Use These Apps to Help You Sleep Better [Android & iOS]
After a hectic day, the best thing you can do is to get a beneficial amount of sleep. There are always new studies appearing that prove how important sleep really is to a person, improving everything from your energy and mood to your metabolism. However, it may not be quite as easy to get that much-needed sleep, especially the deep sleep that can make all the difference. It might be a good idea to try a few apps to help you with your sleep.
Fitbit Flex vs. Jawbone UP: A Comparative Review
In today's world, nothing escapes the fact that we are moving in a direction where quantifying and recording stuff obsessively is sort of the norm. We use Foursquare to check into places, we annoyingly take photos of our meals with Instagram, and we share our thoughts on Twitter. So would it be much of a surprise if we also like to track the number of steps they take, or how much we sleep? Today, we'll put the Fitbit Flex and the Jawbone UP against each other, and decide whether it's the newcomer or veteran who takes home the gold. We'll also be offering both devices, so enjoy the review then remember to join the contest.
4 Must-Have iPhone Apps For Cyclists [iOS]
Are you the kind of person who prefers to ride on two wheels instead of four? Do you prefer those wheels be powered by your own strength and not a motor? If so, you just might be a cyclist. Riding a bike is great for exercise, and it helps the environment because you are not using a car with all the emissions and fuel cost that accompany it. We've found four of the best applications for cyclists of all kinds, whether street, mountain, or beyond.
Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale Review and Giveaway
Whether your goal is to maintain a healthy weight or lose those extra pounds, keeping track of your weight changes is an essential part of the process. Any obstacle to doing so will eventually halt your efforts. With the Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale, you needn't waste those extra moments - it'll sync your stats and store them for you. Now all you need to do is concentrate on actually exercising. We're giving away a Fitbit Aria, so read on to find out more about it, then join the contest!
Don't Waste Your Sleep - Apps and Hardware to Induce Lucid Dreaming
It's rare for technology to have such a developed presence in what are otherwise considered quite holistic practices, but lucid dreaming is one of those subjects where technology has indeed come a long way. Today I'm going to take a look at lots of different hardware and software that's been developed to help lucid dreamers the world over.
7 Best YouTube Workout Channels To Exercise at Home
Home gyms and personal trainers help the moneyed get up straight from their beds and hit the gym. We lesser mortals have to call on our powers of self-motivation and discipline to trudge the few miles to the gym. But it doesn’t have to be this way. With the help of free YouTube channels for home workouts, we can start our own exercise regimen exactly where our sleeping mattress ends.
How To Buy A Sweet Office Chair For Less
If you spend a lot of time on your computer you probably spend a lot of time sitting. Slowly, over the course of hours, you may experience pain. The pain goes away after a few minutes or hours – at first. Over time, however, minor pains can add up to serious health concerns. Ergonomic office chairs help, but are also expensive, which is why most people don’t buy them.
Remee Lucid Dreaming Mask Review and Giveaway
The Remee Lucid Dreaming Mask (pronounced rem-may) claims to aid you in mastering the art of dream control; or as it's more commonly known, Lucid Dreaming. Join me as we lose ourselves down the rabbit hole; the adventures of Alice will seem truly tame in comparison. We'll also be giving a brand new Remee Lucid Dreaming mask to one MakeUseOf reader to complete the experience!
Endomondo Sports Tracker Helps You Keep Track of Your Fitness Goals [Android]
In many parts of the northern hemisphere, we're just starting to see the first signs that Spring might be on its way. Even if you're not lucky enough to be seeing these signs yet, in reality we all know that the bulk of Winter is past us and Summer is not too far away. You know what this means? Time to shape up! Yes, it's time for the excuses about cold weather to go out of the window and for a regular fitness habit to take their place.
Forismatic: Relax For A Moment With Inspirational Quotes [Mac]
Forismatic is designed to be inspiring without being a time sink. Its core functionality – showing you a single inspiring quote without completely covering up your work – is simple. But the app implements this functionality in three different ways: as a transparent overlay of your work, as a menubar popup or as a timed overlay encouraging you to reflect as long as possible.
