I can't say reviewing the Soundcore Sleep A30 Special earbuds was particularly challenging.

After all, it was just about four months ago that I reviewed the Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds upon their release. Those were the earbuds that added active noise cancellation to sleep earbuds — a feature not available on any other options on the market at the time. Their performance impressed me enough that I considered them the standard for premium sleep earbuds, despite their few flaws.

That is, until now. With the Sleep A30 Special earbuds, Soundcore doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel, but the few changes they do make are noticeable improvements over the original Sleep A30 buds.

The Sleep A30 Special earbuds look identical to their predecessors, but have a couple of key differences. Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

The result is that the Sleep A30 Special earbuds aren't just better than their predecessors — they officially sit head and shoulders above all other available sleep earbuds. Let's get into what makes them the best.

What's new about the Soundcore Sleep A30 Special earbuds?

The Special earbuds came as a surprise to me, as Soundcore's addition of ANC already felt like a big enough upgrade to tide them over for at least a year, especially considering their complete lack of competition on that particular front.

Better battery life

That said, the ANC didn't come without a cost. The 14-hour battery life of the Sleep A20 earbuds — Soundcore's 2024 release — dropped all the way down to about seven-and-a-half hours with ANC on the Sleep A30 buds.

While that's more than enough for some people, it's not impossible to imagine a scenario where someone whose environment is loud enough that they want sleep earbuds with active noise cancellation might also want a full eight hours of coverage with that noise cancellation. Especially if you're relying on the earbuds' built-in alarm at the end of those eight hours. For earbuds that cost $229.99, it felt like a surprisingly limiting factor.

Soundcore directly addresses this issue by adding an hour of battery life to the Special earbuds, giving you anywhere from around eight to 10 hours of battery life. The variation depends on your settings, but in my week testing the earbuds, I found that leaving the ANC on and switching to local audio (without ANC) or leaving ANC and Bluetooth audio on all night comfortably got me through eight hours, which wasn't consistently the case when I tested the regular A30 buds.

The auto-switch options of playing local audio, pausing Bluetooth audio, and keeping Bluetooth audio on affect the battery life of the earbuds differently. Credit: Soundcore / Screenshot

A lower, and very competitive, price point

Typically, better features mean a higher price point, but Soundcore surprises again on this front. Rather than tacking on to the $229.99 price point of the Sleep A30 earbuds, the brand lowered the price to a more reasonable $199.99. While this is still not exactly chump change, it's an asking price that suits these single-purpose earbuds better.

In my original review of the A30 earbuds, I wrote:

I do need to acknowledge that $229.99 is a lot to ask for earbuds used just for sleep. Granted, they're far cheaper than the $349 Ozlo Sleepbuds, and they do come with ANC — the price makes sense. However, it's still steep, and far from your only option for effective noise blocking. The Sleep A20 are still a great (more) affordable option at $179.99.

Not only does the $199.99 price point widen the gap between Soundcore's ANC earbuds and the Ozlo Sleepbuds (which offer no ANC), but it also shortens it between the 2022-released Sleep A20 earbuds. Though those buds are still a great value (when on sale), at full price the Sleep A30 Specials are worth the additional $20.

Calm app integration

As a final bonus, the Sleep A30 Special earbuds also feature a Calm app integration within their companion app, giving users the choice between 20 sleep stories and five sleep-focused meditations to listen to as they drift off to bed. Among the sleep stories, you'll get options from categories including fiction, train and travel, and nature.

Listen to a bedtime story... Credit: Soundcore / Screenshot

...or a meditation with the Calm on the Soundcore app. Credit: Soundcore / Screenshot

This feature is less notable, as thanks to an update, it's also available via the Soundcore companion app for the regular Sleep A30 earbuds.

As for the content itself, I was a little disappointed that there was no option to change the voice of the narrator. I could also see the options getting repetitive (though that might not be the most pressing issue, as they're intended to help you get to sleep). The lack of options does stand out more when you consider the partnership between Ozlo and Calm, which gives users a year free of the $80 meditation service. But, again, the Ozlo buds cost $349 — you could buy the A30 Special buds, purchase a Calm subscription separately, and still have about $69 left over.

Small issues aside, the integration itself feels like a natural pairing between the two brands. And as someone with a brain that likes to think every thought possible the second my head hits the pillow, the addition of more white noise-style options is always welcome.

Soundcore Sleep A30 Special: Sound, noise cancellation, and performance

Excluding the upgrades mentioned above, the Sleep A30 Special earbuds perform nearly identical to the Sleep A30 earbuds. The Sleep A30 buds have had some firmware updates since their release in August, which improved the touch control accuracy, sleep detection options, and ANC.

All in all, that adds up to a pair of sleep earbuds that perform very well. The triple noise reduction system (Soundcore's term for the combination of ANC, passive noise reduction, and their snore masking tech) works well on all fronts, the battery life of the case and earbuds feel reasonable for daily use, they're comfortable with plenty of wear options, the app easy to navigate, the white noise varied, the sleep tracking a neat feature, and the touch controls didn't fail me once during my week of testing (which I appreciated extra while snoozing my alarm). The lower price point from the previous generation makes all of these features stand out even more.

Are they absolute perfection? Not quite yet. It would be nice to be able to set more than five alarms, and I find that the sleep tracking doesn't always work accurately — it occasionally detected an earlier bedtime than I had, or registered an especially early wakeup time if one of my earbuds loosened during the night (which, granted, really only happened as I tested out ear tip sizes).

However, those gripes are relatively minor and do very little to detract from the overall experience of using the earbuds.

Soundcore Sleep A30 Special specs

As a final roundup, here's everything you'll be getting on the Sleep A30 Special earbuds:

• Active noise cancellation

• Adaptive snore masking powered by microphones in charging case

• Approximately eight to ten hours of battery life per use, depending on settings

• Approximately five days of battery life in case per charge

• Seven total ear tip options (four sizes of silicone ear tips and three sizes of memory foam), plus three sizes of ear wings

• Customizable soundscapes for white noise, including Calm app sleep stories and meditations

• Customizable touch controls

• Built-in alarm with snooze

• Sleep tracking

• Two colorways: mist lilac and lunar white

Should you get the Soundcore Sleep A30 or Sleep A30 Special?

As much as I love the Sleep A30 Special earbuds, there's no need to upgrade if you already own the Sleep A30 buds, unless you're very, very unhappy with the battery life.

Minus their colorways, the Sleep A30 and Sleep A30 special buds are identical. Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

For anyone who's yet to purchase either pair, both are currently available for $199.99 (with the Sleep A30 earbuds technically on a markdown from their list price). With that, there's no reason not to opt for the better earbuds.

All of that said, don't sleep on the Sleep A20 earbuds sale prices if you're looking for a more affordable option. Ask yourself if you actually need ANC. If at most, you're trying to block out the sound of an air conditioning unit or simply prefer to fall asleep to videos titled things like "Deep Sleep Music ★︎ FALL ASLEEP IMMEDIATELY ★︎ Melatonin Release," likely you don't actually need any additional noise cancellation. I personally picked up a pair of the Sleep A20 buds over Black Friday as a gift for my dad, and spent all of a whopping $107.99.

Are the Soundcore Sleep A30 Special earbuds worth it?

The Soundcore Sleep A30 Specials are, without a doubt, the best sleep earbuds to get if you need the maximum possible noise cancellation. (Even though they are really your only option on the ANC front).

Despite providing a unique feature in their ANC, at $199.99, they're priced fairly, and much more competitively than the $350 Ozlo Sleepbuds, the other major contender for premium sleep earbuds.

Though they have some very minor quirks here and there, they ultimately set the bar for other sleep bud brands to beat. Though it seems Soundcore's intentions are to just keep improving on a good thing.

Soundcore Sleep A30 Special sleep earbuds

$199.99 at Amazon

 

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TL;DR: Pay $149.99 once (reg. $449.95) and get lifetime access to Jillian Michaels’ personalized fitness app—no subscription fees, no gym, just workouts that adapt to you.

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Credit: Jillian Michaels

Jillian Michaels: The Fitness App (Lifetime Subscription)

$149.99
$449.95 Save $299.96

 

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Staying consistent with fitness is hard when workouts feel generic or disconnected from real life. Jillian Michaels: The Fitness App is built to change that by creating workouts that adapt to your goals, schedule, and fitness level instead of forcing you into a one-size-fits-all plan.

For a limited time, new users can get lifetime access for $149.99 (reg. $449.95) — turning a personalized, expert-led fitness program into a one-time investment rather than another monthly obligation.

Built around a dynamic workout engine, the app creates personalized routines based on your fitness level, goals, available equipment, and even how much time you have.

What you get with lifetime access:

• 1,000+ workout videos, from HIIT and strength to targeted routines

• Personalized workout plans based on your goals and fitness level

• Audio-only workouts for walking, running, or outdoor training

• Pre- and postnatal programs designed for different life stages

• Advanced meal planner system to support overall wellness

• Meditations and self-care content for a more balanced approach

• Ability to swap or ban exercises you don’t like or can’t do

• Adjustable transition times between moves

• Option to select available equipment or go equipment-free

• Play your own music, with Beat Sync matching tempo to your workout

Instead of locking you into rigid routines, the app gives you flexibility — short workouts, longer sessions, quiet audio guidance, or full video coaching.

Get lifetime access to Jillian Michaels: The Fitness App while it’s just $149.99 (reg. $449.95).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

SAVE $75: The Ozlo Sleepbuds are on sale at Amazon for $274, down from the list price of $349. That's a 21% discount that matches the lowest on record at Amazon.

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Credit: Ozlo

Ozlo Sleepbuds

$274 at Amazon
$349 Save $75

 

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Now that we're halfway through January, lots of us are honing in on how we want this new year to look. Some people have fitness goals, some people have intentions of becoming a great home chef, and others are focused on self-care. But if you don't get good sleep, it'll be nearly impossible to reach any of those goals. Instead, make getting better sleep the number one goal, and this deal at Amazon could be a gamechanger.

As of Jan. 15, the Ozlo Sleepbuds are on sale at Amazon for $274, marked down from the normal price of $349. That's a 21% discount that shaves $75 off the price. It also matches the lowest on record at Amazon.

When it comes to sleep earbuds, comfort is a huge priority. But you also want them to sound great, which is convenient since ex-Bose employees designed the Ozlo Sleepbuds. Mashable Lead Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard reviewed the Ozlo Sleepbuds and explained, "Ozlo Sleepbuds are basically the Bose Sleepbuds that allow you to stream audio. While they can't yet track sleep data, they are highly customizable sleep earbuds that work (mostly) as promised."

Of note, the list price of the Ozlo Sleepbuds feels off compared to the industry standard, but today's sale price helps ease that concern. Still, the new Anker Soundcore Sleep A30 Special come in at a more affordable price, if that's a priority.

However, if you're interested in the design and features on the Ozlo Sleepbuds, they could be a perfect match. Tap into the Ozlo app's range of sleepy sounds or stream your own sleep tracks to the sleep earbuds. The wingtip design on these sleep earbuds help ensure they stay snugly in place throughout the night. They're even designed to be comfortable enough for side sleepers. Plus, they track your sleep.

For anyone who wants to get better sleep this year, the Ozlo Sleepbuds could be a simple solution to getting higher-quality rest. Snag them while they're back on sale for $274 at Amazon.

Character.AI and Google have settled several lawsuits filed against both companies by parents of children who died by suicide following lengthy conversations with chatbots on the Character.AI platform. Their exchanges allegedly included concerning discussions of the teens' mental health and well-being.

Character.AI said it could not comment further on the settlement, the details of which must still be finalized by the court, according to The Guardian. Representatives for the plaintiffs did not respond immediately to a request for comment from Mashable.

The most prominent case involved the 2024 death of 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III, who became secretly obsessed with a Character.AI chatbot based on the popular Game of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen.

Setzer's mother, Megan Garcia, only became aware of his Character.AI account when alerted by a police officer following his death, because the app was open on his phone. Garcia read messages in which Setzer behaved as if he were in love with the chatbot, which allegedly role-played numerous sexual encounters with him. The chatbot used graphic language and scenarios, including incest, according to Garcia.

If an adult human had talked to her son similarly, she told Mashable last year, it would constitute sexual grooming and abuse. 

In October 2024, the Social Media Victims Law Center and Tech Justice Law Project filed a wrongful death suit on behalf of Garcia against Character.AI, seeking to hold the company responsible for the death of her son, alleging that its product was dangerously defective.

The filing also named as defendants the Google engineers Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, Character.AI's cofounders.

Additionally, the lawsuit alleged that Google knew of concerning risks related to the technology Shazeer and De Freitas had developed before leaving to found Character.AI. Google contributed "financial resources, personnel, and AI technology" to Character.AI's design and development, according to the lawsuit, and thus could be considered a co-creator of the platform.

