Welcome to the Heaven32 Holiday 2020 Gift Guide! Need help with gift ideas? We are here to help! We will be launching gift guides by the end of December. You can find our other guides here.
Even in a normal year, the holidays can be an anxiety-provoking hell. Yet in 2020, it’s honestly hard to say what kind of a climactic final this historically difficult year might have. In honor of one of the most terrible years on record, we’ve improvised a list of gifts that could help people cross the finish line in triumph.
It’s a bit complicated, I admit. Everyone de-stresses differently: some like to play video games, come to cook, some go for a run, some like to meditate. This is an attempt to put together a few gadgets and software that can help increase sleep, lower blood pressure, and generally survive the rest of 2020.
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Muse S
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I was kinda wearing the last Muse headband at CES, when this show still seemed like the stressful peak of my year. The device offers an intelligent, playful approach to meditation, which I, as one of the worst meditators of all time, have come to appreciate. Granted, words like “gamify” sound counterproductive when it comes to meditating, but Muse does a surprisingly good job of putting you in the right mental space.
The company also recently added sleep tracking to the wearable device. I’ll say the Muse S is reasonably comfortable when it comes to tech headbands (a low bar certainly), but even so, sleeping in one still takes some getting used to.
Price: $ 350 in Amazon
Bose Sleepbuds II
We can recommend several versatile noise canceling headphones to help you relax. The Bose Sleepbuds II is not that. These little Bluetooth buttons are designed for one purpose: to sleep. They’re comfortable, have good battery life, and will stay put while you sleep. They’re designed for noisy environments, whether you’re trying to take a midday nap or sleeping next to a snorer.
They’re a bit pricey and not very versatile, designed just to replicate Bose’s preloaded sleep sounds. But if someone in your life is having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, this is a solid investment.
Price: $ 250 in Amazon
Silent subscription
Image credits: Calm
There is no shortage of meditation apps these days, but Calm has been my choice for a long time. The app has seen huge success in recent years, even winning a celebrity show on HBO Max. With over 90 million downloads, Calm offers some of the best guided meditation courses and tracks to help listeners fall asleep.
Price: $ 13 / month from Calm
Withings dream
Image credits: Withings
I actually dug this thing up before my bunny nibbled on the cord and effectively rendered it useless. I’m going to take a chance and assume this is not a problem most users will encounter. Withings Sleep is actually a cushion that is placed under the mattress to detect the progression of sleep during the night. These results are then collected and displayed in the Withings’ Health app. I’ve tried plenty of portable sleep trackers over the year, but if you’re really into sleep tracking, this is a good solution. Among other things, you don’t need to wear a bracelet to sleep.
Withings Sleep goes in depth with its tracking, including tracking heart rate cycles and even snoring detection. It is also one of the first consumer devices in its class to offer sleep apnea detection.
Price: $ 74 in Amazon
Zen dream
Image credits: Dreamlight
When we were making travel gift guides I included one of the Dreamlight masks for long flights. However, while we are all grounded, I have used it a lot to solve some health issues this year. Dreamlight Zen is a step up from this model, with built-in sleep and meditation aids that can last up to 10 hours on a charge.
Price: $ 200 from Dreamlight
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