Cheer me up, Scotty!
It’s the Star Trek-style mask that promises to banish stress — but is it really out of this world amid a galaxy of other wacky options?
Christmas prep, work pressures, childcare worries, flu season…we’re all frazzled at this time of year. But imagine if you could banish that stress in minutes just by donning an eye mask, lying on a special mat, or even wearing a particular piece of jewellery.
stress-busting has become big business — the World health Organisation claims we’re in the grip of a constant ‘stress epidemic’, while one american study found more than 75 per cent of doctor’s visits were linked to the condition.
Now, our desperation for relaxation has inspired a plethora of gadgets designed to help us unwind and de-stress at the touch of a button.
But can fancy lights, toys and headbands work, or are your purse strings the only things that will loosen up? JeNNy WOOd tested the bonkers new high-tech solutions to stress . . .
LEARN TO BREATHE BETTER
Beurer Stress ReleaZer, £79.99, Healthandcare.co.uk hOld this burgundy egg-shaped gadget against your diaphragm, then inhale and exhale in time with the vibrations to help ‘relax your nerve pathways and restore your natural breathing rhythm’.
in reality, it feels a little unnerving — like cuddling a large, flat electric toothbrush. the releaZer can be used on its own or with an app (with breathing exercises and relaxing music), plus there’s an option to switch on a ‘soothing heat’, and a pulsing mood light.
the strict instructions recommend 30 minutes’ use a day; but i felt so silly i switched it off after five.
STRESS-BUSTING SCORE: 1/5
GROWN-UP NIGHT LIGHT
Dodow Sleep Aid Light, £45, Evesleep. co.uk
Created by a French team of insomniacs, this coaster-sized gadget works like a metronome, projecting a light on the ceiling that rhythmically expands and retracts, encouraging you to inhale and exhale along with it.
the rhythm gradually slows down over time, hopefully calming your brain and sending you to sleep. it’s a good idea, however it can’t do anything about your partner’s snoring or hogging the duvet.
STRESS-BUSTING SCORE: 3/5
FLOAT OFF INTO SPACE
Spacemasks, £15 for five, Sourcelifestyle.com or
Spacemasks.com these star-print cotton eye-masks look like any other sleep mask; however, they’re hiding a secret. held in place by ear loops, they start to warm up as soon as you open the pack (thanks to iron particles, which heat up when they meet oxygen in the air) and stay warm for 20 minutes, giving off a jasmine fragrance. the makers boldly promise you’ll ‘enjoy the freedom of leaving the earth’s gravitational field — interstellar relaxation, no less’; and while i didn’t float off into space, i did drift off to sleep — and my tension headache disappeared. impressive.
STRESS-BUSTING SCORE: 5/5
Chakra Essential Oil Diffuser Bracelet, £5.99, thepsychictree. co.uk this pretty bracelet has seven polished stone beads to represent the ‘chakras’ (energy zones of the body in alternative medicine) plus porous black beads made from absorbent lava stone (pumice).
drip relaxing essential oil onto the pumice beads and they’ll soak it up before slowly releasing the scent through the day. i liked the gentle wafts of fragrance, and several friends commented that i smelt nice; however, i’m not sure it’s any more relaxing than wearing a good perfume.
STRESS-BUSTING SCORE: 2/5
DRAW AWAY WORRIES
Buddha Board, £32.95, Amazon.co.uk draWiNg as a form of relaxation isn’t anything new; but this gizmo leaves you with nothing to show for your efforts — and that’s the whole idea. it’s like an etch a sketch for adults, but with a soft bamboo calligraphy brush. you fill the square stand with water, prop the special drawing board on top, dip your brush in the water, then swirl and twist it across the board. as the water dries, your picture disappears, leaving the board ready to use again. inspired by ‘the Zen art of living in the moment’, this supposedly frees you from worrying about creating a masterpiece, so you can concentrate on drawing for its own sake. this is surprisingly enjoyable and strangely addictive.
STRESS-BUSTING SCORE: 3/5
MEDITATION MASK
Breo iSee Electric Eye Massage Mask, £59.99, Amazon. co.uk lOOkiNg like something from star trek, this hefty eye massager uses air pressure, heat and vibrations to aid relaxation and ease tired eyes and headaches. it’s held in place with an adjustable elastic strap, and while the outside is plastic, the eye area is covered in super-soft suede. there are three programmes, ranging from ten to 20 minutes, comprising of gentle pulses; sounds such as crashing waves and birdsong; and massage, where the inside of the mask moves around your temples. it’s very effective at blocking out the outside world, and once i’d got over how weird it looked, it was pleasantly calming.
STRESS-BUSTING SCORE: 4/5
BRAINWAVE BOOSTER
Muse Brain-Sensing Headband, £139.99, MuseUK.myshopify. com this high-tech headband is designed to help you zone out more effectively by monitoring your brain activity when you’re meditating. the band — worn around the forehead — contains sensors, and synchs via Bluetooth with an app on your phone.
you select the meditation exercise you want, then listen to sounds such as waves crashing, which get quieter or slower the more you relax. afterwards, you’ll get feedback charts showing how well you did. serious meditators might find it useful, but it was a bit too sci-fi for me.
STRESS-BUSTING SCORE: 3/5
PRICKLY SOLUTION
Acupressure set, £22.99, Amazon.co.uk
OuCh! the 6,000 tiny plastic spikes covering the surface of this mat and pillow allegedly work like acupressure, ‘to relieve stress and tension, muscle aches and tiredness’. i speared myself several times getting it out of the bag and the pillow prickled my neck; but lying down wasn’t as painful as i’d feared as my bodyweight was spread across the whole mat. Fans swear by them, but i found it as soothing as lying on a hedgehog.
STRESS-BUSTING SCORE: 1/5
RAKE AWAY STRESS
Zen Garden, £22.18, Amazon.co.uk real Japanese Zen Buddhist gardens are beautiful — involving rocks, plants and sand, which is raked in swirling patterns intended to inspire meditation. this desktop version is slightly less impressive.
the kit contains a black wooden tray with various decorative bits, a bag of white sand and a mini rake to ‘garden’ with. it’s fun putting it all together, but the plastic plants look cheap, and the ‘gong’ sounds like hitting a tin can with a spoon. my children enjoyed playing with it — which certainly bought me a few minutes of peace.
SOOTHING JEWELS