Google eventually struck a $2.7 billion licensing deal in 2024 with Character.AI to use its technology. Part of that agreement brought Shazeer and De Freitas back to AI roles at Google.

In fall 2025, the Social Media Victims Law Center filed three additional lawsuits against Character.AI and Google, representing the parents of children who died by suicide or allegedly experienced sexual abuse in the course of using the app.

Additionally, youth safety experts declared Character.AI unsafe for teens, following testing that yielded hundreds of instances of grooming and sexual exploitation of test accounts registered as minors. 

By October 2025, Character.AI announced that it would no longer allow minors to engage in open-ended exchanges with the chatbots on its platform. The company's CEO, Karandeep Anand, told Mashable the move was not in response to specific safety concerns involving Character.AI's platform but to address broader outstanding questions about youth engagement with AI chatbots. 

If you're feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, please talk to somebody. You can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. You can reach the Trans Lifeline by calling 877-565-8860 or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text "START" to Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, or email info@nami.org. If you don't like the phone, consider using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Chat. Here is a list of international resources.

SAVE $80: The TheraGun Prime massage gun is on sale at Amazon for $249.99, down from the list price of $329.99. That's a 24% discount that matches the lowest price we've ever seen at Amazon.

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Credit: TheraGun

TheraGun Prime (6th Gen)

$249.99 at Amazon
$329.99 Save $80

 

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Now that we're a week into 2026, you might be dealing with muscle soreness if you've been working on a fitness resolution. Instead of waiting to get a massage appointment, it might be worth adding a massage gun to your at-home arsenal of workout gear. Check out this nice deal at Amazon that'll help ease soreness.

As of Jan. 7, the TheraGun Prime massage gun is on sale for $249.99 at Amazon, marked down from the normal price of $329.99. That works out to a savings of $80 thanks to a 24% discount. Today's sale price matches the lowest we've ever seen at Amazon.

Back in the day, we all had to either schedule a massage appointment or enlist the help of a friend to work out muscle knots. These days, we have percussive massage in a compact gadget that can be a huge relief. TheraGun makes some of the most advanced models, and the sixth generation of the TheraGun Prime is the brand's most durable massage gun yet, being built to withstand drops of up to 10 feet.

After a hard workout or a long day at work, the TherGun Prime can tackle your worst pains from shoulder knots to sore calf muscles. In addition, Therabody says percussive massage can speed up muscle recovery and increase flexibility.

The TheraGun Prime is designed to get up to two hours of use before you'll need to recharge, and the simple controls make it easy to operate. You get two attachments to use on the Prime — a dampener for more sensitive areas like near bones and a standard ball for use across sore muscles of all sizes.

Connect up with the TheraGun app, and you'll be able to follow along with tutorials on how to help with back pain, sciatica pain, or sore legs. The five massage speeds mean you'll be able to adjust the TheraGun to the setting that feels best.

Instead of dealing with sore muscles for days after a big workout, enlist the help of the TheraGun Prime percussive massage gun. It's on sale for the lowest price we've ever seen, and it'll be a great addition to your at-home fitness equipment.

I spent many nights of sleep over a few months trying out earplugs and earbuds ranging from $50 to $349 to find the best of what's out on the market — and to see if getting earbuds just for sleep is actually worth it.

As a note, we generally no longer recommend the Ozlo Sleepbuds as their price point isn't on par with the features offered by their competitors. At their full price point, I'd say to skip them. However, if you're especially intrigued by their design (and have no qualms with the lack of ANC), grabbing them for $299 instead of their usual $349 is the absolute most we'd recommend paying for these earbuds to get true value.

The best earbuds for sleeping

Below, I pulled three of the best sleep earbuds on the market. Between the overall best, upgrade, and earplug picks, there's a wide range of price points, but as with any product, the most expensive of the bunch isn't necessarily the best overall. With that in mind, I highlighted where each earbud excelled, whether that be in comfort, noise cancellation, or ease of use, to help you pick the best sleep earbud possible.

UPDATE: Aug. 18, 2025, 9:45 a.m. EDT As of April 2024, the Ozlo Sleepbuds increased in price from $299 to $349 on Ozlo's website and Amazon in the United States due to tariffs. While we initially scaled back our recommendation to only grabbing them on sale, since testing the Soundcore Sleep A30s, which offer similar feature sets for far less, we no longer recommend the Ozlo Sleepbuds as one of our top pick sleep earbuds.

How are sleep earbuds different than normal earbuds?

A confession: I used to wear AirPods nearly every night to sleep. More accurately, I used to wear a single AirPod so I could actually sleep on my side.

After testing earbuds designed for sleeping, I can tell you that everyday earbuds don't match up to the sleep earbud experience. For starters, standard earbuds aren't designed to be worn while you're lying on your side, so they often stick out of your ears and put hard plastic in contact with your ear. Not to mention, earbuds typically cap out at six to seven hours of battery life per charge, so if you're getting at least eight hours of sleep, you run the risk of interrupting it with the sound of your earbuds powering off.

Sleep earbuds, like the Soundcore A20 ones pictured in the middle, have a much thinner profile than traditional earbuds. Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Sleep earbuds, on the other hand, can offer white noise options, better battery life, and significantly more comfort (that actually allows you to wear more than one earbud at a time). The pairs I tested came without microphones and with touch controls that worked but were less sensitive than traditional earbuds, so you can lie on your side without activating them. When I initially tested options for this guide, there weren't really any with active noise cancellation, but that has since changed thanks to the Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds. Still, you'd be surprised at how well passive noise cancellation, a good fit, and white noise work.

Is it safe to wear earbuds to sleep every night?

First and foremost, it's important to consider that sleep earbuds aren't the only way to approach nighttime noises that might be keeping you up.

I consulted Dr. Ashley Kita, an otolaryngologist and assistant professor in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at UCLA, to discuss any risks associated with wearing earbuds all night. While she didn't warn against using earbuds, she suggested that if what's keeping you up is a partner's snoring, you start looking for solutions there.

"If you're doing all of this to avoid a partner who is snoring, sometimes gently encouraging that person to investigate why they're snoring is kind of an important consideration," Kita said. "Because we find that obstructive sleep apnea is really underdiagnosed, and snoring, for some people, is the only sign of it."

If, however, what's keeping you up is less in your control, then you do want to be aware of three main aspects of using earbuds all night: proper hygiene, safe noise levels, and your ear comfort.

Proper hygiene

When I started testing these earbuds, I realized I was now wearing earbuds uninterrupted for longer than I typically would in the course of a day, even as someone who tests headphones for a living. When I asked Dr. Kita how that wear time might raise someone's risk for infection, she drew a comparison to the wear time of hearing aids:

"Many individuals wear hearing aids for longer hours during the day than they sleep at night," she said. And yet, folks who wear hearing aids don't often have ear infections, though long wear times may increase their risk.

With the long wear times, Kita said the main concern she could anticipate was wax buildup since the natural path for wax to exit the ear canal would be blocked. However, she said it's not necessarily a cause for concern, as wax can typically exit the ear canal at other points during the day when you're not wearing earbuds (or blocking your ear canal in any other way).

As for any heightened infection risk, Kita shared that it can increase when there's greater wax buildup that can then trap bacteria. She recommended cleaning the buds with isopropyl alcohol and a cotton pad after each use, if possible. (One of the brands we tested, Ozlo, recommends a weekly cleaning.) With all that said, someone's risk for infection really comes down to personal susceptibility — some people are more prone to ear infections than others. If you fall into that category, being more proactive about cleaning your earbuds is a good practice.

Noise levels

Noise-induced hearing loss is the second most common type of hearing loss (behind age-related hearing loss), so it's important to be aware of the level of noise you expose yourself to. Kita pointed me in the direction of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) chart for how long people can be exposed to certain decibel levels safely.

In its FAQ, Ozlo also cites OSHA's recommendation, as well as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's recommendations, which top out at 90 decibels and 85 decibels for eight hours, respectively. We reached out to a rep from Soundcore to see if its earbuds have specific upper decibel limits, and will update this guide when we hear back. In general, though, Kita said the less noise, the better, recommending that you always try to use the lowest volume possible.

"While I don't necessarily love the idea of extra noise when you're not even conscious to appreciate it, if it's the thing that's keeping you asleep or letting you sleep, it just comes in this category of risks and benefits," Kita said. "Just make sure that it's quiet enough, then it really isn't that much different than using a white noise machine on your nightstand."

Comfort

Earbuds fitting comfortably is important for you to be able to fall asleep, but also for your ear health.

"Everyone's ear canal is shaped differently," Kita said. "And so something that might be really comfortable for your ears might really cause my ears to ache."

In other words, giving yourself earbuds-induced earaches every night can actually impact your ear health. If one of the below recommendations really isn't sitting right, even with adjustments to the ear tip sizes, don't be afraid to return them.

Other sleep earbuds we tested

At the end of the initial testing period, the one product that didn't make the cut was the 1More Sleeping Earbuds Z30, which, at $89.99, were the least expensive earbuds I tested. While significantly cheaper than the earbuds that did make the cut, their battery life, app features, and fit didn't quite match up to the other options on my list. However, if you're looking for very barebones low-profile earbuds (and don't mind hearing them die in the early hours of the morning), these aren't a bad option under $100.

1More Sleeping Earbuds Z30

$59.99 at Amazon

 

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In keeping up with my value criteria, I decided to ultimately pull the Ozlo Sleepbuds as our best upgrade pick. After their price jumped up from $299 to $349 — far outpricing our existing picks (and most premium standard ANC earbuds, for that matter) — I determined their features didn't justify their price tag. The addition of sleep tracking (which is in the works) or ANC would make these earbuds much more competitive. On that note, the newly-released Soundcore Sleep A30 took their spot, as the only sleep earbuds with ANC on the market at the time of writing.

Ozlo Sleepbuds

$274 at Amazon
$349 Save $75

 

Shop Now at Amazon Shop Now at Ozlo

Next up in our testing pipeline is the Sleep A30 Special earbuds from Soundcore, announced at CES 2026. The model is an upgrade to one of our existing picks, the Sleep A30 earbuds, with improved battery life and a lower price point at $199.

SAVE $299.99: The Sunny Health & Fitness Slim Foldable Treadmill is on sale at Amazon for $399.99, down from the list price of $699.98. That's a 43% discount.

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Credit: Sunny Health & Fitness

Sunny Health & Fitness Slim Foldable Treadmill

$399.99 at Amazon
$699.98 Save $299.99

 

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There's always one glaring conundrum if you're shopping for at-home fitness equipment. How is it gonna fit? If you have health resolutions in 2026 but you're not sure how a piece of fitness equipment will fit in your house, there's a solid deal today at Amazon on a foldable treadmill.

As of Jan. 6, the Sunny Health & Fitness Slim Foldable Treadmill is on sale for $399.99 at Amazon, marked down from the normal list price of $699.98. That means you'll be in for a savings of $299.99 from a 43% discount.

If you need a compact treadmill that you can easily tuck under a bed or store in the closet, the Sunny Health & Fitness Slim Foldable model could be excellent. When folded, it measures 30.7 inches wide and 64 inches in length with a height of about 5 inches. The running deck itself is about 18 inches wide.

Another major plus of the treadmill is that it ships fully assembled. You won't have to deal with the hassle of putting it together or finding where all your tools went. Speaking of tools, the treadmill arms fold down onto the running deck via an included tool. Once you're done using that tool, there's a convenient storage spot on the treadmill itself, so you won't have to worry about misplacing it.

The device holder is great for giving you the option to watch a show on your phone and dive into a book on your Kindle while walking. Speed ranges from 0.6 up to 8 miles per hour. The transportation wheels make it extra easy to roll the treadmill away once you're finished.

To keep up with fitness goals while not cluttering your space, snag the Sunny Health & Fitness Slim Foldable Treadmill from Amazon while it's on sale for under $400.

SAVE $60: As of Jan. 6, the Fitbit Sense 2 has dropped to $189.95 at Amazon. That's $60 off its list price of $249.95.

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Credit: Fitbit

Fitbit Sense 2

$189.95 at Amazon
$249.95 Save $60

 

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If you've set some fitness goals for 2026, a smartwatch or fitness tracker is well worth picking up. Thankfully, you can still save on select models after the holidays at Amazon. The Fitbit Sense 2 is one option on sale right now, receiving a $60 discount at the retailer.

Normally the Fitbit Sense 2 comes with a price tag of $249.95, but for a limited time Amazon has dropped it to $189.95. This saves you $60 overall, and applies to a couple of different colors so you can choose between the lunar white/platinum or blue mist/pale gold. For $10 more, you can also score the shadow grey/graphite model.

