Latest news with #MollyHiggins
WIRED
4 days ago
- Health
- WIRED
Map Your Brain for Better Sleep (Maybe) With the Somnee Sleep Headband
I have struggled with insomnia for as long as I can remember. I've tried basically every sleep aid on the market, plus I need a sound machine, sleep mask, blackout curtain, and weighted blanket to even begin the process of trying to fall asleep. So I decided to try something new. Before bed, on and off for the past several months, I've been wearing Somnee, a wearable sleep tech headband that aims to map the brain using EEG (electroencephalogram) sensors to deliver individualized therapeutic stimulation to help promote sleep. The rechargeable headband charges nightly on a dock, featuring sticky hydrogel electrodes for the band that need to be replaced every few nights. Nightly, I wore the Somnee for 15 minutes, where my brain was 'mapped' using those EEG sensors and Somnee's algorithms to give a 15-minute personalized therapeutic stimulation (specifically, tACs, or transcranial alternating current stimulation) session at bedtime. Photograph: Molly Higgins Basically, constant, very low electrical currents (1 milliampere at 5 to 10 hertz) deliver stimulations to the brain via hydrogel electrodes on my forehead to evoke sleepiness and promote healthier sleep at night. Somnee claims the stimulation is personalized in real time, responding and shifting based on my own brain's rhythms, in order to make the brain optimal for a restful night's sleep. The wearable tech is connected to an app (subscription required, see below), where you can monitor the 'phase' of the session you're in and view session reports, log your sleep journal, and track sleep trends over time. Generally, I found myself falling asleep sooner on nights I used the device, but not necessarily staying soundly asleep all night. I'm skeptical of just how personalized the electrical stimulation sessions are, but Somnee was successful in getting me to fall asleep. Although maybe not in the way the company intended. Most of all, I found that Somnee was a great way to improve my sleep hygiene—meaning, staying consistent with a pre-bedtime routine and enacting wind-down practices to regulate the body to be ready for sleep. 'Neural Synchrony' Photograph: Molly Higgins Somnee uses sensors and algorithms to get a general map of your brain and delivers a 15-minute, personalized electrical stimulation session. The same noninvasive electrical stimulation technique is used for everything from targeted muscle recovery to more general disorders like anxiety. The device's stimulation reacts in real time to each individual's brain rhythms to optimally balance 'sleep inertia, duration, and depth,' according to Somnee's website.
WIRED
11-07-2025
- Business
- WIRED
13 Best Amazon Prime Day Deals on Mattresses and Bedding
Amazon's got pretty much everything, it seems—mattresses too! Here are our favorites that we've tested that are on sale. All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. As you may have noticed, mattress shopping holidays aren't limited to just Memorial Day, Labor Day, or even the Fourth of July anymore. Now that Amazon Prime Day is nearly a week long, it's become something of a holiday in and of itself, so it makes sense that mattresses (plus other bedding!) will be on sale too, both on Amazon and beyond. We've listed our favorite Prime Day mattress deals that someone on our staff has tested themselves and personally vouched for. If you want to know more about our favorite mattresses, we have you covered there too. Keep an eye on all the Prime Day sales going on, as we are doing lots of live coverage to keep you informed. And of course, we'll keep this list updated as deals roll in. For more on WIRED's sleep coverage, check out our guides to the Best Mattresses, Best Organic Mattresses, Best Mattress Toppers, and Best Sheets. Updated 5:28 pm July 11, 2025: We've updated prices in this story and added deals from Bear, Purple, and Coyuchi. Best Prime Day Mattress Deals When WIRED reviewer Molly Higgins tested the DreamCloud Hybrid for our Best Cheap Mattresses guide, there were some standout (or, rather, bounce house) features to the bed. Given the hybrid construction, the memory foams and coils weren't just supportive—they were very responsive. This kind of bouncy feel could be helpful for co-sleepers and combination sleepers who toss and turn a lot in their sleep. Molly also noted that while the bed's edge support was an actual letdown (meaning not the most sturdy), the policies definitely weren't. The DreamCloud Hybrid has free shipping, a yearlong sleep trial, and 'forever warranty' coverage against defects. Plus, now it's on sale! Woo-hoo! I know matcha lovers everywhere just perked up, and yes, the Zinus 12-inch green tea memory foam mattress does indeed