HoomBand

When it comes to sleep people seem to be split into one of two camps, those who simply get into bed, shut their eyes and fall asleep, then there’s those who get into bed, toss and turn and replay every confrontation they have had since they were 10 years old.

It is safe to say that I fall into the second category of people, however, if you have one of those minds that seems nearly impossible to switch off there are ways to distract it at night to help you relax. The HoomBand aims to ease you gently into sleep with guided meditation, whispered stories or white noise all without disturbing anyone else in the household due to the built-in headphones. Yes, you could try sleeping with regular headphones, but even wireless headphones become uncomfortable if you try laying on your side. The HoomBand comes in two sizes, Small or Medium/Large, the earphones are built into the sides of the band in the perfect spot to sit comfortably on your ears, the earphones are ultra-thin so you can barely feel them, they’re placed under an innovative foam, which is itself concealed under the main fabric. The band is quite wide so it covers a large portion of your head, I was concerned it would make my head hot, but the thin material is quite breathable, it can also be machine washed. The HoomBand connects to your phone via a good quality cable with an audio jack, this was the only thing I didn’t like so much, you have to be tethered to your phone as you wind down and inevitably fall asleep attached to it, although the cable is long I still woke up with a startle one night from rolling over and pulling my phone off the bedside table.

Bluetooth adaptors can be used if your device doesn’t have an audio jack, but this doesn’t avoid the cable issue, eventually I would love to see the HoomBand as fully wireless. The companion app gives you access to over 20hours of stories and guided meditations written by sleep specialists, travel back in time aboard the Orient Express, explore Dali’s masterpieces or Einstein’s relativity or take a stroll through a village in Provence or the lands of Iceland. The stories have been created by sleep experts to help you relax and guide you to a deeper sleep quicker than usual, you can program sound loops that will block out unwanted noise until you wake up, the stories can be downloaded so you can use the app offline. The HoomBand is very comfortable to wear at night, the stories and guided meditations are truly relaxing but of course you aren’t restricted to what’s on the app, you can listen to your own music, audiobooks or podcasts, I found this a good way to switch off at night and ease into a natural sleep. RRP £49.90

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