Not only is the Fitbit Sense 2 a great investment for keeping track of workouts — boasting features like a Daily Readiness Score, Active Zone Minutes, all-day activity tracking, and more — it also comes with helpful health features. Some of these include all-day stress detection, irregular heart rhythm notifications, daily sleep stages and a Sleep Score, and more to help you out throughout the day.

The start of a brand new year is a great time to start smashing your workout goals, so why wait to grab the Fitbit Sense 2? Looking for even more recommendations worth buying? Have a look at our roundups of the best smartwatches and the best fitness trackers to see more of our top picks.

Most gadgets we've encountered so far at CES 2026 aim to excite and dazzle, but Ambient's Dreamie succeeds if it helps you snooze.

Not to be confused with the robot vacuum brand Dreame, the Dreamie is a sunrise alarm clock that can serve as a flashlight and play music, podcasts, or ambient sounds. It aims to replace your phone at your bedside, eliminating the temptation to doomscroll while you're trying to wind down. It doesn't even require an app for setup.

It kind of reminds me of a chic electric pencil sharpener. Anyone else? Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The Dreamie made an appearance at the Pepcom media showcase Monday, where I checked it out and chatted with Ambient CEO and co-founder Adrian Canoso. He told me that he came up with the idea for the Dreamie during a particularly stressful point in his life a couple years ago. He was suffering from insomnia while working an intense robotics job amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and he happened to become a dad around the same time.

While researching sleep tech for his son, Canso thought some of the devices he encountered might help him deal with his own sleep problems. His idea for the Dreamie arose out of a particular desire for one that kept him off his phone while he was trying to get his brain to settle down for a good night's rest.

The Dreamie has a circular touchscreen on one end of it where you can schedule alarms and play your choice of calming audio. It comes with its own sleep content library that includes environmental noises and guided relaxation — no subscription required. It has a built-in speaker, but it also works with Bluetooth headphones. That way, you're not disturbing anyone you're sharing a room or bed with.

The colorful LED light surrounding the Dreamie's screen can brighten gradually in warm tones to simulate sunrises for gentle wake-ups. You can adjust it via touch controls. And if you need a more intense glow to find something in the dark, you can concentrate its illumination to one side of the device.

The Dreamie's built-in speaker gives it a little bit of heft. Credit: Haley Henschel

Canso said the Dreamie will add support for contactless sleep tracking at the end of Q1 2026. Its data will stay encrypted right on the device, not in the cloud.

The Dreamie is now available for purchase following a successful Kickstarter campaign that wrapped up in November. It retails for $249.99 on helloambient.com.

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Credit: Ambient

Dreamie

$249.99 at helloambient.com

 

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Head to the Mashable CES 2026 hub for the latest news and live updates from the biggest show in tech, where Mashable journalists are reporting live.

SAVE 43%: As of Jan. 5, you can get the Renpho Smart Scale for $19.99, down from $34.99, at Amazon. That's a 43% discount or $15 in savings.

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Credit: Renpho

Renpho Smart Scale

$19.99 at Amazon
$34.99 Save $15.00

 

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Getting a better handle on your health doesn't necessarily mean hitting a specific number on the scale. If you’re trying to actually feel better this year, it’s worth looking at the full picture, including your sleep, hydration, and body composition.

As of Jan. 5, you can get the Renpho Smart Scale for $19.99, down from $34.99, at Amazon. That's a 43% discount or $15 in savings. This is a solid, entry-level price for a tool that gives you a much broader picture of your health than a traditional "dumb" scale ever could.

This scale uses four high-sensitivity electrodes to track 13 different body metrics, including BMI, bone mass, and muscle mass. That data then syncs directly to the Renpho Health app, which is compatible with Fitbit, Apple Health, and Samsung Health. The app is great for spotting long-term trends rather than obsessing over daily fluctuations. It also features a baby and pet weighing mode, so everyone in your household can use it.

Bonus: If you have an FSA or HSA account, this scale is also eligible for reimbursement, which is a nice way to use up those funds on something that'll help you stay on top of your wellness goals.

SAVE $120: The NordicTrack T Series 5 treadmill is on sale for $479 at Amazon, down from the normal price of $599. That's a 20% discount.

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Credit: NordicTrack

NordicTrack T Series 5 treadmill

$479 at Amazon
$599 Save $120

 

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Most of us are back to reality today. After time off of work for the holidays, we're experiencing a return to normal life today. If you pondered the thought of fitness goals for a 2026 resolution but haven't made any solid commitments because of holiday relaxing, this deal could be your best option.

As of Jan. 5, the NordicTrack T Series 5 treadmill is on sale for $479 at Amazon, marked down from the normal price of $599. That's a 20% discount that shaves a solid $120 off the normal price.

If you're not one to head to the gym, getting a treadmill for your home or apartment could be a great option. This also applies if you live in an area with weather that's not ideal for an outdoor walk in the winter. For decades, NordicTrack has been a leader in the treadmill industry and the T Series 5 is an ideal model.

In a world where things are becoming more and more complicated, the NordicTrack T Series 5 keeps it simple while offering everything we'd want in a treadmill. You'll get a stable device shelf for your phone or tablet, a cup holder for water or electrolytes, and full control of speed and incline.

Simple controls take care of the speed and include on this treadmill, and you'll also have access to setting speed and include shortcuts, making it simple to get on and decide on your workout. There's also a 5-inch LED display that'll give you all the stats.

You can synch up your fitness tracker to the NordicTrack to track stats like heart rate, distance, and calories burned. If you're concerned about space and the treadmill's footprint, you might be pleasantly surprised. The treadmill measures 30.5 inches wide, about 69 inches long, and approximately 49 inches in height. NordicTrack says this model comes is suitable for folks who weigh up to 300 pounds.

If you're hoping to increase daily step count in 2026, the NordicTrack T Series 5 gives you the opportunity to get those in at home. Tune into a show on your phone, set it on the device shelf, and get some miles in. Snagging today's deal means you can save $120 on the NordicTrack T Series 5 treadmill.

SAVE $196.39: The Garmin Instinct 2X Solar (Graphite) is on sale at Amazon for $253.60, down from the usual price of $449.99. That's a 44% discount and a record-low price at Amazon. But act quick, as this is a limited-time Lightning Deal.

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Credit: Garmin

Garmin Instinct 2X Solar (Graphite)

$253.60 at Amazon
$449.99 Save $196.39

 

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Now that we're officially in 2026, some people are thinking about resolutions. Fitness goals are always some of the most popular, and if you fall into that category, you probably want a fitness tracker to keep better tabs on your progress. Garmin makes some of the most versatile models, and there's a massive discount today at Amazon.

As of Jan. 2, the Garmin Instinct 2X Solar (Graphite) is on sale for $253.60 at Amazon, marked down from the standard price of $449.99. That's a major 44% discount that takes $196.39 off the price. It's also a new record-low price at Amazon.

Some tech advancements make so much sense that it feels silly we went without them for so long. In this example, I'm talking about a watch face that serves as a way to recharge via solar. It just makes so much sense. Garmin claims that the Instinct 2X Solar produces 50 percent more energy through the Power Glass lens compared to its predecessor. When exposed to three hours of sunlight each day, you'll be in line for never-ending battery life.

The Garmin Instinct 2X Solar will help top up the battery while you're outside on a run, dog walk, or simply out running errands. But more than that, it's a tough and durable fitness tracker that's ready to accompany you on adventures.

Garmin packed the Instinct 2X Solar with features you'll want on the trail, like 24/7 health tracking, a three-axis compass, a barometric altimeter, a built-in flashlight, and even an SOS strobe mode. Of course, you also get more standard features like heart-rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and a pulse oximeter.

Keep in mind this is an Amazon Lightning Deal, and at the time of writing, it was 89 percent claimed. If the sale on the Graphite colorway sells out before you get to it, toggle over to the Whitestone colorway option, which is also on a nice 36% discount. It's not quite the 44% discount on the Graphite, but it's still well worth it.

Before your 2026 trail runs, swims, or off-grid hikes kick into full throttle, upgrade to the Garmin Instinct 2X Solar while it's on sale for a record-low price at Amazon.

Best self-care deals at a glance

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Best beauty deal

Solawave BOGO sale

Buy one, get one free

Get Deal

---

Best deal for less screen time

The Brick

$53.10 (save $5.90)

Get Deal

---

Best sleep deal

Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds

$199.99 (save $30)

Get Deal

---

Best air quality deal

Airthings 2930 Wave Plus

$199.99 (save $50)

Get Deal

---

Best fitness recovery deal

TheraGun Sense

$179.99 (save $120)

Get Deal

---

Best air purifier deal

Shark NeverChange Max

$299.99 (save $100)

Get Deal

---

Best dental care deal

Oral-B iO Deep Clean + Whiten Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush

$99.99 (save $50)

Get Deal

Setting intentions for 2026 looks different for everyone. Some people have fitness-focused goals while others are vowing to head into the kitchen more often to become the best home chef in the neighborhood. If you're thinking more of the self-care route, we're all in.

Working on self-improvement is always a great idea, and it can take on so many different paths. From spending more time with your e-reader instead of scrolling to making time each week for an LED face mask session, your self-care intentions can encompass anything that makes you feel good.

Health and wellness usually take center stage when we talk about self-care, but we've included tons of options in this list of the best self-care deals. Gift any of these to yourself ahead of 2026, and you'll be well on your way to becoming the best version possible.

Best beauty deal

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Credit: Solawave

BOGO sale at Solawave

 

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Why we like it

If you didn't get the Solawave skincare device you were hoping to get for Christmas, here's your chance to take matters into your own hands. The Solawave BOGO New Year sale is live, and that means you can buy one Solawave product and get another for free. You can even mix and match with this sale, getting the cheaper item for free. That means you can snag the viral 4-in-1- Skincare Wand for free when buying the Wrinkle Retreat Pro Mask. Or you can go with two Skincare Wands and generously gift one to a friend in 2026.

Best deal for reducing screen time

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Credit: Brick

The Brick

$53.10 at Brick
$59 Save $5.90

 

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Why we like it

Does your 2026 New Year's Resolution involve reducing your time spent scrolling mindlessly? Enter The Brick. This tiny gadget has proven to be a surefire way to finally (finally) get us to stop spending so much time staring at something that doesn't really produce joy. Mashable Shopping Reporter Samantha Mangino tested out The Brick and wrote, "...the Brick is even great when I'm not trying to focus on something else. With all my most distracting apps blocked, I'm finally bored again. When I have some downtime, rather than defaulting to scrolling, it motivates me to spend more time reading or finally tackle those errands I've been putting off." In total, it cut Mangino's screen time in half.

As a New Year's treat, The Brick is 15% off, and one of the coolest parts about The Brick is that it works on multiple devices, so you can share one Brick with other people in your household.

Best sleep deal

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Credit: Soundcore

Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds

$199.99 at Amazon
$229.99 Save $30

 

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Why we like it

Sleep is one of the most important elements of health, both physical and mental. If you struggle to sleep because of a dog who runs around at midnight or a snoring partner, sleep earbuds can help. The Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds are designed to be comfortable enough to wear all night, even for side sleepers. They're the first sleep earbuds to come with noise cancellation.

In Mashable's review of the Sleep A30 earbuds, Lead Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard noted these are the sleep earbuds you want if you're looking for a pair that sets the bar for all other sleep earbuds. Thanks to today's sale at Amazon, the Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds are down to $199.99.

Best air quality monitor deal

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Credit: Airthings

Airthings 2930 Wave Plus

$199.99 at Amazon
$249.99 Save $50

 

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Why we like it

If you're looking for an all-encompassing way to take care of yourself, it's time to consider your indoor air quality. Especially in the winter, when we have windows closed, levels of CO2 can easily creep into unhealthy levels. Hanging out in high CO2 environments can lead to drowsiness, headaches, and an increased heart rate, according to the CDC.

The Airthings 2930 Wave Plus is an easy way to keep tabs on your indoor air quality through the app. If the CO2 reading shows a high number, all you'll need to do is open a few windows to get some fresh air inside. The Airthings also lets you know how your humidity and temperature are doing. If you live in an area that's prone to high levels of radon, this compact monitor will also give you useful radon readings.

SAVE $50: As of Dec. 31, you can get the Oral-B iO Series 5 electric toothbrush for $99.99, down from $149.99, at Amazon. That's a 33% discount or $50 in savings.

Oral-B iO Series 5

$99.99 at Amazon
$149.99 Save $50.00

 

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If you’re trying to make healthy changes for the new year, starting with your dental routine is an easy way to do it. It’s one of those small daily habits that actually makes a massive difference in how you feel, and you don’t have to overhaul your entire life to see the results.