contain green tea. The premise of this all-foam mattress is the use of green tea and charcoal infused in its memory foam layers to keep out moisture that could result in germ and odor buildup. WIRED reviewer Molly Higgins also gave this bed a go and found it to be a bit too firm for her smaller stature. However, this exact reason could be beneficial for sleepers with back pain, as well as heavier sleepers, who require a firmer surface to keep their spines happy and in alignment. Some people swear by the power of the Plank, and two of those people happen to be testers on WIRED's team. Reviewers Adrienne So and Nena Farrell have both spent time with this flippable, super-firm bed. Both find that it is the firm feel that plays a crucial role in maintaining spine support and keeping it from slipping and dipping into odd angles. The king-size version of the Plank Firm is on Prime Day special. If you're willing to leave Amazon, our favorite mattress ever is on sale right now with Helix's Dream Day Sale that, funny enough, will run the length of Prime Day. The Helix Midnight Luxe is a fantastic all-around mattress that we find ourselves always recommending, and you can shop others we love from Helix on sale, too. This mattress is crazy firm, even our achey side sleeper loved sleeping on it. WIRED reviewer Nena Farrell recommends sleeping on this mattress if you have back pain, and while she loved the firmest option for her spinal needs, other WIRED reviewers have confirmed the medium firmness is also much firmer than you'll find elsewhere. It's on sale and a great option for back support of all kinds. Birch makes a ton of organic bedding we like, from mattresses to mattress toppers, and like Helix (since they're sister sites!), it's running an onsite Dream Day Sale until the end of Prime Day. Score our favorite organic mattress from Birch's lineup, the Birch Luxe Natural, on sale during the event. Best Prime Day Bedding Deals After testing nearly 30 different pillows, our testers still can't stop raving about Coop's pillows. Our resident side sleeper pillow tester, Nena Farrell, says she always comes back to Coop's cut-out pillow when she isn't testing something new, and she's gotten this pillow for both of her parents. Score one for yourself on sale! Our favorite pillow from the Best Pillows guide comes from Purple, and it's on sale right now. The Freeform Adjustable Pillow (and the similar, but not adjustable, Purple Harmony that's also on sale) got loft and spring like no other pillows we tried thanks to the high-density memory foam and polyester fill that gives it a malleable center, and our spring panel all voted for Purple as one of their favorites they tried during the testing session. There's also a gel grid layer that wraps around the pillow to keep you cool, and felt like a quilted pillow to our testers. $105 $75 (29% off) Amazon What was once an impulse purchase has turned out to be one of the best sleep-related purchases I've made to date. These cooling bamboo sheets feel just as buttery and luxurious as some pricier brands out there that I've tried. Plus, they're on sale for Prime Day—the hard part will just be picking out what colorway you want. Lots of sheets will claim they're cooling, but WIRED reviewer Nena Farrell has found that if there isn't good breathability, no promise of phase change material technology will keep you cool. Slumber Cloud's Tencel sheets are one of the only sets she likes with both PCM technology and a breathable (yet super soft!) design that will actually keep you cool all night long. I see this thing all over TikTok, and I already know that silk has a lot of benefits for skin and hair health. If it's the same targeted ads for you, now's the time to find out for yourself if it's the pillowcase of your dreams. As for WIRED reviewer Louryn Strampe, she mentions that the silk's soft slipperiness (say that three times fast) is awesome, and the zipper keeps it from sliding right off her pillow. Cozy Earth's bamboo sheets are some of the softest bedding you'll ever try. These bamboo sheets are chilly and silky, but still have a cozy feel to them that you won't find in other sheets. They're a splurge, but right now you can use the code WIRED to get them for over $100 off on Cozy Earth's site. They're available on sale on Amazon, too. Coyuchi's sheets are seriously soft, and organic to boot. They'll be a new pick in our next update to the Best Organic Sheets, and WIRED reviewer Nena Farrell can't get enough of sleeping on the Cloud Soft Organic Sateen. While just the sateen sheets aren't on sale, the sateen bundle is, which includes a duvet cover and shams to go with the sheet set. Nena loved the undyed sheets, but you can choose from a few colors, too. Coyuchi has several other sheet sets on sale to check out if sateen isn't your weave.
