With sleep quality and productivity at a low over the colder months, here’s how to harness your AI tech for some seasonal self-care…
We're firmly in the depths of winter, and along with the cold weather and fewer daylight hours comes the major disruption to our daily routines. Yes, the darker days and lower temperatures are proven to have an impact on sleep, and with our circadian rhythms off-kilter, this can have a significant impact on our mental health.
Poor sleep is a major work barrier, reducing productivity and concentration. Not to mention, it can have considerable repercussions on mood, with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) already on the rise. And with 1 in 15 people experiencing the disorder, and 20% reporting milder ‘winter blues’, positive change is needed.
According to Mental Health UK, 94% of the UK think sleep is important, and 89% believe that better sleep would improve their lives, but too many of us don’t know where to start.
The key is adapting our daily routines to the seasons, and for this, artificial intelligence (AI) technology has become an emerging tool. In fact, leaning into our smart tech is proven to combat seasonal barriers, helping us stay positive and productive, whatever the weather.
This is where EE comes in, providing industry-leading AI technology that is trusted, customer-friendly and simple to use—all with the aim of making our lives easier. By incorporating a few new tech habits into our daily routines, we can improve sleep quality, motivation and mood—allowing us all to make the most of the cold months ahead.
Here’s how to harness your AI tech for self-care this winter…
Set a sleep schedule
When establishing a new winter routine, setting a sleep schedule—training yourself to sleep and wake up at the same time each day—is a good first step. The consistency of a regular bedtime is proven to help ensure sufficient and quality sleep, enhancing both your health and performance. However, despite its obvious advantages, a consistent sleep pattern can be difficult to upkeep—particularly while balancing work, childcare and the demands of winter socialising.
EE’s AI tech offerings cater for just this, with its wearable smartwatch range (everything from Samsung Galaxy to Apple models) allowing you to set a tailored in-app sleep schedule. Plus, you can customise your plan, setting personal sleep goals and bedtime reminders based on your needs and sleeping habits. Not to mention, EE’s AI-powered Smart lighting selection features dimmable bulbs with timer settings, allowing you to enforce a regular bedtime and create a consistent sleep pattern. This in turn can lower stress levels, boost mood and improve your productivity, concentration and attention span.
Create positive boundaries
Stress and distraction are major barriers when it comes to sleep, with 79% of people in the UK struggling to switch off at bedtime. And with too many of us working into our sleeping hours, pre-bed screen time has become commonplace. This in turn has been proven to overstimulate the brain, prolonging the transition to sleep, and reducing both sleep duration and quality.
AI technology allows you to set positive boundaries to combat this, with EE's smartwatch and Fitbit range enabling you to schedule ‘Sleep Mode’ each evening. As its name suggests, the setting is designed to enhance your rest, allowing you to filter the notifications you can receive and the people who can contact you as you wind down for bed. Plus, through EE’s WiFi controls feature, you can even pause WiFi and schedule some uninterrupted tech-free time. A regular pre-bed screen break will give your brain a chance to wind down, improving both sleep duration and quality. And by setting positive boundaries between work and downtime, you will not only enhance your mental wellbeing, but your work performance too, with a proven correlation between rest and productivity.
Increase physical activity
There is a well-known correlation between exercise and rest, with physical activity proven to enhance sleep—both in terms of hours and quality. Not to mention, it plays a vital role in maintaining your circadian rhythm, boosting your energy levels and alleviating tiredness during the day. But despite the obvious benefits of exercise, it can be difficult to factor into our daily routines.
AI technology is an effective tool for increasing physical activity, with EE’s smartwatches and fitness trackers allowing you to set personalised fitness goals and reminders. With manageable challenges, like setting daily steps and active minutes to your wearable tech, you can steadily integrate exercise into your routine. Plus, with apps like Samsung Smart Health, you can track your personalised fitness journey, receiving progress reports, an energy score, and wellness tips to ensure that you are getting the most out of your physical activity. This, in turn, will improve your sleeping pattern, reduce stress and boost your daily energy levels.
Monitor your sleep
There are plenty of advantages that come with a good night’s sleep—productivity, focus and mood, among others. But to reap the benefits, it is important to enhance not only your sleep duration but quality, too. And in order to improve your rest, you first need to be aware of your sleeping habits and patterns.
Experts recommend monitoring your sleep, with EE’s wearable AI tech range offering sleep tracking features and personalised insights. This includes the Samsung Galaxy Smart Ring, powered by Galaxy AI—a lightweight piece of smart jewellery that collects your personal health metrics. And, from timing your sleep duration and stages to logging your resting heart rate and skin temperature, it can determine how deep you are sleeping and whether you are getting enough rest in each stage. Not to mention, its new Vitality Score feature can calculate a personalised daily energy score based on your activity, heart rate and sleep - informing how to improve your rest and energy levels going forward.
Visit What is AI? Understanding and Safely Using AI on Your Devices | EE for more information on EE tech, and how to harness it for self-improvement.
