Philips wants to help you doze off more effectively

You know the drill – you go through a ridiculously long and tiring day, just counting down the hours until you can head home and curl back into your bed. You finally turn in for the night and wait for the peaceful lull of a glorious night’s rest – but it never comes. In fact, when you wake up in the morning you feel even more tired than when you went to bed, and the vicious cycle repeats itself.

According to Philips, this is how most adults sleep. Around 40% of adults aged 25-54 get less than 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. In the US, around 30% of adults suffer from insomnia, while in Europe the figure ranges between 15-27%.

It’s often not easy to get a good night’s rest for several reasons, which is why Philips wants to focus on people getting better quality sleep rather than sleeping in for longer periods. While you may think that getting in more hours of sleep will lead to you feeling more refreshed, that’s not always the case.

Which is what makes Philips’ SmartSleep headband so special – rather than trying to get you to sleep for longer periods, the headband works with your existing sleep patterns to improve the quality of your rest periods.

It sounds rather simple at first – sensors in the headband detect when you’ve entered a deep sleep, or ‘slow wave sleep’. Once in this mode, the headband triggers quiet audio tones through in-built speakers to boost these slow waves and improve the quality of your sleep. The headband monitors how you’ve been sleeping and adjusts its routine accordingly, and the soft foam material ensures that it doesn’t feel uncomfortable to wear while sleeping. A companion app then syncs up with the headband once you wake up to show you the quality of your sleep.

The system is designed for adults who typically get less than 7 hours of sleep per night, but won’t help you actually fall asleep or help with existing sleep conditions. It’s currently in a selective testing phase in US and Germany, with a selective launch happening on September 1st, followed by a larger global rollout. Interested users can answer a brief questionnaire on the Philips website to check if they’re eligible, and if selected can purchase the SmartSleep for $399 to participate in the feedback program.

Your own personal sunrise

Philips also realizes that loud alarms in the morning might not be the nicest way to wake up, and has come up with the Somneo. We’ve seen devices like these before, which aim to simulate the sun rising so that you wake up much more gently in the morning.

The Philips Somneo offers a number of features to aid in relaxation and a better night’s sleep. The light-guided breathing techniques help you to relax through breathing exercises before you fall asleep, while a sunset mode also helps your body to relax before tuning out.

You can easily customize the brightness levels, what sort of music or sound you want to wake up to such as nature, ambient music, or your favorite radio station. The Somneo also acts as a perfect nightlight if you need to get up in the middle of the night, illuminating just bright enough for you to see where you’re going rather than blinding you.

The Philips Somneo is available now from Philips for $199.99