WIRED
10-07-2025
- Business
- WIRED
10 Best Amazon Prime Day Deals on Mattresses and Bedding
Amazon's got pretty much everything, it seems—mattresses too! Here are our favorites that we've tested that are on sale. All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. As you may have noticed, mattress shopping holidays aren't limited to just Memorial Day, Labor Day, or even the Fourth of July anymore. Now that Amazon Prime Day is nearly a week long, it's become something of a holiday in and of itself, so it makes sense that mattresses (plus other bedding!) will be on sale too, both on Amazon and beyond. We've listed our favorite Prime Day mattress deals that someone on our staff has tested themselves and personally vouched for. If you want to know more about our favorite mattresses, we have you covered there too. Keep an eye on all the Prime Day sales going on, as we are doing lots of live coverage to keep you informed. And of course, we'll keep this list updated as deals roll in. For more on WIRED's sleep coverage, check out our guides to the Best Mattresses, Best Organic Mattresses, Best Mattress Toppers, and Best Sheets. Updated 1 pm ET July 10, 2025: We've updated deal prices in this story, and added deals from Helix, Birch, Coop, Slumber Cloud, and Cozy Earth. Best Prime Day Mattress Deals When WIRED Reviewer Molly Higgins tested the DreamCloud Hybrid, there were some standout (or, rather, bounce house) features to the bed. Given the hybrid construction, the memory foams and coils weren't just supportive—they were very responsive. This kind of bouncy feel could be helpful for co-sleepers and combination sleepers who toss and turn a lot in their sleep. Molly also noted that while the bed's edge support was an actual letdown (meaning not the most sturdy), the policies definitely weren't. The DreamCloud Hybrid has free shipping, a yearlong sleep trial, and 'forever warranty' coverage against defects. Plus, now it's on sale! Woo-hoo! I know matcha lovers everywhere just perked up, and yes, the Zinus 12-inch green tea memory foam mattress does indeed contain green tea. The premise of this all-foam mattress is the use of green tea and charcoal infused in its memory foam layers to keep out moisture that could result in germ and odor buildup. WIRED reviewer Molly Higgins also gave this bed a go and found it to be a bit too firm for her smaller stature. However, this exact reason could be beneficial for sleepers with back pain, as well as heavier sleepers, who require a firmer surface to keep their spines happy and in alignment. Some people swear by the power of the Plank, and two of those people happen to be testers on WIRED's team. Reviewers Adrienne So and Nena Farrell have both spent time with this flippable, super-firm bed. Both find that it is the firm feel that plays a crucial role in maintaining spine support and keeping it from slipping and dipping into odd angles. The king-size version of the Plank Firm is on Prime Day special. If you're willing to leave Amazon, our favorite mattress ever is on sale right now with Helix's Dream Day Sale that, funny enough, will run the length of Prime Day. The Helix Midnight Luxe is a fantastic all-around mattress that we find ourselves always recommending, and you can shop others we love from Helix on sale, too. Birch makes a ton of organic bedding we like, from mattresses to mattress toppers, and like Helix (since they're sister sites!), it's running an onsite Dream Day Sale until the end of Prime Day. Score our favorite organic mattress from Birch's lineup, the Birch Luxe Natural, on sale during the event. Best Prime Day Bedding Deals After testing nearly 30 different pillows, our testers still can't stop raving about Coop's pillows. Our resident side sleeper pillow tester, Nena Farrell, says she always comes back to Coop's cut-out pillow when she isn't testing something new, and she's gotten this pillow for both of her parents. Score one for yourself on sale! $105 $75 (29% off) Amazon What was once an impulse purchase has turned out to be one of the best sleep-related purchases I've made to date. These cooling bamboo sheets feel just as buttery and luxurious as some pricier brands out there that I've tried. Plus, they're on sale for Prime Day—the hard part will just be picking out what colorway you want. Lots of sheets will claim they're cooling, but WIRED reviewer Nena Farrell has found that if there isn't good breathability, no promise of phase change material technology will keep you cool. Slumber Cloud's Tencel sheets are one of the only sets she likes with both PCM technology and a breathable (yet super soft!) design that will actually keep you cool all night long. Cozy Earth's bamboo sheets are some of the softest bedding you'll ever try. These bamboo sheets are chilly and silky, but still have a cozy feel to them that you won't find in other sheets. They're a splurge, but right now you can use the code WIRED to get them for over $100 off. I see this thing all over TikTok, and I already know that silk has a lot of benefits for skin and hair health. If it's the same targeted ads for you, now's the time to find out for yourself if it's the pillowcase of your dreams. As for WIRED reviewer Louryn Strampe, she mentions that the silk's soft slipperiness (say that three times fast) is awesome, and the zipper keeps it from sliding right off her pillow.
