The S+ Sleep Tracker*

If you’re a good sleeper then you probably don’t really think much about your sleep – it just kind of happens! But for a lot of people, sleep doesn’t just happen and problems like insomnia, sleep deprivation and fatigue are part of day-to-day life. One in three people in the UK regularly suffer from poor sleep and therefore experience problems with daytime functioning as a result of this. Poor sleep is also associated with long-term mental and physical health problems, so getting a good night’s sleep is incredibly important.

I’ve always struggled with my sleep, which I believe is partly down to my physical (and mental) health problems. Some of these issues can’t be changed, but I do believe there are things I, and others, can do to make improvements. When I was offered the chance to try out an exciting new sleep tracking system and write about it on my blog, I jumped at the chance! Ironically, before I received that e-mail, I had actually been trying to work on my sleep by going to bed earlier and monitoring my sleep with a free app. So it seemed like the perfect time to give The S+ by ResMed a try.

This device is the world’s first non-contact, fully comprehensive sleep tracking system, and is now available to buy here for £129.95. The S+ features patent-protected SleepSensor technology, which makes it possible for the first time to track, analyse and improve sleep at home without needing to wear a wristband or use electrodes or mattress strips. Unlike other sleep trackers it also has the capability to analyse each stage of sleep through the night.

It is designed to improve sleep from the very first night and results from the US, where the S+ is already available, show that below-average sleepers slept an extra 45 minutes each night after just one week’s use of the S+, which sounds fantastic!

I was a bit worried when I heard that I was going to have to put a device on my bedside table, as often these things can look quite ugly. But when it arrived I was pleasantly surprised by how sleek and stylish it was, and how well it fitted in with my room décor. It comprises a device that sits beside your bed, a cloud-hosted Sleep Mentor system, and a free mobile app, which can be downloaded on both Apple iOS and Android phones. The bedside device uses a highly calibrated respiratory and bio-motion sensor to measure and analyse sleep stages. It records the movement of your chest as you breathe, and overall body movements such as positional changes, arm twitches and shrugs.

Every morning, you can check the S+ app, which delivers a sleep score and sleep chart to your phone or tablet. The S+ Sleep Mentor also uses a software algorithm based on over two million nights of sleep data to deliver personalised feedback and suggestions to help you improve your sleep. The great thing about the S+ is that, unlike other smartphone apps and sleep trackers, it accurately tracks every stage of sleep and provides a complete breakdown of how the night unfolds. You can find out how long it takes you to fall asleep, and track cycles of light, deep and REM sleep to help build up a picture of the quality and quantity of sleep you are getting.

As well as tracking your sleep and getting a sleep score and chart, the S+ also has a range of additional features to help you improve your sleep:

·      Relax to Sleep provides a choice of soothing sounds that synchronise with your breathing pattern to help you relax and fall asleep at bedtime.

·      Mind Clear gives you the opportunity to record a voice message or type a text note to help clear your mind when you’re trying to go to sleep, which sounds brilliant as I’m terrible for overthinking at night!

·      Smart Alarm allows you to set a window of time for the device to naturally wake you when you are in light sleep, which means you wake up feeling more refreshed.

The S+ also has additional sensors that help to analyse your sleeping environment by measuring light, temperature and noise levels. It can then evaluate whether your sleep patterns are influenced by these factors. It also analyses how lifestyle factors such as exercise, stress levels, caffeine and alcohol consumption affect your sleep.

I am so excited to give this a try, and the rest of my family also seem to be rather interested in it as well! I’ve always been curious to know what my sleep patterns are like, as every day I wake up feeling exhausted and lethargic. I do have chronic fatigue as part of my illnesses, but I’m really hoping that by working on my sleep I can give myself the best chance possible to feel ready to face the day.

I will be testing the S+ out over the next month or so, and will come back to you soon with a follow-up post to let you know how I’m getting on. If you want to check out other people’s reviews and experiences, you can follow the hashtags #fixmysleep and #sleeptracker on Twitter or follow @fixmysleep for updates and news. I’m really looking forward to feeding back to you how I get on with this new gadget, but would also be interested to hear from anyone else that’s tried it out. Fingers crossed I can get myself into a healthier and more effective sleep routine!

Have you tried this sleep tracker or one by another company? What do you do to help you get a good night’s sleep?

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Sunday Snippets - 17th April 2016

I’m not quite sure where the last week has gone! It’s been a pretty busy week, and looking at my calendar I don’t think it’s going to quieten down any time soon! So I’m going to have to really try and pace myself as much as I can, and grab rest breaks as much as possible. Although I’ve had a few medical appointments this week, there have been some nice things as well, which makes things a bit more balanced. In the earlier part of the week I actually felt like spring was finally here, and wore my first short-sleeved item of clothing outside! But the last few days it seems like winter hasn’t quite finished with us yet, and I’ve been snuggled up in warm jumpers and fluffy blankets, watching the rain pour down outside.