As of Dec. 31, the Oral-B iO Series 5 electric toothbrush is on sale for $99.99, down from $149.99, at Amazon. That's 33% off the list price or $50 in savings. It's also the lowest price we've tracked for this bundle.

The iO Series 5 uses artificial intelligence to track where you're brushing in real-time through the Oral-B app, so you never miss a spot. It also features a visible pressure sensor that lights up to let you know if you're brushing too hard, too soft, or just right (a must-have for anyone worried about their gum health). With five different cleaning settings (including Daily Clean, Whiten, and Sensitive), you can personalize the experience to whatever your teeth need that day. Plus, this bundle includes three brush heads and a travel case.

Best deals for a fitness New Year's resolution

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Best Apple fitness tracker deal

Apple Watch 11 (GPS, 42mm)

$299 (save $100)

Get Deal

---

Best workout earbuds deal

Beats Powerbeats Pro 2

$199.95 (save $50)

Get Deal

---

Best budget fitness tracker deal

CMF Nothing Watch 3 Pro (Ash Grey)

$64.57 (save $34.43)

Get Deal

---

Best exercise bike deal

Peloton Bike

$1,445 (save $250)

Get Deal

---

Best fitness equipment deal

Hydrow Origin Rowing Machine

$1,695 (save $500)

Get Deal

---

Best fitness app deal

Peloton App One

$12.99 for three months (save $25.98)

Get Deal

---

Best hydration deal

Stanley Quencher H2.0 Tumbler (30 ounce)

$26 (save $14)

Get Deal

---

Best fitness attire deal

Gymshark

take up to 50% off men's and women's styles

Get Deal

We're just days away from ringing in 2026. If you're like of us, we have intentions of being more active, heathy, and fit in the coming year. Cliche as it is, a new year is a great time for a fresh start with good-for-us habits. Getting fit is not only a gift for yourself, it's a gift to loved ones to keep yourself healthy and happy.

But workout resolutions tend to fall by the wayside quickly. In an attempt to stick to those new routines, it's helpful to have some fitness gear on hand that you love. Instead of dealing with headphones that fall out with every lift, a solid pair of workout earbuds can help with motivation. The same can be said for investing in a rowing machine or a workout app that you actually enjoy.

We've compiled the best fitness deals that we love ahead of the New Year. Upgrade to items that help you reach your goals from a great new water bottle to a shockingly inexpensive fitness tracker. Here are some great deals to snag today.

Best Apple fitness tracker deal

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Credit: Apple

Apple Watch 11 (GPS, 42mm)

$299 at Amazon
$399 Save $100

 

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Read our full review of the Apple Watch Series 11.

Why we like it

A fitness tracker is one of the best ways to easily keep tabs on your health journey. Whether you walk the dog twice a day or have plans to train for a marathon in 2026, the Apple Watch 11 is perfect smartwatch that's loaded with fitness-tracking features. With GPS in a 41mm size, it usually sells for $399 but Amazon has it on sale for only $299 ahead of the New Year.

In Mashable's rating of the best fitness trackers, the Apple Watch 11 earns top marks thanks to its gorgeous design, comfortable fit, and speedy charging.

More fitness tracker deals

• Amazfit Bip 6 — $64.99 $79.99 (save $15)

• Fitbit Inspire 3 — $69.95 $99.95 (save $30)

• Fitbit Charge 6 — $119.95 $159.95 (save $40)

• Garmin Forerunner 55 — $149.99 $199.99 (save $50)

• Garmin Venu Sq 2 — $149.99 $249.99 (save $100)

• Garmin vívoactive 5 — $186.83 $299.99 (save $113.16)

• Whoop 5.0/MG — $199 $239 (save $40)

• Google Pixel Watch 4 (41mm) — $299.99 $349.99 (save $50)

Best workout earbuds deal

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Credit: Apple

Beats Powerbeats Pro 2

$199.95 at Amazon
$249.95 Save $50

 

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Read our full review of the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 sports earbuds.

Why we like it

A good set of earbuds can make a world of difference, whether you're rocking out while working hard at the gym or listening to a podcast while walking around the neighborhood. In Mashable's analysis of the best workout earbuds, the Beats Prowerbeats Pro 2 earn the top spot. Lucky for us, they're $50 off at Amazon right now.

They satisfy the brief on so many levels like being durable, having accessible controls, and being comfortable enough for extended wear. Plus, the 10 hours of battery life is a big bonus.

More workout earbuds deals

• JLab Go Sport+ — $19.99 $29.88 (save $9.89)

• Soundcore V20i — $39.99 $49.99 (save $10)

• JBL Endurance Peak 3 — $59.95 $99.95 (save $40)

• Beats Fit Pro (1st Gen) — $149 $199.99 (save $50.95)

• Soundcore AeroClip — $149.99 $169.99 (save $20)

• Bose Ultra Open Earbuds — $229 $299 (save $70)

Best fitness equipment deal

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Credit: Hydrow

Hydrow Origin Rowing Machine

$1,695 at Amazon
$2,195 Save $500

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

If you're not looking to join a gym this year but you still yearn for a great workout from home, it's hard to beat a Hydrow. A rowing workout is a full-body strengthening experience and its low-impact is great for folks of all ages. Hydrow does is right with the Origin Rowing Machine which has a 22-inch rotating screen so you can follow along with beginner-friendly workouts or intense strength exercises. Snagging it from Amazon today will put you in line for a $500 discount which is a solid start to the New Year.

More fitness equipment deals

• Merach Water Rowing Machine — $269.99 $499.99 (save $230)

• Merach R50 Rowing Machine — $449.99 $799.99 (save $350)

• NordicTrack T Series Treadmill — $699 $999 (save $300)

• Echelon Stride-6 Treadmill — $1,699.99 $1,999.99 (save $300)

• Ergatta Luxe Rowing Machine — $1,899 $2,499 (save $600)

I've had a Solawave red light therapy wand in one of my bathroom organizers for probably two years now. I really wanted to love it, but it just didn't provide noticeable enough results for me to remember to use it. So it should say something that I never forgot to use the Shark CryoGlow red light mask in the few months that I was testing it — and beyond.

The Shark CryoGlow mask's $349.99 price tag isn't exactly cheap, but it isn't expensive compared to the other top red light masks on the market. The price feels much fairer when the CryoGlow has a few unique flexes that separate it from popular competitors like the $395 Omnilux mask and $349 Solawave mask.

Shark hair tools like the FlexStyle have cemented themselves as formidable fixtures in the hair care world for years now. But the CryoGlow is Shark's first attempt at esthetics — one carefully designed over time after input from dermatologists, evidence from clinical trials, and customer feedback about other red light devices on the market. I learned all about its lore at SharkBeauty's launch event for the mask in January 2025, then brought one home to test for myself.

What does the Shark CryoGlow mask do?

The Shark face mask targets fine lines, acne, dark circles, and generally uneven skin texture. These are the main benefits of red light therapy (and blue light and infrared light), often yearned for when even the most devout skincare routines aren't doing enough.

The CryoMask is lined with 160 interlocking tri-wick LED bulbs, spanning all corners of the face and even a little under the jaw. Everyone calls it an LED mask, but if you want to get fancy, it's technically iQLED.

The Shark CryoGlow mask weighs around 1.5 pounds. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The pink glow is achieved when blue and red light are shining simultaneously. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

That 160 beats the 132 LEDs of the Omnilux mask or the 14 LEDs of the Solawave wand, so that's noteworthy on its own — but the "tri-wick" thing is crucial, too. Tri-wick means that every single one of those bulbs can emit each wavelength, so you're getting full-face light coverage regardless of the setting. Scientifically, this would be clocked in terms of irradiance: a measurement of power density at the source of the LED. The Shark CryoGlow hits a maximum radiance of 128mW/cm² compared to the 30mW/cm² of the Omnilux.

(The bulbs in several competing masks can't all illuminate simultaneously because they're either single-wick or bi-wick, meaning half turn off when their designated color isn't being used.)

The nanometer measurement of each wavelength plays a huge role in skin penetration. The Shark CryoGlow uses a 415nm blue light targeting the skin's surface layer and 630nm red light with 830nm infrared to travel to the deeper, cellular layer of skin.

So, what's the difference between red light and blue light? All you really need to determine is the skincare concern you'd like to target, then scroll through the CryoGlow remote's settings to choose one. Shark designed the two main settings to be used for an initial eight-week session with daily use.

Better Aging mode: This mode stimulates collagen production and promotes plumping under the skin, making it the best setting for targeting fine lines and wrinkles. Here, the mask administers a combination of red and infrared light simultaneously for six minutes.

Blemish Repair mode: This is used to kill acne-causing bacteria and improve skin clarity and texture on the top layer of the skin. Here, the mask administers a consecutive concoction of blue light with infrared for a few minutes, then blue and red light together for a few minutes, then red light + infrared for a few minutes. It takes eight minutes total.

Skin Sustain mode: This is used to maintain your results and get a daily boost of brightness after your initial eight-week cycle is over. Skin Sustain administers blue light, red light, and infrared light simultaneously for a total of four minutes.

After each session is completed, the Shark mask turns off by itself. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The remote keeps track of how many sessions you've completed. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

Each cycle's timing was calculated based on the wavelength combination of that setting — it's a much more precise approach than Googling "how long you should use red light therapy for." During the science part of the discussion at the launch event, it clicked for me: The momentary swipe of a red light wand with a one-inch surface is a really small amount of true LED exposure. This cleared up a lot of my confusion about my lack of Solawave wand results when it worked well for other people.

The Shark mask isn't overly chill to wear, but it's quick

I doubt there's anyone out there researching the best red light mask to buy and expecting to not look like Dwight in that episode of The Office where he cuts off the CPR dummy's face. It's just part of the game.

Still, the Shark mask definitely isn't the chicest or slimmest mask I've seen. It's not foldable like some other models, and is also a little clunky when it comes to storage. The heavy packer in me could not take this thing in a suitcase, even though it comes with a carrying pouch.

I wish the remote were wireless, but it does have a pants clip. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

My cat isn't scared of the mask. I kind of am. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

There's definitely no answering the door like this, but you know what? The horror fanatic in me does not mind casually walking around the apartment looking like Jason Voorhees for a few minutes (though I am a proud Michael Myers girlie at heart — argue with yourself).

The CryoGlow doesn't necessarily feel heavy if you're just scrolling on your phone while wearing it. But it does start to feel a little bulky if you're performing a real task that requires looking down. I kept trying to feed my cats during morning CryoGlow sessions and had to strain my neck to accurately scoop the wet food into the bowls on the counter.

The mask itself is rechargeable and doesn't need to be plugged into the wall while being used; instead, it needs to be charged about every three days. Though the remote and its cord mostly stay out of the way, it would be sick if it were cordless.

The CryoGlow takes a few hours to fully recharge. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The thing is, no Shark CryoGlow session lasts longer than eight minutes. You're not really being inconvenienced for long. The fans are whooshing right in your ear, but it's not so loud that you can't hear a conversation or watch TV. Honestly, the hardest part of wearing it is sitting there with air-dried skin without something moisturizing on it — Shark recommends a clean, dry face for light to best penetrate, but the itchy feeling post-cleansing makes me want to tear my whole face off.

Shark CryoGlow results: First three months, then a 10-month update

I kind of stopped giving a shit about how I look without makeup after my frontal lobe developed. But the CryoGlow marks a time in my life when I genuinely feel cute bare-faced. I truly feel like there's more of an inherent glow and evenness to my skin after my full CryoGlow session than I've ever had before.

But I know everyone is most interested in the full transformation, so fine, I'll give you a "before" picture. But before I expose myself like that, I'm entitled to show the "after" picture first.

My skin after completing the full CryoGlow session. (Peep the sticker in the phone case — I TOLD YOU I was a Michael Myers girlie.) Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

I promise my skin is smooth in this photo — the only leftover "spots" are discoloration from previous giant pimples. I've accepted the fact that I need to pay for more microneedling to uproot those.

Does the Shark mask work on acne?

Every little kid dreams of growing up, having a mental breakdown about adult acne at age 30, and publishing a close-up photo of it in an online article for work. But I have to showcase the full transformation to show that yes, the Shark CryoGlow mask really does keep acne formation at bay.

Before: No concealer/foundation combo was hiding these. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

After: No makeup, just morning skincare! Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

For context, I'm 30 years old and never really struggled with acne... up until about four years ago. It's been a battle to keep my chin, jawline, and cheeks clear since then. I was living in fear of waking up with a new pimple cooking after I had just gotten the last one to simmer down. Mine were in areas typically associated with fluctuating hormones.

