I Tried Hatch Restore. Here's What Happened
Rumor has it that the average person falls asleep in 7 minutes, but I can't relate to that at all; I toss and turn for at least half an hour, probably more most nights, and lately it's been getting worse.
I tried everything, like chamomile tea and sleep sounds, but nothing worked. It wasn't until I saw someone posting online about a gentle-rise alarm clock/noise machine, that I figured there was someone more sleep-deprived than me.
It was the Hatch Restore, but I didn't really want to spend money on a device, especially when sleep sounds hadn't worked for me in the past.
Turns out, the Hatch Restore is a lot more than just sleep sounds. It's a sunrise alarm clock, sound machine, a smart light, and a meditation hub. It's basically half device, half app.
You can lull yourself to sleep with timed noises, like white noise or animal sounds, and then wake up gently, with calm sounds and the slow brightening of the Restore device, like a sunrise.
That sounded like a much nicer way to go to sleep and wake up than what I was doing: fighting with my body to fall asleep while absolutely refusing to wake up in the morning.
I messaged my friend to ask if it was really worth it. She responded immediately, and said it had completely changed her sleep. Hatch helps you develop a full bedtime routine, through different exercises that will eventually condition you to be sleepy or alert at the right times.
It's designed by sleep experts, and it had fantastic reviews. I went ahead and decided to give it a shot. If it didn't work, I could always give it to my sister.
When I unboxed it, I at least knew it would look great on my nightstand. Hatch looks like ¾ of an orb, and what I didn't understand until I first turned it on is that it can change colors!! It looked even more like a sunrise than I thought.
I set up the app on my phone, and spent some time on it. With my current horrible sleeping pattern, I used the app to work out a 7 minute breathing exercise before bed and white noise for dozing off.
That night was so calming. I'd been raised to think that the ultimate goal of meditation is to empty your mind, but even the calming in-and-out helped me relax and release some tension I didn't know I'd been holding in my jaw all day.
I read a few pages of a book I'd been slowly getting through, and let myself relax to the white noise when it was time.
Did it take more than 7 minutes to fall asleep? Probably. But there wasn't any guilt that I was still up, since I had Hatch to relax me.
When I woke up, it was almost jarring how jarring it wasn't. An orangey light (Peach) was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes, and I was greeted with nature sounds. So much better than reaching for my phone to shut off a loud alarm!
It was also nice because I didn't spend much time on my phone at night or in the morning - it's definitely better for my health to skip those social media scrolls. Once you've established your routine on the app, you can put your phone away and control it with the soft touch buttons on the device.
I felt more refreshed, but my second night was the real test. Once again, I did some reading and breathing exercises, then I listened to one of their stories on the app, put on white noise… and drifted off!
Forming a new routine can take time, but Hatch Restore has made it easy. I've felt noticeable improvements in my sleep, and I'm feeling more relaxed overall now that I have a solid night time ritual to look forward to. The library of features on the app is vast, and I've loved trying all of them out to find the perfect fit for me. I'm already recommending Hatch Restore to everybody. It works with you and your unique sleep issues, so you can get a full night's rest.