5 Free Influenza Fighting Apps for Facebook, Android, and Twitter
Influenza, arguably, grew to epidemic proportions in the United States and Europe this year, according to Google Flu Trends. Search traffic for illness symptoms reached the most intense since the dawn of the information age. Fortunately, we now have the ability to defend against infection using resources derived from the Internet - in particular, social media. Facebook, Twitter and Google can tell us who among our friends might have a cold or flu.
Moves For iPhone - Activity Tracking Done Right [iOS]
Moves is a new iPhone app designed to track your activity - running, walking, and cycling - over the course of a full day. It's free, and requires no additional devices. The only requirement is that it remains running in the background. You can download Moves from the iTunes store. When the app is running (either in the background or foreground), it uses the accelerometer to measure steps taken during walking or running movements, and GPS to track routes.
How To Master Your Dream Potential With Dream:ON [iPhone]
Last week, I looked at apps that genuinely help you sleep better by waking up at a moment when you'll feel most refreshed. This week, I found an app that does all of that, and goes one step further - it actually claims to influence your dreams. Dream:ON is a freemium app, and available now in the iTunes App Store.
Can An App Really Help You Sleep Better?
I've always been a bit of a sleep experimenter, having for much of my life kept a meticulous dream diary and studied as much as I could about sleeping in the process. There are a number of apps now on both iOS and Android that claim to help you sleep better by waking you up at a good time. Let me explain how these apps can make such bold claims, and examine if they actually work. You might be surprised.
Why Your Eyes Hurt Using a New iPhone, iPad Or iMac
The Apple LED screen is a common source of complaint among consumers. Many new iPhone, iPad, and Mac users have reported that it causes eyestrain and general discomfort, yet if you look around on the Internet, you can't find much backing for the problem. Apple itself hasn't offered a solution, and some people think that it's even some kind of conspiracy.
7 Vegetarian Recipe Sites For The Struggling Former Meat Eater
Little did I know that there's a virtual smorgasbord of foods when it comes to vegetables, grains, beans and nuts. I really wish I'd explored these websites before, and I'm pleased to offer them as a resource to anyone else out there that might be getting started in this strange new world called vegetarianism (or veganism...if that's your flavor).
7 Online Resources To Help Those Who Are Depressed & Suicidal
Even though I am the Managing Editor of MakeUseOf, I have a huge disability in my life which is clinical depression. It started back in 2002, as a depression related to stress in my job, and it exploded in 2003 resulting in a huge mental breakdown and full blown suicidal clinical depression. It was a very dark period in my life back then, and I wouldn't have wished those symptoms and feelings on my worst enemies.
Smartphone - Smarter Healthcare? [INFOGRAPHIC]
Whoever said that a smartphone is the extension of someone's hand was spot-on. For it seems that everytime someone gets an ache or a pain, the first thing they do is consult their phone or tablet, not their doctor. Take that Doogie Howser. Move over Doctor House. Doctor iPhone is in the room and is taking charge. And I have to admit to doing it myself on occasion, using sites like WebMD or even just Google.
Are You Addicted To Your Smartphone?
At one time, landlines and payphones were all we had--and we survived just fine, thank you very much. But now, it’s almost laughable if you don’t own an iPhone or Android, and for some of us, we can’t even go a day without them. Smartphone addiction is a real issue for modern society and, like most addictions, people who are addicted don’t truly realize how addicted they are. And even if you aren’t addicted yourself, chances are good that you know someone who is.
Sleep Pillow - The Best Way To Use Your Phone To Help You Sleep [iOS, Free For A Limited Time]
Sometimes, we have trouble getting to sleep. There are all kinds of reasons this can happen. For example, you could be really stressed and have a brain fully loaded with thoughts and problems that are keeping your mind from shutting down. Sometimes, you can't even figure out a good reason why sleep is being difficult; all you know is you need to sleep, and you just can't make it happen.