Better sleep for a restful night
Bose Sleepbuds II
£219, amazon.co.uk
The earbuds emit sounds that induce sleep and also block out any intrusive noises, like snoring partners or road noises outside.
They work with an app that has 50 sounds designed to relax or provide ‘just the right mix of frequencies to make unwanted noise less perceptible to your brain’. The buds come with three different-sized tips to make sure they fit perfectly.
Bose Sleepbuds II
Silentnight Weighted Eye Mask
£16.99, sleepypeople.com
An eye mask with a twist — it is weighted and provides ‘deep touch pressure stimulation’, which is said to induce a feeling of calm and relaxation. You can put the mask in the freezer for cooling relief or to ease tension headaches.
Silentnight Weighted Eye Mask
Wellness tools
Gemstone Water Bottle
Gemstone Water Bottle
Get Peeps glasses cleaner
£29.95, bewater.com
It is vital to stay hydrated for your health and concentration. Keep a water bottle handy. You can find a variety of gems in these bottles, from aventurine and amethyst to citrine and rose quartz to beige and aventurine. Every one has its health benefits.
There’s a lack of scientific evidence for this, but this bottle is an attractive way to drink more water.
Get Peeps glasses cleaner
£21.95, amazon.co.uk
The tool is based apparently on Nasa technology, which is used in keeping glass clear from space. It is meant to clean out smears and scratches from your spectacles.
The carbon microfibres pad removes grease and particles. It also reduces static, making other airborne particles less likely settle on the lenses.
The other end of the gadget has a brush that can be used to remove particles from the nose bridge.
Personalised Face Covering
£19.25 for 29 masks, vistaprint.co.uk
Create your very own face mask design to add a personal touch. Vistaprint makes it easy to personalize these masks with your image and/or colour, or they can design one for you.
These custom masks can be made in soft, breathable fabrics with integrated filters and adjustable ear loops.
Personalised Face Covering
Cold feet
The Beurer FW 20 foot Warmer
£40.99, argos.com
This ‘foot muff’ has a fleece-lined warmer with three heat settings and automatically switches off after 90 minutes, for safety. Machine washable fleece can be taken out.
The Beurer FW 20 foot Warmer
Bamboo Socks
£18.50 for a four pack, bambooclothing.co.uk
A step above the standard socks often given at Christmas, these are made of bamboo, which help keep feet fresher ‘even after a long walk’.
Each pair is unique and festive.
Navy Faux Fur Extra Long Hot Water Bottle
Pains and aches
Navy Faux Fur Extra Long Hot Water Bottle
£22.99, lakeland.co.uk
For those who struggle to get a ‘normal’ hot water bottle in the right position, the sausage shape of this one is designed to make it easier to wrap around your back or tummy to ‘soothe away aches and pains’.
Stretch+Heat
£299.99, homedics.co.uk
When you lie on this mat, seven controllable air chambers inflate and deflate, taking you through a series of ‘carefully choreographed treatments’ said to recreate yoga-like movements that focus on the back and shoulders or hips and lower back. The maker claims it helps to ‘release tension and improve flexibility’.
Drinks and food
Organic Goodness Natural Hamper Gift Pack
£39.95, yumbles.com
All the products included in this hamper can be made gluten-free, vegan and organic. These products include a falafel mixture and flapjacks.
Organic Goodness Natural Hamper Gift Pack
Healthy Drinking Bundle — Adrift & Seaward & Tonic
£53.60, pentiredrinks.com,
For those who prefer a tonic and gin, this is an alternative that’s healthier. This pack contains two 70cl bottles of plant-based spirit spirits that are zero-alcohol and eight 150ml cans Fevertree Tonic. You have the option of choosing from Original, Light or Mediterranean.
Healthy Drinking Bundle — Adrift & Seaward & Tonic
Exercise kit
Junyobee hand grips strengthener
£13.99, amazon.co.uk
The flexible silicone and rubber finger stretchers and hand grips, as well as the stress balls, are designed to increase flexibility in fingers, wrists, and forearms. They can be used by people who have suffered an injury, or those suffering from joint pain.
These products could be useful if your goal is to increase hand strength or improve tennis and golf skills. To provide you with different resistance levels, each product comes in three sizes: light, medium and heavy.
Junyobee hand grips strengthener
Fitness Yoga & Exercise Dice
£24.99, amazon.co.uk
When it comes to staying fit, the key is to vary your routine, not least to stay interested — and a roll of these dice helps you vary your workout by determining which option you do that day.
The first die is cardio, the second circuit training which includes some resistance training such as pushups, and third yoga poses.
You get 36 workout choices with the dice. An exercise guide, illustrated by illustrations, and a portable mesh gym bag are included.
Fitness Yoga & Exercise Dice
Glamorous skin
Silk Pillowcase
£47.99, thisissilk.com
This silk pillowcase is suitable for people who have sensitive or dry skin.
A 2019 study by researchers at Tri-Service General Hospital Taipei (Taiwan) found that silk can calm skin conditions, such as dermatitis, eczema, and other sensitive skin conditions.
Bao Dry Skin Saviour Minis
Bao Dry Skin Saviour Minis
£19, baoskincare.co.uk
This pack contains a 30ml jar of nourishing balm and a 30ml hydrating rose mist that are said to ‘soothe and nourish’ dry skin.
The ingredients can be used during pregnancy. They are vegan-friendly, organic and cruelty-free. You will receive the pack in an organic cotton pouch.
Mental wellbeing
Nanoleaf Elements Hexagon Starter Unit
£199.99, nanoleaf.me
The wood-look, geometric light panels shown top right can be set up in whatever pattern you choose.
Although they might appear like art, they can also emit light. You can program them according to your location to mimic the natural light changes occurring in the area, such as sunrise.
Easy installation is possible with the adhesive backing panels. Simply plug them into an available socket. The light can be controlled by your voice using Apple HomeKit or Amazon Alexa.
Mindshine App: Happiness Therapy
Mindshine App: Happiness Therapy
From £59 for an annual subscription, mindshine.app
Daily coaching is provided to improve your happiness. Experts, including psychologists, developed the scheme. The base program is totally free.
But the yearly paid-for subscription gives you access to 250 ‘science-based’ training sessions and audio snippets designed to improve your mental wellbeing — from practical suggestions about starting the day with the right attitude, to developing life goals and dealing with stressful situations.
Day Of Gratitude Journal
£23, malpaper.com
Day Of Gratitude Journal
The aim of this is to make you reflect on the good things in your life to help boost your feelings of satisfaction, with space every day to list three things for which you are grateful and other exercises that promise to have a ‘positive and profound’ effect on your life.
The journal is undated so you don’t have to worry about missing a day. A 2017 study from the International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling found that ‘gratitude journaling’ — the habit of reflecting and recording things you are grateful for on a regular basis — helps boost feelings of positivity.
It’s not a matter of money
S9+: Anti-allergen Vacuum Cleaner
£1,199, irobot.co.uk
S9+: Anti-allergen Vacuum Cleaner
People with allergies can suffer from irritations like dust mites, pollen, and pet hair.
This robot vacuum has a filter system that, it’s claimed, captures 99 per cent of pollen and mould allergens.
Very special corner brushes are able to reach the edges of rooms with ease.
The robot has an inbuilt navigation system that ‘maps’ your home so that you can control where it cleans — with sensors to detect dirtier areas that need more attention.
Cherilyn Pantganiban compiles