Bursts of Color - New Year, New Sleep
When I was twenty-something, it was fashionable among my friends and colleagues to brag about how little was slept. "Sleep when you're dead!" was a common refrain. Fortunately times have changed, and society more widely accepts that plentiful sleep is as important as either food or exercise to health and performance.
For those interested in trying some fresh sleep habits for the new year, here are a few products and ideas. Caveat that I'm an investor in both Hatch and Huckleberry.
Hatch: Sleep Devices for All Ages
Hatch broke out several years ago with Rest, a kid's sleep device that bundles your baby monitor with a night light and white noise library. This year the company introduced Restore to help adults get better sleep with personalized bedtime routines, soothing audio content and a sunrise alarm. Product has been flying off the shelves and they were honored among Time's Best Inventions of 2020.
Huckleberry: Baby Sleep Tracking and Support
Huckleberry pairs a mobile app with pediatric sleep experts to help parents establish the right pattern for their baby or toddler. Among other things, the service provides custom plans and will recommend "sweet spot" schedules for your child's ideal nap, bed and wake-times. Judging by their amazing App Store reviews, parents love it.
Sleep 101 Tips for Everyone
I've previously plugged Why We Sleep, a pop-science book that made the rounds last year. My take-away was that most of us can improve our sleep with a few fairly obvious steps such as:
Always go to bed 8+ hours before you need to get up
Try to keep a consistent bedtime and wake schedule
Sleep in a dark, cool and quiet room
Minimize screens and blue light in the hours before bed
Minimize food, sugar and alcohol in the hours before bed
To be clear, I'm generally better at sharing this sort of sleep advice than following it. But I am trying. 🤷♂️