WIRED
09-07-2025
- Business
- WIRED
6 Best Amazon Prime Day Deals on Mattresses and Bedding
Amazon's got pretty much everything it seems—mattresses too! Here are our favorites that we've tested that are on sale. All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. As you may have noticed, mattress shopping holidays aren't limited to just Memorial Day, Labor Day, or even the Fourth of July anymore. Now that Amazon Prime Day is nearly a week long, it's become something of a holiday in and of itself, so it makes sense that Amazon would start offering mattresses too. We've listed our favorite deals that someone on our staff has tested themselves and personally vouches for. If you want to know more about our favorite mattresses, we have you covered there too. Keep an eye on all the Prime Day sales going on, as we are doing lots of live coverage to keep you informed. And of course, we'll keep this list updated as deals roll in. For more on WIRED's sleep coverage, check out our guides to the Best Mattresses, Best Organic Mattresses, Best Mattress Toppers, and Best Sheets. When WIRED Reviewer Molly Higgins tested the DreamCloud Hybrid, there were some standout (or, rather, bounce house) features to the bed. Given the hybrid construction, the use of memory foams and coils weren't just supportive—they were very responsive. This kind of bouncy feel could be helpful for co-sleepers and combination sleepers who toss and turn a lot in their sleep. Molly also noted that while the bed's edge support was an actual letdown (meaning, not the most sturdy), the policies definitely weren't. The DreamCloud Hybrid has free shipping, a yearlong sleep trial, and 'forever warranty' coverage against defects. Plus, now it's on sale! Woo-hoo! I know matcha lovers everywhere just perked up, and yes, the Zinus 12-inch green tea memory foam mattress does indeed contain green tea. The premise of this all-foam mattress is the use of green tea and charcoal infused in its memory foam layers to keep out moisture that could result in germ and odor buildup. WIRED reviewer Molly Higgins also gave this bed a go and found it to be a bit too firm for her smaller stature. However, this exact reason could be beneficial for sleepers with back pain, as well as heavier sleepers, who require a firmer surface to keep their spines happy and in alignment. The name insinuates it, but this is a pretty basic mattress, and according to WIRED reviewer Martin Cizmar's personal testing, it won't be the most supportive for taller and heavier sleepers. That doesn't mean that it doesn't have its place among certain shoppers, though. Whether you need a quickly-delivered-via-Amazon mattress for a last-minute guest room upgrade, an Airbnb, a child's bedroom, or even a daybed setup, this is a cheap and pretty solid-performing option. And, as luck would have it, the 12-inch, twin-size version is what's on major sale for Prime Day. Some people swear by the power of the Plank, and two of those people happen to be testers on WIRED's team. Reviewers Adrienne So and Nena Farrell have both spent time with this flippable, super-firm bed. Both find that it is the firm feel that plays a crucial role in maintaining spine support and keeping it from slipping and dipping into odd angles. The king-size version of the Plank Firm is on Prime Day special, and spoiler alert: It's actually a better deal than Plank's Fourth of July mattress sale happening right now. $105 $75 (29% off) Amazon What was once an impulse purchase has turned out to be one of the best sleep-related purchases I've made to date. These cooling bamboo sheets feel just as buttery and luxurious as some pricier brands out there that I've tried. Plus, they're on sale for Prime Day—the hard part will just be picking out what colorway you want. I see this thing all over TikTok, and I already know that silk has a lot of benefits for skin and hair health. If it's the same targeted ads for you, now's the time to find out for yourself if it's the pillowcase of your dreams. As for WIRED reviewer Louryn Strampe, she mentions that the silk's soft slipperiness (say that three times fast) is awesome, and the zipper keeps it from sliding right off her pillow.