Last Sunday was another quiet one, which is generally quite typical for my routine. I always try to do some blogging on a Sunday (like writing these posts) but then try and have a bit of a ‘me time’ day if I can. After a nice lie-in, I spent the rest of my morning working on my blog and watching The Simpsons. I’ve decided to rename Sundays ‘Simpsons Sunday,’ as I tend to spend my Sunday mornings watching all the episodes I’ve recorded! I did some odd jobs once I’d finished my blogging, then decided to have some chill time. So I put some YouTube videos on and browsed through some of my favourite blogs.

On Monday I had quite a slow morning, which seems to be becoming a bit of a thing for me at the moment. I did manage to do a bit of sorting/tidying in my bedroom though, so tried to see that as a positive. My Mum then drove me over to the hospital for my appointment with my urology nurse. She was running nearly an hour late, which made me even more anxious, but she decided not to take my catheter out in the end. Instead, we made a morning appointment for a couple of weeks time so she can keep me there for a few hours and make sure I can self-catheterise again, otherwise she’ll put a catheter back in. My Mum and I then ran some errands on the way home. I received my magazine from Mind in the post, which really cheered me up.

My Tuesday morning was spent responding to blog e-mails and editing a video, which you can check out here. I then relaxed for a while watching TV and replying to Facebook comments. In the afternoon, my Dad took me to the local medical centre for my appointment with my psychiatrist. It didn’t really go as I’d expected and I’ve got some things to process, but I guess it went OK. I found these Nakd Nibbles in the cupboard, so nibbled on them when I got home. I’d forgotten how nice they are!

On Wednesday I had absolutely no plans, which is always a lovely feeling! I had a fairly quiet morning, which started with me backing up all the photos on my phone ready for getting a new phone. I spent the rest of the morning working on a blog post. After resting for a bit, I took some photos for future blog posts, which included this new sleep device that I’ve been sent to try out. I managed to get some e-mails replied to, then had to go out with my Dad to pick up (and pay for!) my car, which was at the garage for a service and MOT. Needless to say, my bank account was not happy!

On Thursday morning I went over to Reading with my Mum and Dad. The first store we went to was the Apple Store, as my phone has been getting progressively worse to the point of being unusable. So, I part-exchanged my old phone and treated myself to the rose gold iPhone SE. It’s so pretty! I just need to find a nice case for it now, so if anyone has any recommendations please let me know. We then went to John Lewis so my Mum could look for a dress for my brother’s wedding. I also had a look at the cameras and think I have decided on a new vlogging camera, which I hope to get soon. We had a bit of lunch before going to House of Fraser to continue the hunt for a wedding outfit (which my Mum managed to find!) I rested for a while when we got home, then popped to Waitrose with my Mum and was very happy to find some Rude Health Coconut Drink, as we’d been told they had stopped selling it (I feel like this is a rather sad thing to be excited about!)

I really struggled to get up on Friday morning and was feeling quite unwell, which was probably payback from going to Reading. So I just took it slowly and tried to allow myself rest throughout the day. I did manage to do a bit of tidying in my bedroom in the morning, although it doesn’t seem to look much different, which is always frustrating! I then snuggled up on the sofa to catch up on some YouTube videos, and did a bit of planning for my own videos in this cute Veronica Dearly notebook. The rest of my afternoon was just spent resting, watching YouTube and doing some bits and bobs that needed doing.

Yesterday I had planned to go to a local farm to see some baby animals with my brother’s fiancé, Emma. But when I woke up it was pouring with rain and freezing cold, so that idea went out the window! Emma came over and we had a think about what we could do. After lots of consideration, we decided to go into a local town with my Mum and sister for a spot of ‘lunch.’ We were going to go to Creams, but it was pretty busy, so instead we went to a smaller place called Frenchies. It’s a really cute American style diner, which specialises in desserts. Looking through the menu, we were quickly salivating at all the amazing dishes they had on offer and struggling to pick just one. When our desserts arrived they looked absolutely amazing, but mine was massive! Needless to say, I couldn’t eat it all, but it was really yummy and I’d love to go back and try some of the other things. Full, and in a sugar coma, from our lunch, we decided to have a look round some of the shops. First, we popped into Boots and Superdrug, and spent quite a while lusting over all the make-up. My wish list is rapidly growing! We also went into Accessorize, as my sisters and I need to look for bags for one of the weddings, but unfortunately we didn’t find anything (although I did see a bag I loved, but it wasn’t suitable for the wedding). We finished up in Primark, where Emma and Bekkah (my sister) had a lot of fun trying on different sunglasses! When we got home I rested on the sofa and did some Hen Party planning.

