Five of the latest gadgets to help you sleep in the air

Do you struggle to get enough shut-eye on board? These are the sleep-enhancing tech gadgets you should be packing in your hand luggage, says jet-setter Jenny Southan

Soothing slumber

Cozy phones (from $17) has ultra-thin built-in headphones to wear while sleeping. As well as blocking out unwanted sounds on the aircraft, you can slide the band over your eyes for darkness. The headphones aren’t wireless – there’s a cable to plug into your phone – and don’t promise noise cancellation, so they will probably work better with soothing music of your choice. But for the low price tag they are worth a try, especially if normal headphones hurt your ears.

Ditch the jetlag

The Retimer light therapy glasses (£149) have a money-back guarantee that they will help combat jet lag. The principle behind the product is light therapy, to reset your internal body clock. You wear the glasses for about an hour in the morning three days before and after travelling east to adjust to an earlier schedule, or in the evening if you want to stay up later when flying west. Having light shone in your eyes apparently reduces melatonin levels, which can make you feel sleepy at the wrong time.

Power down

The new Philips Smart Sleep ($400) headband promises to ‘actively improve sleep’ when used for two weeks. It’s designed to be incorporated into your lifestyle, rather than used on the odd flight, but may well help you feel more rested on arrival. Sensors inside the headband measure when you are in ‘slow-wave sleep’ – the third stage of non-REM deep sleep – and then trigger white noise to improve the quality of your shut-eye. In the morning the complementary app will reveal your metrics. Currently on limited release.

Pillow talk

The Somnox Sleep Robot (€499) claims to be your ‘ultimate sleep companion’ and is just about compact enough for hand luggage. It uses lullabies, breathing sounds and guided meditation to help soothe you into a longer, deeper sleep. You may get curious looks from passengers within earshot of this talking bolster, but who cares if you wake up feeling refreshed? Available to pre-order now.

Electric dreams

The Bose Quiet Comfort 35 Wireless Headphones II (£330) are essential for any jet-setter. As well as having an integrated Google Assistant to play music, receive texts and ask questions of, the noise cancellation will prevent you being disturbed by cabin chatter – there are three levels, allowing you to hear in-flight announcements if you need to. Battery life is 20 hours.