The Best Sleep Stories Are Transporting

So Calm asked Smith to bring those extreme sleeping adventures into the bedroom. And she has delivered as much with her personal sleep series, some of which she narrates. Master storytellers like Stephen Fry narrate others.

Calm describes these sleep-inducing audio tales as a mix of words, music, mindfulness, and sound effects to help listeners wind down. "Writing about a place somewhere different and transporting people somewhere makes them gently let go of worries and concerns," Smith explained.

Her sleep stories transport listeners on her favorite extreme sleeping adventures. One follows a winding road to the ancient cedar forests of Morocco. Others explore the jungles of Madagascar and an outdoor network of huts in Scotland. One can even sleepwalk among the elephants in Nepal.

To date "Blue Gold" is Smith's most popular sleep story on the Calm app. She set the story in the lavender fields of Provence. "It's an iconic destination with these amazing fields that almost glow blue at sunrise," she said. "And we all know you're supposed to spray lavender on your pillow to relax and destress."

I don't know about you, but I feel like a nap already.

Phoebe Smith's Outdoor Sleep Kit

An adult bedtime story is great. (And you can download the Calm Sleep Stories on your phone to go.) But not everyone sleeps well in the wild. So what guarantees a good night's rest when sleeping outdoors? Smith says knowledge, practice — and the right gear.

"I invested in a good kit," she said. "I never skimp on a tent, sleeping bag, pad, hot drinks, and a change of clothes for sleeping. This tells your body it's in the process of getting ready to go to bed."

Her favorite trick on cold nights is filling a Sigg as a makeshift hot-water bottle. Load it with boiling water, wrap it in a sock, and put in your sleeping bag. See what else Smith takes when sleeping outside here.

By Julie Kailus Associate editor Julie Kailus has spent a career covering people, places, and products in the outdoor industry. Julie can be found testing the latest and greatest in her favorite activities — trail running, mountain biking, swimming, snowboarding, and the underrated endurance sport of chasing two sons around the mountains.

Read More

Pet owners turning to CBD to help with hyperactivity, anxiety

Should CBD oil be given to pets in treats or food?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Many people are turning to CBD oils for everything from a sleep aid to muscle pain relief. Now the question is, is it safe for your pets?

Owner of Music City Hemp Store, David Duncan, says CBD oils for pets are quite popular with his customers. In fact, over the last few months he's sold more than 250 small bottles. He says most of his customers come in to help with hyperactive pets or pets with anxiety.

Duncan tells us you can just put it straight in your pets mouth or on their food.

But veterinarians are hesitant to give out CBD. That's because Richland Animal Clinic Vet, Dr. John Mark Russell, says there's not enough research on CBD effects on pets.

"We know anecdotal stories, we've heard clients talking about helping with seizures, arthritis, and anxiety but the science isn't there yet," said Dr. John Mark Russell.

If your dog is hyperactive, Doctor Russell says a good way to ease their anxiety is making sure they get lots of exercise.

Copyright 2019 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Read More