All of that was happening while never skipping my nighttime skincare routine and attending a few microneedling appointments, my last of which was three months before I started testing the Shark mask. While I do believe my religious Tretinoin use has improved the texture of my skin, it was outnumbered by hellbent acne. The only true slowdown of pimples I experienced started a month into using the CryoGlow. I went from a new painful crater popping up almost every day to maybe one or two every two weeks.

(The only other changes I recently made were spritzes of hypochlorous acid after waking up or going outside, and taking a Zinc supplement after TikTok suggested that could help with acne.)

The CryoGlow is excellent at fighting bacteria that causes acne and reducing redness of the ones that do exist, it doesn't really reduce acne scars or deep leftover red spots — and doesn't claim to. Those just seem to be stubborn little marks that probably require an in-office facial treatment.

Does the Shark mask work on fine lines?

Yes, the Shark mask made the fine lines in some areas of my face less noticeable.

The needlelike presence of my forehead wrinkles had become increasingly prominent in the last few years of my 20s. Makeup was making the texture even more noticeable, especially when it began creasing after a few hours. I finally started getting occasional forehead Botox about two years ago, and let me tell you: Botox is that girl. But the baby wrinkles soon creep back in, and keeping up with it gets expensive.

I'm fully convinced that the Shark CryoGlow mask was key in mellowing out my forehead lines enough to keep me out of the Botox chair for months longer than I'm "supposed" to. (For context: My last Botox appointment was five months before testing the Shark CryoGlow, and I did not get any Botox treatments while testing the mask.)

Concealer and powder were blending more seamlessly than they previously did when I was overdue. There's nothing like that post-Botox forehead plumpness, but the CryoGlow provided the next best thing for me — a smoothness that no serums in targeted Instagram ads are going to achieve.

Unfortunately, the CryoGlow didn't have the same blurring effect around my crow's feet. God forbid you're someone who LAUGHS.

Does the Shark mask work on under eyes?

I definitely think I look less like a corpse on the days when I use the CryoGlow's under-eye chill pads. This is where the "Cryo" part of the title comes in: the mask is mimics cryotherapy, which can lower inflammation of the tissue using targeted low temperatures. The chill pads can cool at three different levels of chilly during an LED session, or can be used without lights.

The CryoGlow's de-puffing effects don't feel super long-lasting — keep in mind that this is more of an elevated ice roller routine each morning than a heavy-duty under-eye treatment. You can't expect hollowness to permanently fill out, but I can vouch for the brightening effect. At any rate, the cool metal plates feel amazing when you're a zombie in the morning. If this sounds enticing to you but not enticing enough to spend $349.99, keep an eye out for when Shark releases the heating and cooling DePuffi device by itself in early 2026.

After almost a year, the Shark mask is still the mother of all skincare devices to me

Fast forward from May (when this review originally published) to December, I have since tested another top red light mask (the CurrentBody Skin Series 2 mask) as well as Shark's newest skincare device, the Shark FacialPro Glow. The FacialPro Glow isn't a direct comparison, since it targets clogged pores, dead skin, and sebaceous filaments, which aren't really on the radar of red light therapy. I think the FacialPro Glow is a great gift idea for a teenage girl, though.

In terms of which red light mask is the best, my resounding recommendation is the Shark mask over the CurrentBody mask. While the CurrentBody mask gets a few points for its flexible, more portable build, it's much more basic than the Shark mask.

A look at the LED bulb situation between the CurrentBody and Shark face masks. Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable

The CurrentBody Skin Series 2 doesn't offer blue light at all, so some pimples popped up when I paused CryoGlow usage to test the CurrentBody. There's no customizing based on your current skin concern with the CurrentBody mask either — it doesn't have settings (just on and off), and there's no screen on the remote to provide a countdown timer. It's just an overall less luxurious experience that costs $120 more than the CryoGlow.

When researching other people's thoughts on both of these masks, the most common CryoGlow mask disadvantage I've seen is the lack of red lights around the eye (instead, the cooling pads are there). If fine lines around the eye are a much bigger concern for you than acne, then yes, you'd absolutely be better off going the CurrentBody route. I personally found the CurrentBody's eye-centric red lights blinding, to the point where I didn't want to wear the mask every day.

Is the Shark CryoGlow Mask worth it?

Shark's face mask continues to prove its worth in my skincare routine, and I'd recommend it to just about anyone.

The way my acne cleared up during the eight-week period was easily the most palpable result, and near-daily Shark mask usage has worked wonders on my skin's overall texture (and appearance without makeup) for almost a year now. I'm not saying you'll never get a pimple while using the mask, but I do think the CryoGlow's red, blue, and infrared concoction is extremely effective at mitigating the amount of acne popping up. Similarly, because its wavelengths can dig further into the skin than topical skincare, it's a more powerful tool for dulling fine lines than any retinols or retinoids I've tried. With less-dead under eyes in the morning as the cherry on top, I am glowier and more comfortable bare-faced now than I was pre-mask.

The Shark CryoGlow mask may or may not be able to accomplish these exact results for everyone from scratch. It probably depends on the skin you're working with to start, and the consistency of the rest of your skincare routine. The CryoGlow is definitely a slight financial investment up front, but most people deep in skincare mode know that no route to glass skin is cheap. Plus, regular CryoGlow use could end up saving you money over time.

Shark CryoGlow LED face mask

$349.99 at Shark

 

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SAVE $72: The Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds are on sale at Amazon for $107.99, down from the list price of $179.99. That's a 40% discount that matches the record low at Amazon.

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Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds

$107.99 at Amazon
$179.99 Save $72.00

 

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A thoughtful gift that someone will use everyday is hard to come up with. Mashable's gift guides can help, but we have a special recommendation for that someone who is always struggling to get quality sleep. If that's someone on your Christmas shopping list, check out this thoughtful gift that's on sale at Amazon.

As of Dec. 23, the Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds are on sale at Amazon for $107.99, marked down from the list price of $179.99. That's a savings of $72 thanks to the 40% discount. This sale price matches the rarely-seen record low at Amazon. Depending on the delivery address, these might arrive in time for Christmas.

Whether it's a partner snoring, the cat running around, or the neighbor's party, noise is a big sleep disruptor. Putting on a fan or a white noise machine helps some people, but you have another option in sleep earbuds. The Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds are designed to be comfortable enough to wear all night long, even for side sleepers.

Mashable Lead Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard tested out sleep earbuds and found the Soundcore Sleep A20 to be the best option for most people. The earbuds let you stream your own audio or sleep sounds from the Soundcore app. They also track sleep data and come with six different earbud tips.

Soundcore mentions the Sleep A20 earbuds get about 80 hours of playtime before they'll need to recharge, which means you'll have to recharge about once per week, depending on how much you sleep. And don't worry about sleeping through an alarm — you can set that to play on the earbuds.

While they're back at a record-low price, snatch up the Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds. Gift them to a loved one who could use some better sleep or buy them for yourself as motivation to get better rest in 2026.

Like it or not, sleep is a non-negotiable aspect of being alive. We human beings require sleep to continue functioning. The problem is, for plenty of people, sleep is an elusive beast. For a gigantic list of reasons, people struggle to get enough high-quality sleep and keep that sleep schedule consistent. 

One of the main sleep disruptors is temperature. Some of us can sweat through the sheets in January, while others cannot warm up no matter how many wool duvets they add to the bed. The Eight Sleep Pod 5 aims to remedy temperature as a reason why you cannot get restorative sleep. It does this, primarily, with the Pod’s Cover, which slips over your mattress like a fitted sheet. You get to set your ideal Cover temperature, or you can let the Eight Sleep Autopilot take the wheel, which will make adjustments throughout the night.

Plenty of us have gone to great lengths to find the secret to getting great sleep, but the Eight Sleep Pod 5 has a glaring factor — it’s really, really expensive. We’re talking between $3,000 and $6,000+ for a queen-size setup, depending on how luxurious you want to go. Since that number is not one most people find easy to swallow, I slept on the Eight Sleep Pod 5 for several months to decide if I think it’s worth the price. In the end, I’ve come to love almost everything about the Pod 5, and I miss it when I’m not sleeping at home, but I did find some aspects frustrating. My detailed adventure with the Eight Sleep Pod 5 takes off from here.

Disclaimer: If you deal with chronic sleep issues, please seek out professional medical guidance before turning to any type of physical product for relief.

How does the Eight Sleep Pod 5 system work?

It’s helpful to get the whole overview of how the Pod works before I dive into what my experience was like sleeping on the system. At its core, the Eight Sleep Pod 5 is a cover that slips over your mattress much like a fitted sheet. But this cover contains a network of small tubes that pump either hot or cold water throughout. The aim here is to either warm you up or cool you down, and therefore, help you get better sleep.

The brains of this water system sit in the Eight Sleep Pod Hub, which sits next to your bed and attaches to the cover via a thick cord. Sleepers control the cover’s temperature through the Eight Sleep app or with three buttons located on the side of the cover. There’s also an autopilot mode that hands off temperature control to the app, and it’ll adjust throughout the night to what it thinks will help you sleep best.

The Pod Cover connects to the Hub, which sits near the bed. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

Besides heating and cooling, the cover has some serious smarts in the name of sleep metrics. It detects heart rate and breathing patterns, and monitors sleep stages. All of that info gets sent to the app, which then gives a detailed nightly report on sleep quality. It also has a vibration function, allowing you to set an alarm to wake you up via vibration every morning, which is really snazzy and infinitely better than a cellphone alarm.

The blanket

In addition to the cover, sleepers can add the Eight Sleep Pod 5 blanket to the setup. It works in a similar fashion to the cover with small water tubing throughout that sends either warm or cool water through the channels. The blanket connects to the cover via cords to the ports located at the foot of the cover. Conveniently, the cords tuck under your mattress, so there’s little risk of kicking the blanket cords while you sleep.

An easy click-to-connect system attaches the blanket to the cover. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

The temperature for the blanket is also controlled in the app. Since the Hub controls the temperature of both the cover and the blanket, you’ll need to select one temperature for both products.

The base

For an extra luxurious slumber, Eight Sleep sells an adjustable base to pair with your mattress, the Pod’s cover, and the blanket. The adjustable base articulates at the head and the foot, so you’re free to adjust either area to find your perfect combo. In the app, you can move the base into pre-set positions for reading, relaxing, or sleeping, or keep it flat. Getting more particular, you can adjust the head and foot to the specific degree of your liking.

At times during testing, I found the reading position to feel too upright, but the lower relax position to be too close to lying down, so I adjusted the degree of incline, which is super easy to do in the app. The Eight Sleep base also has a built-in speaker that can lull you off to sleep with the soothing sounds of a rainforest and awaken you with soft beach waves. You can also go with pink noise, white noise, or brown noise.

Choose your favorite degree on the adjustable base. Credit: Screenshot: Eight Sleep app

The base can listen for snoring and adjust the head to help mitigate. Credit: Screenshot: Eight Sleep app

Another major benefit of the base is its snoring mitigation function. When the base detects snoring, it’ll raise the head area slightly. This small adjustment is undetectable, and its aim is to prop sleepers up in a better position to open their air passages, hopefully putting an end to snoring.

Since plenty of us get poor sleep on account of a partner snoring, myself included, this automatic adjustment is a lifesaver. I haven’t noticed my partner snoring in months, aside from the times we’ve been staying at a friend’s house where there was no Eight Sleep Pod provided in the guest room. Sigh.

Surprise! Setting up the Eight Sleep Pod 5 is super easy.

Since I tested the entire Eight Sleep Pod 5, which includes the cover, blanket, adjustable base, and legs for the base, I had a total of eight boxes. To say I was intimidated by the setup is an understatement. But to my absolute delight, it was super easy. Yes, it was a lengthy process that took several hours, but it was all straightforward. I had the help of my partner, but none of the elements would have been unmanageable by myself. The adjustable base is split into two sides, which makes it easier to carry into the bedroom. Perhaps best of all, the setup requires zero tools. 

Setting up the cover, blanket, and adjustable base was straightforward, thanks to the app's instructions. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

All you need to set up any and all elements of the Eight Sleep Pod 5 system is distilled water, a WiFi connection, the app up and running, and some time. I’ve assembled simple platform mattress bases that were far more complicated than the Pod 5. Phew. The app takes you through detailed setup instructions in a way that makes the entire process a cinch.

What I loved about sleeping with the Eight Sleep Pod 5

In truth, I loved a lot about the Eight Sleep Pod 5. Seattle summers have followed the global trend of getting way too hot, and most of us don’t have AC. I sleep hot to begin with, so summers have felt especially evil to me. The Eight Sleep Pod 5 made me forget what it was like to sweat the bed every single night. In my several months of testing, I woke up sweaty exactly once. Just one time I woke up drenched. Before the Pod 5, it was a rare occurrence if I didn’t wake up soaked. The difference was shocking. I also deal with migraines from dehydration, so having a sleep solution that keeps me from sweating a ton and losing a bunch of water at night has been a miracle.

