I Tried New Sleep Tech From the Cult-Favorite Brand Behind Theragun. Should You Add It to Your Holiday Wish List?

In 2024, for the first clip since Gallup polling successful 2001, the mostly of Americans (57%) said they would consciousness amended if they sewage much sleep. Science backs up the claim: Getting capable remainder tin effect your weight, affectional well-being, humor pressure, intelligence and beingness performance, and more, according to UC Davis Health.

If you want to rotation into the caller twelvemonth emotion well-rested and refreshed, see a mates of caller sleep-promoting products from Therabody, the cult-favorite wellness marque that introduced the Theragun, a handheld massage gun, successful 2016.

"It makes maine proud to beryllium capable to opportunity that we're sticking existent to what we are arsenic a brand," Therabody laminitis and main wellness serviceman Dr. Jason Wersland tells Entrepreneur. "We want to thief you and empower you to return your wellness into your ain hands."

Image Credit: Courtesy of Therabody. Dr. Jason Wersland.

Related: How Success Happened for Benjamin Nazarian, CEO of Therabody

Therabody's SmartGoggles (2nd Generation), a wearable instrumentality providing heated oculus massage for relaxation, headache alleviation and amended sleep, and SleepMask, a blackout oculus disguise pinch soothing vibrations for improved sleep, deed the marketplace successful September, conscionable successful clip for the vacation shopping season.

Wersland says the thought for Therabody's SmartGoggles, first released successful 2022, came respective years earlier during the improvement of the company's Theragun G2Pro. The instrumentality made a sound that coincided pinch the beat of its motor, which meant that "what you were emotion was what you were hearing," and it sewage him reasoning astir really he could use the exertion to sleep.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Therabody

"That beat successful the goggles, your bosom tries to lucifer that."

SmartGoggles 2nd Generation, which retails for $199, builds connected the first model. Like the original, the 2nd Generation headset includes a built-in biometric sensor for customized treatments wrong 3 15-minute modalities: SmartRelax, Headaches & Eye Strain and Sleep. These modalities incorporated debased and precocious levels of pulse, activity (a slow emergence and fall) and changeless vibration patterns to execute the desired outcome. The merchandise is SleepScore validated.

The caller creation blocks ray and features contoured padding and an adjustable strap for comfortableness and amended fit. SmartGoggles 2nd Generation is besides disposable successful achromatic alternatively of the original achromatic — a consequence to customer feedback astir the latter's inclination to show much deterioration pinch predominant use, according to Wersland.

In SmartRelax mode, the biometric sensor analyzes the user's beat to nutrient vibration patterns tailored to trim heart rate and summation relaxation. "That beat successful the goggles, your bosom tries to lucifer that," Wersland explains. "So what we're feeding you is simply a little stimulus than your bosom is beating because your bosom tries to lucifer its environment."

The emotion of the SmartGoggles connected your caput for the first clip mightiness return immoderate getting utilized to if you're not overly accustomed to wearing tech connected your look (I wasn't), but the 2nd Generation is 10% lighter than its predecessor, and it's only meant to beryllium worn for astir 15 minutes astatine a time, not overnight.

Related: The Science Behind How Sleep Makes You Smarter

True to form, erstwhile I first tried the SmartRelax mode, its heartbeat-like staccato started up, alongside power and a massage rhythm designed to dainty trigger points, including the forehead, temples and supra and beneath the eyes. The pulsing vibration shape besides required a spot of an accommodation period, which makes sense, arsenic the instrumentality provides input astatine likelihood pinch the body's position quo to induce a parasympathetic state. However, astir halfway done my first SmartRelax experience, I became amended acquainted pinch SmartGoggles' beingness connected my look and activity patterns and started emotion much relaxed.

The Headaches & Eye Strain and Sleep Prep modes besides usage a operation of vibration and massage to execute their intended effects, the erstwhile to relieve hostility headaches and oculus strain and the second to hole the assemblage for sleep. Sleep Prep's rhythm doesn't see heat, though, arsenic a lower assemblage somesthesia is typically considered amended for sleep.

"These micro moments successful your life [help you] travel into a parasympathetic state."

All of the modes are customizable wrong the Therabody app, allowing users to set really agelong each convention lasts and prime from various routines, which are besides personalizable. For instance, erstwhile I clicked connected "Relaxation" from a drop-down paper of benefits — which besides includes options for illustration "Focus" and "Travel Relief" — I was presented pinch 27 routines and chose "Day astatine the Park." The quality soundscape, replete pinch birds chirping and leaves rustling, played from the app while the SmartGoggles emitted debased power and beat vibration.

If you tally the convention for astatine slightest 5 minutes, you tin position your starting and ending bosom rates wrong the app.

"The full extremity was to springiness you 15 minutes, these micro-moments successful your life, to beryllium capable to travel into a parasympathetic state," Wersland says. "Mind your heart, mind your activity work, conscionable return a 2nd and chill."

Related: The Founder of This Innovative Sleep Device Unpacks the Science Behind Good Rest — and How We Can All Get More of It

Therabody's SleepMask, which retails for $99 and is besides SleepScore validated, came astir aft Wersland's mother told him she had problem staying asleep. The SmartGoggles aren't meant to beryllium worn for a afloat night's sleep, arsenic they're excessively bulky, but SleepMask is simply a lightweight solution pinch the aforesaid 3 sleep-promoting vibration patterns (pulse, activity and constant) that tin beryllium adjusted for intensity.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Therabody

In addition, the SleepMask's machine-washable interior and 100% blackout characteristic decidedly put it up of astir modular oculus masks connected the marketplace — successful my experience, the contouring and adjustable strap really did win successful eliminating immoderate hint of light.

"If a merchandise isn't solving a problem, it'll beryllium a flash successful the pan."

So, should you adhd Therabody's SmartGoggles and SleepMask to your holiday wish list this year? Either (or both) mightiness beryllium good worthy it, depending connected what you're seeking from the purchase. If you're searching for multi-purpose wearable tech that tin thief you target accent and hostility during the time and hole you for a bully night's sleep, the SmartGoggles are a coagulated option. If you're consenting to forego immoderate of the bells and whistles for a simpler merchandise that focuses connected sleep, the SleepMask mightiness make much sense.

Related: 'I Used to Sleep Under My Desk:' How a Burnt Out Executive Changed His Ways and Now Runs a Sleep Wearables Company.

Of course, anyone searching for less stress and amended slumber whitethorn want to double up and spot if the operation unlocks caller levels of relaxation.

At the extremity of the day, Therabody strives to connection individualized solutions pinch the subject to backmost them up. "If a merchandise isn't solving a problem, it'll beryllium a flash successful the pan," Wersland says. "A existent rumor that we each person is our tense strategy regulation. So, for me, that's what drives our products. That's why I consciousness truthful assured we're not moreover adjacent to vanished making astonishing things."