YOU speak to Alexa more than your partner and can’t prise the kids away from their console.
And you won’t leave the kitchen, let alone the house, without your smartphone.
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Every aspect of our lives is enabled by technology, with clever gadgets designed to make even the simplest of tasks even easier.
That includes our health. There are gadgets for every ailment and “fem tech” alone is worth £16billion globally.
Clare O’Reilly rounds up the best kit to keep you healthy, happy and rested, for less than £100 each.
Brace yourself to stand up straight
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- Posture corrector kit, £34.99, posturepeople.co.uk – buy now
WE all know we should stand up straighter, but it’s easy to fall into bad habits.
Like most things, you can train yourself to have better posture, and investing in a “posture bra” could be just what you need. This three-piece kit comes with a shoulder brace, a resistance band and ball.
While the brace makes it uncomfortable to slouch, the resistance band is there to help you exercise your back muscles to bring your shoulders into alignment.
The posture ball helps release any tension and stiffness so that you can sit and stand up straighter without being in pain. Plus you can make use of a series of online videos – your very own posture PT, if you will.
You nose it makes sense
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- Mobi Lock nose relief dilator, £7.99, amazon.co.uk – buy now
THE global anti-snoring industry is set to be worth £6billion by the start of next year.
But while a good night’s sleep is big business, a successful fix doesn’t have to break the bank.
The small, unobtrusive nasal vents from Mobi Lock open up the nose cavity and the throat which means the tongue can’t recede into the airway, which is what causes snoring.
So whether it’s for you or a loved one, a restful night with no snoring could be less than a tenner away.
Put the squeeze on pelvic floor
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- My Viv pelvic floor training set, £25, boots.com – buy now
MOST women will know the importance of keeping their pelvic floor in good condition.
It can help ease urinary incontinence, treat pelvic organ prolapse and make sex better, too. You can exercise your pelvic floor with regular squeeze and hold movements, but the tech industry has upped the ante.
While lots of gadgets can be eye-wateringly expensive, at £25 the My Viv does everything the pricier versions do but at a fraction of the cost. By using the three weighted balls, you can build up your pelvic floor strength.
You can exercise with the My Viv during pregnancy or any time to tighten vaginal muscles and tone the pelvic floor – which can help with greater sensitivity during sex.
Tell back ache to buzz off
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- 8Sense back pain aid, £86.98, amazon.co.uk – buy now
THIS slimline clip could help all those left plagued by back pain after months of slouching over a laptop at the kitchen table, working from home.
Simply clip it to the collar of your outfit each day, and the sensors, which sit at the top of your spine, will monitor your posture, as well as your movement through the day. It’s operated through an app, and if it detects you are sitting or slouching for too long, it will buzz to alert you.
The idea is that when it buzzes at you, you get up and move about.
By taking a break from your desk to do simple stretches you can reduce your risk of lower back and neck pain.
Home blood pressure monitor
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- Home blood pressure monitor, £34.99, boots.com – buy now
AROUND one in three adults have high blood pressure, but most have no idea what their levels are. Why is that dangerous?
Well, having high blood pressure over a long period of time can increase your risk of heart attacks, stroke, heart failure, aortic aneurysms, kidney disease and vascular dementia, according to the NHS.
The only way to find out if your blood pressure is high is to get it checked. And while you should always get it checked by your GP, there are kits that can help you keep an eye on it from home.
This blood pressure device allows you to pop the cuff around your upper arm and take a measurement, ensuring you’re relaxed and sitting at a comfortable temperature.
It’s easy to use, but it’s vital you never use it to diagnose or treat yourself based on the readings.
That’s what your doctor is for, so always consult them with any concerns or questions.
Relax with vibrating stress buster
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- Beurer Relaxation Stress reducer, £83.32, medicalsupplies.co.uk – buy now
IF you struggle to quieten the noise in your life, this relaxation aid can help you out.
With vibration massage for stress reduction, a heat function for warming relaxation and illumination to help time breath inhalation and exhalation, it can run for up to 11 hours before needing another USB charge.
Placed on the diaphragm area, it covers nerve pathways which help relaxation.
It comes with a variety of stress-reducing exercises, meditations and breathing plans, and there’s the option of personalising your relaxation exercises with messages or motivations.
Tackle wee problem
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- UTI test card, £12, testcard.com – buy now
FIGURES show the waiting times for Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) treatment on the NHS can be between three and five days, and undiagnosed UTIs have increased during the pandemic.
Anyone who’s experienced the burning sensation and sharp pain will be delighted to know a simple £12 test and a smartphone can diagnose UTIs in seconds.
TestCard turns a smartphone camera into a clinical grade scanner, which along with its postcard test kit provides immediate results and a treatment referral for GPs, too.
Pearly whites are all white
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- USB teeth whitening kit, £59.99, superdrug.com – buy now
WHILE some USB teeth-whitening kits can cost hundreds of pounds, Superdrug has enlisted UK dentists to devise a teeth whitening kit for less than £60.
The formula contains a blend of whitening ingredients, with added aloe vera, pineapple enzyme, pomegranate and vitamin E to brighten your smile in six days.
The kit contains three six-day treatments in the form of easy-to-use brush-on pens plus a mouthguard, which contains 16 LED lights, that can be powered by USB or smartphone device.
Last straw for annoying hiccups
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- HiccAway hiccup straw, £5.50, amazon.co.uk – buy now
THEY’RE beyond annoying and everyone claims to have a fix for them, from holding your breath to getting a shock – but a new straw claims to cure hiccups in just seconds.
The HiccAway is an L-shaped straw devised by scientists in the US that has a pressure valve at one end of the straw.
When placed in water, it requires enhanced suction which in turn contracts the diaphragm and activates the phrenic and vagus nerves, both responsible for causing hiccups.
A study from the University of Texas found it stopped more than 92 per cent of cases of hiccups.
Relax with some pillow talk
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- Sound Asleep speaker pillow, £29.99, sleepypeople.com – buy now
IF whale sounds or ASMR help you fall asleep, the sound asleep pillow speaker could change your life.
With comfort as important as sound, the gang at Sleepy People have devised the pillow speaker that plugs into your mobile device. So you no longer need to wear headphones which can fall out or cause discomfort if you turn on your side mid-slumber.
Good call to clean screen
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- QDOS 2 in 1 UV sanitiser box, £45.54, amazon.co.uk – buy now
WITH the average mobile phone containing more than 25,000 bacteria per square inch, it’s not just Covid we need to sanitise against.
The team at QDOS have designed a double-use box that will sanitise one device but also acts as a wireless charger and can charge a phone when it’s placed on top of the box.
The sanitising compartment can fit a phone, house keys and headphones for sanitizing and an LED indicator on top changes colour when devices are sterilized and fully charged.
Check ticker is ticking over
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- Kardia mobile ECG, £99, amazon.co.uk – buy now
FIRST things first, if you think something is up with your ticker, see your GP.
Heart disease is one of the world’s biggest killers, so it’s not something to take lightly. If you’re keen to keep an eye on it, then you can invest in a personal ECG machine.
After downloading the app, users place two fingers on the electrodes and the Kardia Mobile will observe the trace of your heart in real time. It’s designed to detect a normal heart rhythm as well as atrial fibrillation – an irregular heartbeat that can cause dizziness, shortness of breath and tiredness as well as heart palpitations.
If you notice any issues, the app can send results directly to your GP in seconds for analysis.