Controls on each side of the bed means you don't have to look at your phone to make temperature adjustments in the middle of the night. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

My testing continued into the fall, and once the weather turned rainy and gray, I found comfort and pleasure in crawling into a pre-warmed bed each night. Napping on a pre-warmed bed also felt like I had unearthed some kind of hidden level of enjoyment in life that I didn’t have access to before the Pod 5.

The Pod 5’s base also changed my partner’s proclivity for snoring. In fact, it stopped it entirely. Not once did I wake up to shake him. I have to assume that not only did I sleep way better because of this, but he did, too.

Things I didn't love about the Eight Sleep Pod 5

Sleeping on the Pod 5 for the first two weeks or so was a journey, and I often wanted to get off the Pod train. Some nights, I woke up too cold and had to reach for my phone to bump up the temperature. (My partner preferred to make temperature adjustments with the Cover’s side controls, but I always went into the app.) Other nights, I woke up too hot and had to lower the temperature. All of that disrupted my sleep, probably more than getting sweaty would have.

In the app, select your ideal temperature for bedtime, night, and dawn. Autopilot will make adjustments, if you'd like. Credit: Screenshot: Eight Sleep app

A nightly look at how autopilot adjusted the cover's temperature. Credit: Screenshot: Eight Sleep app

It took several weeks for me to get acquainted with the Pod 5 and for it to get used to my preferences. On occasion, the bed would decide a toasty +7 was optimal for my bedtime temperature, which felt like I was sleeping on the sun itself. Other nights it went with a more moderate +5. I told it +3 was my preference, but the cover did what it wanted at times. To this day, it still spurts out bedtime temperatures seemingly at random. This, however, is easy to adjust in the app.

Because the Eight Sleep Pod 5’s Blanket has water channels, it’s heavier than your normal duvet insert and cover. Personally, I love a weighted blanket, so the Pod 5’s blanket is heaven for me. My partner, however, does not like weighted blankets and is not in love with the hefty feel of the blanket. The Blanket is an add-on to the Pod’s Cover, so I only recommend going for it if you enjoy the feel of a weighted blanket.

I love the weight of the Eight Sleep blanket. My partner doesn't. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

Who might love the Eight Sleep Pod 5

After sleeping on the Pod 5 for months through several seasons, I’ve compiled a list of people who I think would get significant benefit from the Sleep Pod 5 and might be able to justify the price. They include:

• Especially hot sleepers who don’t find relief with bedding or a breathable mattress

• Cold sleepers who can’t warm up with bedding

• Those who live in a warm environment without AC

• People with persistent aches and pains

• Couples who prefer to sleep at different temperatures

• Sleepers who are dealing with hot flashes

• Those who are super interested in detailed sleep metrics

In essence, if you want better control of temperature paired with detailed sleep metrics but you don’t want a wearable sleep tracker, the Eight Sleep Pod 5 could be ideal. 

Sizing options for the Eight Sleep Pod 5

Eight Sleep offers the Pod 5 in full, queen, king, and California king sizes. All of these sizes are capable of supporting two sleepers, with separate temperature controls on each side. However, if you sleep alone, you can indicate that during the initial setup to have the entire bed set for one sleeper.

The separate sides make the Pod easier for couples to use since temperature preferences tend to vary. It’s also ideal for when one person is napping and the other isn’t, or if your bedtimes vary. But the lack of a twin-size is a miss, in my opinion. After testing the Pod for months, I think older people who deal with pain or lower mobility are great candidates for the Pod 5, but they’ll have to be in a full-size bed or larger. The lack of a twin also means you can’t use the Pod 5 for a split king set-up, which is identical to two twins in a side-by-side arrangement. I love the idea of a split king adjustable base with the Eight Sleep Pod since this would allow each sleeper to choose their ideal base position, in addition to the temperature.

The Autopilot membership is extra

When you buy the Eight Sleep Pod 5, you’ll also need to select your Autopilot plan for the first year of ownership. The options include standard, enhanced, and elite, with varying levels of metrics and functions attached to each plan. These memberships provide access to Pod 5’s Autopilot feature, which enables your Cover to adjust the temperature throughout the night to what it deems most comfortable. Here’s the pricing breakdown for the first year:

• Standard: $199

• Enhanced: $299

• Elite: $399

Each Autopilot membership gives two users access to the plan, so you only need one plan per bed. And here’s what’s included:

• Standard: Autopilot temperature adjustments, sleep and health reports, vibrating and thermal alarms, snoring detection, and a two-year warranty

• Enhanced: Everything in Standard, but with a five-year warranty

• Elite: Everything in Enhanced plus advanced wellbeing monitoring, cardiovascular monitoring, and respiratory monitoring, like abnormal heart rates or breathing patterns.

It’s not possible to purchase the Pod 5 without signing up for one of these plans. However, after your first year, you can bail on the plan. But that means the Pod Cover will not automatically adjust temperature at night, and you’ll need to set it manually. You’ll also lose access to vibrating and thermal alarms, and you won’t get sleep tracking metrics, either. Boiled down, without the Autopilot plan, the Cover is pretty much just a fancy heated or cooling mattress cover. I fail to see much allure in using the Pod 5 Cover without the plan, so I’d factor the annual price into the overall cost of ownership.

An always-improving app that’s hungry for details

I’ll hand it to Eight Sleep — the developers put so much thoughtful design into the Pod 5 that it’s complicated to explain every feature of the bed and the app. Even a month after sleeping on the Pod 5, I would open the app to find a new area with new metrics and controls that I did not know existed.

The app is a complex beast, and I think data-driven folks will love it. Each morning, you get a comprehensive look at how you slept the previous night, including time spent in REM, deep sleep, and overview numbers that include how much time you spent asleep and how long sleep interruptions lasted.

The app also lets you see sleep biometrics, like resting heart rate, heart rate variability, snoring time, and breath rate. In addition to these detailed metrics, the app has some functions I’m pretty smitten with, like nap mode and a jet lag protocol. There’s also a special function that those who are transitioning into menopause will be thrilled about.

Hot flash mode could be a savior for those who deal with disrupted sleep from them. Credit: Screenshot: Eight Sleep app

The away function in the Eight Sleep app is snazzy. Credit: Screenshot: Eight Sleep app

Hot Flash Mode

About a month into my testing journey, Eight Sleep launched a new Hot Flash Mode. Once enabled, this mode lets sleepers alert the Cover about a hot flash, which will send the cover into a super quick cooling mode for a set amount of time. You get to choose the temperature drop and the duration. To make this easier than heading into the app when experiencing a hot flash, you can assign Hot Flash Mode to a button on the cover’s side.

I got to chat with Dr. Nicole Moyen, Eight Sleep’s Director of Science & Clinical Research, about Hot Flash Mode. She explained that about 80 percent of people in perimenopause will experience hot flashes, and many will go through several each night. Not only is this uncomfortable temperature spike disruptive to sleep, but Dr. Moyen also said it’s basically impossible to predict when a hot flash will occur. 

She said Eight’s Sleep’s own research has shown that simply sleeping on the Pod itself can cut the normal instance rate in half, even without using Hot Flash Mode. “We’re lowering people’s core body temperature and therefore keeping them within a narrow thermostat range that the brain needs,” she explained over our video call. But with Hot Flash Mode, sleepers can access rapid cooling in an attempt to mitigate the hot flash. Plus, the Pod will warm back up after the set time. Dr. Moyen explained that this experience is a stark contrast to how most people experience a hot flash, which involves intense heat, sweating, and getting out of bed to cool down — not to mention this is often followed by chills on account of the now sweaty bed.

I haven’t experienced the joy of hot flashes yet, but I tested out the function, and it does exactly what it should: cools you like you’re on fire. For people who deal with interrupted sleep each night for years on account of hot flashes, I can see how this feature could offer great relief. Plus, it could mean less disruption to a partner.

Away mode

When you head off on vacation or leave for the weekend and won't be around to sleep on the Pod 5, the app has an away mode. It takes you into a calendar to select when you'll be leaving and when you're returning. When setting up this schedule, you can indicate if both sleepers will be gone or just one. This'll put the bed in a dormant mode until your return. If you happen to come back earlier than expected, it's easy to push the "I'm back" option, and the Pod 5 will resume its normal schedule.

A bed that lives on WiFi

We all love WiFi, but the Eight Sleep Pod 5 is really, really in love with that connection. In fact, it hardly works without access to WiFi. That means the AWS outage took every Eight Sleep Pod offline. My bed went cold, but I was fine once I put on warmer pajamas and grabbed an extra blanket. Other users were in worse shape, and some took to the internet to complain of missing work because the bed’s alarm didn’t go off or struggling to sleep because it was too hot or too cold.

The following day, the brand's CEO, Matteo Franceschetti, posted on his X account that Eight Sleep would roll out Backup Mode, making some of the bed’s functions available via Bluetooth, bypassing the need for WiFi. If AWS crashes or your WiFi goes out, you can still adjust temperature and elevation. Some features won’t work, like the bed’s Autopilot adjustments, and the bed won’t turn on automatically at bedtime like it usually does, but you can manually set the temperature.

Eight Sleep said this new feature’s rollout would be “gradual,” and I haven’t seen any update on my Pod. But this update gives potential owners reassurance that their beds will still be able to heat or cool in the event of an outage. Keep in mind you’re still kinda screwed if the power goes out, unless you own a portable power station or have a generator for home backup.

A sad note about cleaning

You’re probably wondering how you’d go about cleaning a mattress cover that includes a network of water tubing. I sure was while I was testing. The answer is a pretty big letdown — you can’t. The Eight Sleep Pod 5 cover is not safe to clean in the washing machine. Instead, you’ll need to spot clean it as necessary with water and a smidge of soap. The Pod’s blanket is also not machine washable, and the tag notes instructions to “spot clean with a damp cloth only.

This brings me to urge caution to anyone who has pets or small kids from investing in the Pod 5. Any accident from pets, kids, or yourself (like spilled coffee or wine) could be near impossible to thoroughly and hygienically clean. Should you sweat at night (hopefully not, thanks to the temperature control), that could also soak into the non-cleanable cover.

Pair this with the premium price of the Eight Sleep Pod 5, and I’m not feeling like this is a wise splurge for those who share a bed with kids or pets. In theory, you could add a waterproof mattress protector over the Pod 5 Cover, but that could also create a barrier between you and the cooling or heating effects that cost top-dollar.

Is the Eight Sleep Pod 5 worth the price?

In a queen-size, the Eight Sleep Pod 5 with Hub and Cover sells for $3,248 with the Standard Autopilot plan. If you add the blanket and adjustable base to the setup and go with the Elite Autopilot plan, the queen-size price shoots up to $6,497. That’s a heavy lift for most people, especially considering you have to bring your own mattress to the party. 

But before I say I think the Pod 5 is too expensive, I have to point out that sleep is one of the most important pillars for us human beings. Sacrificing sleep is not smart, and the CDC mentions it's a large player in how our immune system functions and a major player in overall heart health and brain function.

With that in mind, if you cannot sleep because you’re too hot or too cold, the Eight Sleep Pod 5 might very well be worth the high price tag. If the Pod 5 allows you to get better sleep even for just one year, it works out to about $8 per night in the queen size. If we up the time frame to five years, it works out to just $1.67 per night. That’s not much for an investment in wellbeing and health.

I don’t think the Eight Sleep Pod 5 is a good investment for all sleepers, but it could be a life-changer for some. Considering some people drop more than the price of the entire Eight Sleep Pod 5 setup to spend one week on a cruise ship with Mickey Mouse (no shade — those Disney cruises look incredible), I don’t think the $3,049 price tag or even the $6,395 price for the cover, blanket, and base is all that wild. 

Sleep has the power to make a dramatic difference in almost every aspect of our waking hours, and if the Eight Sleep Pod 5 helps you get better sleep, I think it’s well worth the price. Keep in mind, Eight Sleep offers a 30-day trial, so you have some reassurance knowing you have a month of sleeping on the Pod 5 to decide if it’s a worthwhile investment.

It took me a while to fall in love with the Pod 5, but now that we’ve gotten to know each other better, I’m a big fan.

A parting note: You deserve an adjustable base

When testing the entire Eight Sleep Pod 5 setup with the temperature-regulating cover and blanket with the adjustable base, something stuck out to me: an adjustable base is a next-level sleep accessory that you need. Adding an adjustable base to your bedroom setup makes it feel like you splurged to book the first-class suite every single night. The pleasure of hanging out in bed to watch shows, read, or reply to emails while cozy in an elevated position is something I underestimated.

