Have you ever traveled with someone, whether you’re on vacation with your spouse or its an extended journey with a travel companion who likes to get up early but you don’t?
As a ‘so not a morning person gal,’ I sure have and while I have been known to get up in the wee hours of the morning to go on safari, take in a sunrise, see elephants drinking from a river, or go up in a hot air balloon over the oldest mountains in the world in southern Africa, if I had my druthers, I’d start my trip mid-morning over a tea and set out from there, knowing that I’d be taking in some late night culture in some city or town by the end of the day.
I learned about a couple products that are designed to give you better sleep while waking you silently and gently, which means, not waking someone else in the bed next to you if they want to get up 3 hours later.
LARK is a Silent Alarm Clock and and Sleep Monitor designed to be used with spouses, partners and roommates (or traveling companions) with different sleep schedules. It wakes you up silently, measures and analyzes your sleep along the way and coaches you to improve based on your Sleep Type.
LARK is designed to wake even the deepest sleepers with dynamic vibration technology. With LARK PRO, you can re-assess as much as you’d like over time. At the end of your 7th night, the LARK Personal Sleep Coach will send you a personalized sleep report based on your unique sleep habits. LARK is priced at $99.
Another product in this category is Wakemate, which allows you to wake up at the optimal time in your sleep cycle so you can wake feeling more refreshed. Each day, you can get an automated analysis of your sleep patterns….it is wirelessly uploaded to the site each morning so you can monitor your sleep over time. 
Using the analysis, you can also find out exactly how long your body needs each night, for maximum efficiency.
The WakeMate monitors your wrist motion and uses a clinically proven science called Actigraphy to translate the motion data into sleep data.
WakeMate works on every iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android and Blackberry phone that has SPP Bluetooth and is priced at $59.
Refer to this paper for an interesting read on the Role of Actigraphy in the Study of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms.
We haven’t tried the products out yet which we’d love to do and then do a follow up after a couple of weeks of a more peaceful, restful sleep.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