If you haven’t read my blog before, I just wanted to let you know that I have a second blog, which mainly focuses on my health in more depth than I talk about it here. It’s largely for friends and family to follow and keep up with what’s going on, but if it’s something you would be interested in reading as well, you are more than welcome to follow me over there. I’ve actually changed the name from Unicorns and Floral Crowns to ‘Zebra Crossing’ and you can find it by clicking here. I’m trying to keep it updated fairly regularly, so hopefully there will be something there for you to read! I’m also trying to post on Snapchat a bit more, so if you fancy following me, my username is Jennycole44.

What have you been up to this week? I always enjoy hearing about your news and adventures!

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Sunday Spotlight - 20th July 2014

In my life this week…

No more side effects!

I’ve had a real scare with my health this last week. Last week I commented that I seemed to be feeling worse and was having problems with my legs, and as the weekend progressed into this week, my health deteriorated further. I got to a point where I couldn’t sit or stand, was sweating bucket loads, felt too sick and dizzy to eat or drink and could not keep my body from shaking. Scared was definitely an understatement. On Monday I decided to ring the doctors, who told me they had no appointments. After much ringing and begging I managed to see a doctor on Monday afternoon, who decided to take me off a new medication I was trying, and thankfully after a few days I was feeling much more human again. It’s crazy how a few little tablets can make you so unwell, but I certainly won’t be taking this medication again in a hurry! This photo, with my brother, his fiancé and my sister was taken on the first day I felt able to stand up again.

Air con

I’ve been melting in the heat this week, especially up in my bedroom. Because my room is up in the attic, it seems to get a lot hotter than the rest of the house, and the Velux windows can act like a green house. Thankfully, a few years ago my Dad bought me an air conditioning unit, so this week it’s been back up in my room cooling me down. I’d be lost without it and it’s meant I can get on with blogging and other bits and bobs in my bedroom, which is great. The only downside is that it’s so noisy, so I’m just using it sparingly.

Old friends

This week I’ve had the opportunity to catch up with a couple of old friends, which has been lovely. One of them was my friend Katrina, who I met when we were at college together but she actually only lives down the road from me! We used to do everything together – shopping, cinema, meals out, trips to London, but then a couple of years ago she was offered an amazing job over in Dubai. I’ve really missed having her around, so it’s been lovely catching up with her while she’s back to the summer. We’ve so far managed a trip to Costa, and this week a mooch around a local garden centre and a drink in the café, and we’re hoping to see each other a few more times before she heads back to Dubai for September. We’ve also been chatting about having a girly holiday to Cornwall next summer, which I’m already getting excited about, as long as I can get my health a bit more stable.

What has grabbed your attention this week? I love hearing about people’s new discoveries and you may end up sharing something that makes it onto my list next week!

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Filofax iPad Air Case*

I’ve been a massive Filofax fan for more years than I care to remember, so when I was asked to review one of their products I was over the moon! I’ve been using their organisers for a long time now, but have never really delved into the other products they sell, so was quite excited to see if their gadget cases lived up to the high quality of their organisers.

This black, leather-look A5 iPad Air case* arrived beautifully packaged in a clear plastic sleeve, with a kind note from the lovely people at Filofax. After sliding the plastic off, I could already feel the amazing quality of the faux-leather case, which is smooth yet sturdy.

Undoing the zipped fastening, you are presented with a product perfect for work or play. On the right-hand-side is space to clip in your iPad Air, and on the left is an A5 notepad for jotting down all those notes you need to remember as you browse the net.

The A5 notepad is lined, meaning you have plenty of scope for writing important notes for business or pleasure, or perhaps just a space to doodle as you browse. It is simple to replace, as it is not stuck in, so there’s no worry about filling it up and it then losing its use.

Underneath the notepad are various pockets for storing notes or cards, meaning you can carry everything you might need for a business meeting or for just taking your iPad to the local coffee shop for a spot of blog reading. There is also a pen holder in between the notepad and iPad, making sure you have a pen for all those note-taking opportunities.

My brother’s iPad Air fits snugly and securely inside the case, meaning worries about it falling out or breaking are a thing of the past. It is suitable for right or left-handed use, so perfect for anyone. This particular case only comes in black, which looks sleek and professional, but there are other similar cases on the website in a range of colours including blue and pink.

The case allows you to rotate the iPad Air holder 360 degrees, so can be stood up for use in multiple viewing positions, perfect for any occasion.

This sleek case is available for a very reasonable £30 from the Filofax website and I couldn’t recommend it enough. The quality is second to none, meaning the case will see you through a huge variety of situations, while keeping its smooth and sturdy exterior. It definitely lived up to my high expectations of Filofax products and I’d be interested to hear if you decide to treat yourself to one.

Do you use Filofax products, such as their organisers, cases or anything else? Do you have a favourite product from them?

*This product was gifted to me by Filofax

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