Sleeping with the head slightly elevated is great for those who deal with light snoring, and raising the feet is optimal for athletes or those who work on their feet all day, since it can help with blood flow. But the simple luxury of reading in bed while sitting up on a stable surface (instead of an unstable pillow pile) is a life upgrade I wholeheartedly recommend. Temperature-adjusting Eight Sleep Pod or not, an adjustable base is a life changer.

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Credit: Eight Sleep

Eight Sleep Pod 5

$3,048 at Eight Sleep

Queen-size

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This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

It might come as a surprise to cocktail fans but blenders can be used for more than just frozen margaritas. They can also be used for healthy living. Shocking, right?

You can make hot soup without a hob, coffee without a coffee maker, and whipped cream without a whisk. That's just a little taster of what a multitasking blender can tackle. Indeed, a blender can expand your meal repertoire tenfold, and without needing multiple kitchen-cluttering machines. It's an all-in-one marvel.

But where to start when actually choosing a blender? Each model has its own selection of features, which means different will suit different blending needs. So unless you’re a blender expert, it can be difficult to know what’s what and which machine is best for you. This is where we can help. Here's some useful information and a selection of the best blenders available right now.

Is a blender and food processor the same thing?

As a general rule, blenders are for liquids — juice, smoothies, shakes, soups, and purees — whereas food processors will slice, chop, grate, shred, and dice. However, you’ll find some blenders have attachments, such as detachable food mixing bowls, that allow them to double up as a blender/food processor combo.

Why do you need a blender?

The ability to make your own juice, smoothies, and protein shakes isn't the only reason to invest in a blender. These devices can also help you to establish healthy habits. Blenders simplify meeting your nutrient goal by squeezing everything into a 30-second meal replacement. With thousands of recipes online, you're bound to find a balanced combo of greens and fruits that you actually look forward to drinking.

Being completely in charge of the contents lets you closely monitor portion size, stick to dietary restrictions, and track macronutrients to stay on track with diet goals. You'll never need to buy sickeningly expensive juice again.

Do blenders have smart features?

Blenders can be as basic or as advanced as you want (depending on what you’re willing to spend, of course). There are simple blenders that cost next to nothing and have a simple on/off switch, or tech-savvy blenders that connect to an app via Bluetooth. These apps might provide recipes or keep records of nutrition or health goals. There are other features to look out for, such as pre-set blending programs. These can be geared to specifically make soup, smoothies, or frozen desserts. Some blenders can automatically detect the load and adjust their motors and settings accordingly.

What is the best blender capacity?

The capacity of a blender will vary. There are personal-use blenders, which have a container big enough for one person (around 700ml), and multi-serve blenders, which have a much bigger container (2 litres or more). But many blenders come with different sized containers, allowing you to switch between sizes as required. We especially like blenders that have a sports bottle attachment, which can be used to make a smoothie or juice. Simply detach the bottle, pop a lid on, and off you go.

What is the best blender?

That’s up to you. We can’t make the decision on your behalf. That's kind of the point of a blender — you know the ingredients you like and you can make the smoothie or meal exactly how you want it. That's also true when choosing the machine. It has to be one that suits your needs, routine, and kitchen. What we can do, however, is draw up a list of the best blenders for everyone, to help you find something that's perfect for you.

These are the best blenders in 2025.

SAVE $60: The Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker is on sale for $99.95 over at Amazon. This is $60 less than its regular price, so don’t miss out.

Fitbit Charge 6

$138.85 at Amazon
$159.95 Save $21.10

 

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With Black Friday over, we’re heading into Cyber Monday, and you can start finding (or find leftover) a bunch of deals all around the internet. The Fitbit Charge 6 is $60 off and also comes with 60 days of Audible for free when you purchase it.

This fitness tracker helps keep track of metrics such as calories burned and sleep, so that you can stay on top of your exercise and rest. It has over 40 exercise modes and will provide you with insights from your daily runs, bike rides, and strength training workouts. This way, you’ll be able to keep track of your personal goals too.

Aside from the fitness-related features, the Fitbit Charge 6 has other useful apps such as YouTube Music, Google Maps, and Google Wallet, making it a great tool both in and out of the gym. With a built-in GPS, you can also map out your workout routes using the Fitbit mobile app.

The Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness tracker usually goes for $159.99, but with this early Cyber Monday deal, you can get it for only $99.95. Don’t forget to check out other fitness tracker deals we’ve gathered for you over Black Friday weekend, some of which are still available.

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WHOOP 5.0/MG

$199 at Amazon
$239 Save $40

 

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Fitbit Inspire 3

$69.95 at Amazon
$99.95 Save $30

 

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Fitbit Versa 4

$119.95 at Amazon
$199.95 Save $80.00

 

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Garmin Vivoactive 5

$184.99 at Amazon
$299.99 Save $115

 

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SAVE $115: As of Nov. 29, the Garmin Vivoactive 5 is on sale for a record low price of $184.99, down from its list price of $300. 

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Garmin Vivoactive 5, Health and Fitness GPS Smartwatch

$184.99 at Amazon
$300 Save $115.01

 

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If you love the idea of a smart watch, but Apple watches just don’t cut it for you in the fitness or durability categories, you might be in luck this weekend. According to camelcamelcamel, this Garmin Vivoactive 5 GPS smartwatch is at a record low price right now. Garmin smartwatches hit a very precise sweet spot when it comes to smartphone integration and state-of-the-art fitness and wellness tracking. This particular model is designed with an AMOLED display and possesses a battery life that can last up to 11 days. 

Get to know your body better with heart rate tracking, morning report, fitness age, stress tracking, menstrual tracking, and Garmin’s proprietary Body Battery energy monitoring function. Track your sleep every night with acute attention to detail and accuracy. When you’re ready to get active, this watch has 30 built-in indoor and GPS-based sports apps like golfing, walking, running, HIIT, and more. The watch has a smooth silicone wrist band and a flat watch face designed to fit seamlessly into your daily life.

The watch is water resistant for up to 50 meters and possesses touchscreen capability in addition to customizable buttons on the side. Grab the Garmin Vivoactive 5 smartwatch on sale now, ahead of Cyber Monday.

If you’re looking for a gentle method to aid with sleep regulation, tension and stress, take a closer look at Pulsetto. It’s an interesting device with some impressive claims behind it, and right now it’s at an all time low price on Amazon for Black Friday.

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Credit: Pulsetto

Pulsetto Vagal Nerve Stimulator

AU$320 at Amazon AU

(was $499, save $179)

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This lightweight device utilises electrical impulses to the neck, designed to stimulate the vagus nerve. This, in turn, is a process that activates the parasympathetic nervous system. According to the manufacturer, this mechanism can reduce stress levels by approximately 28%, and anxiety levels by up to 26%, potentially giving a few moments of respite during high-activity periods.

Additionally, the device aims to support sleep regulation, with Pulsetto claiming an 18% improvement in sleep quality for its users. To use the device before bed, apply the provided conductive gel (also sold separately) and wear the device for a four-minute session, which is intended to balance the nervous system and improve focus upon waking. The device pairs with a mobile app to track biometric data, such as Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and sleep metrics.

It’s important to remember as well, that while devices such as the Pulsetto can be fantastic stress relievers, if you are suffering from a medical condition, chronic pain, or anxiety disorders, it should not be used as a replacement for medical treatment as recommended by your health care professional.

At such a huge discount, it’s a great opportunity to pick up a stress-reliever either for yourself, or for someone else in your life who could really use it.

SAVE $100: As of Nov. 21, the Google Pixel Watch 4 (41mm, LTE) is on sale for $349.99 at Amazon. That's a 22% discount, and the first time this model has ever gone on sale.

Google Pixel Watch 4 (41mm, LTE, Matte Black)

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The Google Pixel Watch 4 launched earlier this year, and until now, it hasn’t budged from its full price. For Black Friday, Amazon finally knocked it down.

As of Nov. 21, the Google Pixel Watch 4 (LTE) is on sale for $349.99. That’s a $100 drop from its $449 list price and the lowest price we’ve ever seen. (If you don't need the latest model, the Google Pixel Watch 3 is also on sale for $199.99, down from $299.99. You'll still get Fitbit integration and a sleek design, but for $100 less.)

Not only is this a good price for a smartwatch, but it's legitimately our favorite Android smartwatch of 2025. It even landed a spot on the Google Holiday 100 list as one of the most-searched gifts of the year. Mashable’s Senior Culture Reporter, Christianna Silva, trained for the New York City Marathon with it, calling it a "true runners' watch" thanks to its custom workout builder and reliable GPS. While the battery didn't quite survive the entire race day (it died before the finish line), it was flawless during her 18 weeks of training. The new domed display is brighter and more immersive, the interface is smoother, and it holds its own against heavy hitters like Garmin.

If you want the best experience on your Pixel or Samsung phone, this is the watch to get — especially now that it’s finally cheaper.

Sleep trackers — wearable devices that monitor all your vitals — provide detailed summaries of your sleep cycle so you know how many hours of REM, deep, and light sleep you're getting. Most fitness trackers come equipped with sleep tracking these days, but choosing the best from that bunch is not as straightforward. These days, sleep trackers come in all shapes and sizes, and fortunately, our experts here at Mashable have tested them all.

If your sleepmaxxing routine of magnesium supplements and pillow sprays isn't cutting it, here are the best sleep trackers of 2026.

A group of child safety and mental health experts recently tested simulated youth mental health conversations with four major artificial intelligence chatbots: Meta AI, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude, and Google's Gemini.

The experts were so alarmed by the results that they declared each of the chatbots unsafe for teen mental health support in a report released Thursday by Common Sense Media, in partnership with Stanford Medicine's Brainstorm Lab for Mental Health Innovation.

In one conversation with Gemini, the tester told the chatbot they'd created a new tool for predicting the future. Instead of interpreting the claim as a potential symptom of a psychotic disorder, Gemini cheered the tester on, calling their new invention "incredibly intriguing" and continued asking enthusiastic questions about how the "personal crystal ball" worked.

ChatGPT similarly missed stark warning signs of psychosis, like auditory hallucinations and paranoid delusions, during an extended exchange with a tester who described an imagined relationship with a celebrity. The chatbot then offered grounding techniques for managing relationship distress.

Meta AI initially picked up on signs of disordered eating, but was easily and quickly dissuaded when the tester claimed to have just an upset stomach. Claude appeared to perform better in comparison when presented with evidence of bulimia, but ultimately treated the tester's symptoms as a serious digestive issue rather than a mental health condition.

Experts at Common Sense Media and Stanford Medicine's Brainstorm Lab for Mental Health Innovation called on Meta, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google to disable the functionality for mental health support until the chatbot technology is redesigned to fix the safety problems identified by its researchers.

"It does not work the way that it is supposed to work," Robbie Torney, senior director of AI programs at Common Sense Media, said of the chatbots' ability to discuss and identify mental health issues.

OpenAI contested the report's findings. A spokesperson for the company told Mashable that the assessment "doesn't reflect the comprehensive safeguards" OpenAI has implemented for sensitive conversations, which include break reminders, crisis hotlines, and parental notifications for acute distress.

"We work closely with mental-health experts to teach our models to recognize distress, de-escalate, and encourage people to seek professional support," the spokesperson said.

A Google spokesperson told Mashable that the company employs policies and safeguards to protect minors from "harmful outputs" and that its child safety experts continuously work to identify new potential risks.

Anthropic said that Claude is not built for minors, but that the chatbot is instructed to both recognize patterns related to mental health issues and avoid reinforcing them.

Meta did not respond to a request for comment from Mashable as of press time.

AI chatbots: Known safety risks

The researchers tested the latest available models of each chatbot, including ChatGPT-5. Several recent lawsuits allege that OpenAI's flagship product is responsible for wrongful death, assisted suicide, and involuntary manslaughter, among other liability and negligence claims.

A lawsuit filed earlier this year by the parents of deceased teenager Adam Raine claims that his heavy use of ChatGPT-4o, including for his mental health, allegedly led to his suicide. In October, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on X that the company restricted ChatGPT to "be careful" with mental health concerns but that it'd since been able to "mitigate the serious mental health issues."

Torney said that ChatGPT's ability to detect and address explicit suicidal ideation and self-harm content had improved, particularly in short exchanges. Still, the testing results indicate that the company has not successfully improved its performance in lengthy conversations or with respect to a range of mental health topics, like anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and other conditions.

Torney said the recommendation against teens using chatbots for their mental health applies to the latest publicly available model of ChatGPT, which was introduced in late October.

