Four tech gadgets that helped me sleep better and ditch the alarm

I regularly get around seven hours of sleep and often wake without an audible alarm. Technology has made that easier by disabling distracting apps, silencing noise, tracking sleep, and waking me in the morning. To cut pre-sleep doomscrolling I use a Brick, an NFC-enabled device that blocks chosen phone apps when I tap my phone to it.

I keep it on the fridge so it's far from the bedroom; that distance helps me get to bed and makes mornings more productive. When my bedroom faced a busy Brooklyn street, Loop Dream earplugs kept noise at bay. They're light, purple for easy finding after they fall out, and deliver near-silence better than most sleep earbuds during parties, noisy neighbors, or car horns.

I wear an Oura Ring 4 to see how habits affect rest. It tracks heart rate, heart rate variability, body temperature and respiratory rate, and gives Sleep, Readiness and Activity Scores; that feedback helped me cut back on late-night drinking and notice when I'm calmer after reading.

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