I’ve struggled with a lack of sleep and its after-effects for years. Besides a chronic pain condition that interferes with my sleep schedule, my sensitivity to sound and light means that it doesn’t take much to snap me out of slumber after I get there. At least I’m in good company: according to the National Institutes of Health, more than 50 million Americans struggle with such sleep disorders.
After trying almost everything, I finally turned to tech about a year ago. I had skeptically dismissed these sleep-focused devices as snake oil – and some are – but a few have been genuinely helpful. From simple noise-canceling earplugs to a headband that literally interferes with your brain waves, here are the tech tools that have helped me fall asleep and get the elusive rest I need.