WIRED
29-05-2025
- Business
- WIRED
The Best Vegan Meal Delivery Services and Kits
Photograph: Molly Higgins Photograph: Molly Higgins WIRED TIRED Fresh produce. Easy to no prep or cook time. Complex flavors. Great textures. Gluten-free. Limited availability in the US. Maybe too adventurous for some. Mostly salads. Thistle (8/10 WIRED recommends) is the best healthy, single-serving (mostly) premade meal kit I tested. With the most laborious meals requiring just a flash in a hot pan to enhance flavor, these refrigerated meals are mostly a mix of gluten-free, fruit-focused breakfasts; inventive, fresh salads; and preprepared bean- and pasta-forward veggie dinners. The Mexican-inspired corn and poblano pepper salad was solid and hearty; the lemongrass shirataki bowl—a cold noodle salad dish—hit all the right elements of savory-spice and varied texture. Thistle's vegan take on cheesecake with tres leches-esque coconut vanilla mousse and tahini caramel was perhaps the best vegan dessert I've ever had. Without a discount, this plan is a bit above my price point, but it remains one of my favorite vegan meal kit services I've tested. Is the brand completely vegan? Yes, with an optional add-on for sustainable meats for certain dinners and lunches at an additional $3 per meal. Availability: East and West Coast cities and Chicago (you can enter your zip code to see if your area is covered). Plan details: Thistle has a new, curated preset menu each week, consisting of three meals, a snack, and a dessert for six days of the week, but you can make edits based on your preferences. Delivery is one or two times per week, depending on your plan. Cost: At the time of writing, breakfasts start at $13, lunches and dinners at $17, and snacks at $8. You must order a minimum of three meals per week. Prices decrease the more you order. Photograph: Molly Higgins Photograph: Molly Higgins WIRED TIRED AI-powered menu curation. Many choices of familiar flavors and foods. Good for people transitioning or new to a vegan diet. Also offers grocery options. Difficult to view meal options before committing. Flavors could be one-note. WIRED reviewer Matthew Korfhage liked Hungryroot's AI tool that micro-customizes menus for dietary restrictions or preferences (7/10, WIRED recommends), which also makes this a great meal kit for vegans. It didn't have the adventurous element of Purple Carrot or the plant-centric freshness of Thistle, but Hungryroot would be great for those with kids who need more tame options, or for people who want familiar choices, like those easing into a plant-based diet. However, with its AI-assisted customization options, you can easily curate it to your tastes. Nearly all the meals I prepared were solid but one-note, needing an extra element to add complexity—acid from a squeeze of lemon, or red chili flakes for heat improved many of these dishes. Throughout my week of testing, meal kits required little prep and only took about half an hour or less to make. They were varied but basic, with a lemongrass tofu and broccoli stir-fry, cauliflower tacos, and American fare like a veggie burger with sweet potato fries and a bunless Beyond burger and guac. Is the brand completely vegan? No, you'll need to use filters and look for icons to find vegan choices, and AI customization curates future meals based on preferences. Availability: Delivers to the lower 48 US states. Plan details: Delivers every day of the week, and you can make changes or skip until Monday or Thursday at 7 pm before your next delivery, depending on your delivery date. The smallest plan is two or three two-serving dinners; after, plans vary depending on how many additional breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, and sweets you choose per week. Cost: At the time of writing, dinners will cost you $13 a serving, lunch costs $12, and breakfast is $5. The number of meals you choose turns into 'points,' where the sum is different for every dish (for example, one dinner plate is 12 points, snacks vary as a couple points apiece). Any remaining points can be used the next week. Like many meal kit plans, the company offers heavy discounts for first-time users, like 30 percent off your first week and a free food item.