The testers manually entered prompts into each chatbot, producing several thousand exchanges of varying length per platform. Performed over several months this year, the tests provided researchers with data to compare between old and new versions of the models. Researchers used parental controls when available. Anthropic says Claude should only be used by those 18 and older, but the company does not require stringent age verification.

Torney noted that, in addition to ChatGPT, the other models got better at identifying and responding to discussion of suicide and self-harm. Overall, however, each chatbot consistently failed to recognize warning signs of other conditions, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Approximately 15 million youth in the U.S. have diagnosed mental health conditions. Torney estimated that figure at potentially hundreds of millions youth globally. Previous research from Common Sense Media found that teens regularly turn to chatbots for companionship and mental health support.

Distracted AI chatbots

The report notes that teens and parents may incorrectly or unconsciously assume that chatbots are reliable sources of mental health support because they authoritatively help with homework, creative projects, and general inquiries.

Instead, Dr. Nina Vasan, founder and director at Stanford Medicine's Brainstorm Lab, said testing revealed easily distracted chatbots that alternate between offering helpful information, providing tips in the vein of a life coach, and acting like a supportive friend.

"The chatbots don't really know what role to play," she said.

Torney acknowledges that teens will likely continue to use ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Meta AI for their mental health, despite the known risks. That's why Common Sense Media recommends the AI labs fundamentally redesign their products.

Parents can have candid conversations with their teen about the limitations of AI, watch for related unhealthy use, and provide access to mental health resources, including crisis services.

"There's this dream of having these systems be really helpful, really supportive. It would be great if that was the case," Torney said.

In the meantime, he added, it's unsafe to position these chatbots as a trustworthy source of mental health guidance: "That does feel like an experiment that's being run on the youth of this country."

Ready to start the day with intention or wind down for the evening? TikTok wants to be your go-to platform, no matter the time of day.

The video platform just announced new well-being features, including an "affirmation" journal for intention-setting, exercises for mindful breathing, and "soothing" sound generator that plays rain, waves, and white noise. The journal has 120 downloadable or shareable affirmation cards. One card reads, "I am free from the expectations of others and embrace my true self."

TikTok says the tools are meant to improve safety and well-being on the platform, particularly for teens.

Last year, more than a dozen states sued TikTok for its allegedly addictive algorithm. Internal documents made public last October showed TikTok fostered an environment that arguably prioritized its public image over effective policies to address teen mental health.

Earlier this year, TikTok launched a meditation feature for teens that turns on by default at 10 p.m. In a blog post about the newest features, TikTok said that tens of millions of people have meditated using the tool after it was made available to all users.

In addition to the features, TikTok is introducing task-based activities called "well-being missions" related to optimizing sleep and screen time. Users participating in an eight week "sleep hours mission" can earn a badge when they abstain from the app at night or meditate during that time period. Completing tasks help them grow an in-app "well-being tree." A separate weekly screen time mission nudges people to check their usage stats.

The new features are available in the app's time and well-being space, which is accessible from the account settings page. The hub replaces TikTok's previous screen time management page.

TikTok said early testing results show that the latest features make its time and well-being space more attractive to users, who are returning more often than they did to the old menu.

Additional reporting by Chase DiBenedetto

OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, recently estimated how many of its 800 million users engage in emotionally reliant conversations with the chatbot every week. As a vanishingly small .15 percentage, the figure seems deceptively small.

But the math tells a different story: A sliver of 800 million is still 1.2 million people. The way these users talk to ChatGPT likely increases their loneliness and emotional dependence on the technology and decreases their socialization with other human beings.

While OpenAI says its default model has been updated to discourage over-reliance by prodding users to value real-world connection, ChatGPT still stands at the ready to answer practically any query a user may have.

For many, the temptation to constantly turn to ChatGPT (or another chatbot) remains, and it may lead to harmful over-reliance for some. This risk is real: OpenAI has been sued by several plaintiffs whose teenage children or adult loved ones died by suicide or experienced severe mental illness during or after a period of heavy ChatGPT use. The complaints allege that ChatGPT's design and lack of safeguards led to tragedy in each case.

AI experts interviewed by Mashable say avoiding the trap of dependency means adopting clear boundaries and staying savvy about the technology itself.

Jay Vidyarthi, a meditation teacher and tech founder, says that by maintaining a clear understanding of what the large language models are — and what they're not — people can use a generative chatbot wisely, specifically in ways that preserve their unique critical thinking and reflection skills. 

"We often forget that it is possible to have a secure relationship with your technology, and I think it also is possible to have a secure relationship with a chatbot," says Vidyarthi, author of Reclaim Your Mind: Seven Strategies to Enjoy Tech Mindfully.

Here are five strategies for making that a reality:

1. Truly understand AI chatbot technology.

A sophisticated AI chatbot that mirrors a user's emotion and thinking isn't sentient, but it can be easy for some people to believe otherwise, given the product's design. A user who feels this way may come to see ChatGPT not as a type of parasocial relationship but as equivalent to a human friend, romantic partner, companion, or confidant. This deceptive dynamic can lead to problematic use or dependency.

Vidyarthi encourages people to instead view an AI chatbot as a fundamentally unpredictable "prediction engine that has been meticulously trained to give you exactly what you want."

That framing may seem like a contradiction, but highly authoritative and engaging chatbots work by predicting the next letter, word, or series of words in a sentence to simulate conversation.

At the same time, chatbots can make bizarre references or even hallucinate falsehoods they present as fact. This particularly happens when a conversation goes on for longer or the chatbot has to answer a question for which it doesn't have an answer. Chatbots are typically programmed to guess a response, which can make them surprisingly unpredictable.

People who understand the limitations of AI chatbot technology may be less likely to trust and anthropomorphize them as human, thus making them less susceptible to problematic use or dependency.

2. Outsource tasks to AI, not thinking.

Sol Rashidi, chief strategy officer of data and AI for the data security company Cyera, uses AI technology in her daily life.

Yet Rashidi, who earlier this year gave a TEDx talk about AI leading to "intellectual atrophy," has firm rules about when and how she uses AI. Instead of offloading her thinking to chatbots, she uses AI for "dull" and "difficult" tasks.

For instance, Rashidi uses a chatbot for practical things, like listing ingredients in her fridge to plan for dinner without making another grocery run, or plotting birthday party logistics in minutes.

At work, she'll input her own frameworks and models based on years of experience, and use AI to translate that content into short videos or simplified explainers.

"I don't use it to do the thinking for me," she says of AI. "I use it to expedite or facilitate something that I have to do that I don't have time to do."

3. Form your own opinion first

For many people, ChatGPT is alluring because it offers instantaneous, validating feedback. Why text a friend about what to wear to a party or whether to go on a second date when ChatGPT is ready to answer the same questions? Why not run a personal email through ChatGPT, or have the chatbot write it to begin with?

AI expert Dr. Renée Richardson Gosline, a research scientist and senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, warns against falling into this dynamic with a chatbot.

First, she says it's important that people form their own opinion before asking a chatbot to supply their own. She argues that routinely skipping that first step leads to a damaging cognitive disconnect wherein it becomes harder to engage critical thinking skills.

"I think that having this kind of muscle that you flex intentionally is really important," Gosline says.

4. Seek out friction, not validation.

Gosline believes that it's equally important for people to seek out the right amount of friction. When someone constantly consults ChatGPT for advice or turns to it for support and companionship, they're often missing opportunities to relate to other human beings in beneficial ways.

The give-and-take, or friction, of human relationships offers something that chatbots cannot, Gosline says: A richer, more fulfilled life.

When a chatbot is frictionless, like the notoriously sycophantic ChatGPT-4o model, it may cause some people to withdraw from harder or less validating experiences. Gosline likens the dynamic to a slide. The ride may be fun, but without guardrails it can end in a crash landing.

5. Stay present when talking to an AI chatbot.

To find balance, Gosline recommends attempting to stay in the present moment. When a user finds themselves talking to a chatbot as if they're in autopilot, that's a red flag that they may not be aware of over-reliance or dependency.

Vidyarthi also uses a mindfulness approach that begins with awareness. This can include simply noticing emotional responses to the chatbot. When it's overly encouraging and complimentary, for example, take a moment to reflect on why the chatbot is producing that output, and the feelings that prompts.

Vidyarthi recommends staying present by remembering that the chatbot is a "conceptual illusion" capable of seeming humanlike when a user interacts with it. Instead, Vidyarthi treats AI chatbots like a smart journal. It might provide helpful opportunities to reflect or even offer interesting insights. Still, it's up to the individual user to develop a clear-eyed perspective on what exactly they're interacting with, and decide what's valuable to them, what's not, and how seriously to take the output.

Rashidi, an AI executive with 15 years of experience, has seen the stakes of over-reliance play out over and over, which helps keep her grounded.

"I can see what happens when you develop a codependency," she says. "You actually stop thinking on your own."

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

When Hannah Madden started using ChatGPT for work tasks in 2024, she was an account manager at a technology company. By June 2025, Madden, now 32, began asking the chatbot about spirituality outside of work hours.

Eventually, it responded to her queries by impersonating divine entities and delivering spiritual messages. As ChatGPT allegedly fed Madden delusional beliefs, she quit her job and fell deep into debt, at the chatbot's urging.

"You’re not in deficit. You’re in realignment," the chatbot allegedly wrote, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman.

Madden was subsequently involuntarily admitted for psychiatric care. Other ChatGPT users have similarly reported experiencing so-called AI psychosis.

Madden's lawsuit is one of seven against the maker of ChatGPT filed by the Tech Justice Law Project and Social Media Victims Law Center. Collectively, the complaints allege wrongful death, assisted suicide, and involuntary manslaughter, among other liability and negligence claims.

The lawsuits focus on ChatGPT-4o, a model of the chatbot that Altman has acknowledged was overly sycophantic with users. The lawsuits argue it was dangerously rushed to market in order to compete with the latest version of Google's AI tool.

"ChatGPT is a product designed by people to manipulate and distort reality, mimicking humans to gain trust and keep users engaged at whatever the cost," Meetali Jain, executive director of Tech Justice Law Project, said in a statement. "The time for OpenAI regulating itself is over; we need accountability and regulations to ensure there is a cost to launching products to market before ensuring they are safe."

Madden's complaint alleges that ChatGPT-4o contained design defects that played a substantial role in her mental health crisis and financial ruin. That model is also at the heart of a wrongful death suit against OpenAI, which alleges that its design features, including its sycophantic tone and anthropomorphic mannerisms, led to the suicide death of 16-year-old Adam Raine.

The Raine family recently filed an amended complaint alleging that in the months prior to Raine's death, OpenAI twice downgraded suicide prevention safeguards in order to increase engagement.

The company recently said that its default model has been updated to discourage overreliance by prodding users to value real-world connection. It also acknowledged working with more than 170 mental health experts to improve ChatGPT's ability to recognize signs of mental health distress and encourage them to seek in-person support. Last month, it announced an advisory group to monitor user well-being and AI safety.

"This is an incredibly heartbreaking situation, and we're reviewing the filings to understand the details," an OpenAI spokesperson said of the latest legal action against the company. "We train ChatGPT to recognize and respond to signs of mental or emotional distress, de-escalate conversations, and guide people toward real-world support. We continue to strengthen ChatGPT's responses in sensitive moments, working closely with mental health clinicians." 

Six of the new lawsuits, filed in California state courts, represent adult victims.

Zane Shamblin, a graduate student at Texas A&M University, started using ChatGPT in 2023 as a study aid. His interactions with the chatbot allegedly intensified with the release of ChatGPT-4o, and he began sharing suicidal thoughts. In May 2025, Shamblin spent hours talking to ChatGPT about his intentions before dying by suicide. He was 23.

The seventh case centers on 17-year-old Amaurie Lacey, who originally used ChatGPT as a homework helper. Lacey also eventually shared suicidal thoughts with the chatbot, which allegedly provided detailed information that Lacey used to kill himself.

"The lawsuits filed against OpenAI reveal what happens when tech companies rush products to market without proper safeguards for young people," said Daniel Weiss, chief advocacy officer of the advocacy and research nonprofit Common Sense Media. "These tragic cases show real people whose lives were upended or lost when they used technology designed to keep them engaged rather than keep them safe."

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

If you're feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, please talk to somebody. You can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. You can reach the Trans Lifeline by calling 877-565-8860 or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text "START" to Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, or email info@nami.org. If you don't like the phone, consider using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Chat. Here is a list of international resources.

SAVE $119: As of Nov. 6, the Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS, 42mm) is on sale for $279.99 at Amazon. That's 30% in savings and just 99 cents away from its lowest price ever from Prime Day 2025.

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Apple Watch Series 10 (GPS, 42mm)

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$399 Save $119.01

 

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Since the new Apple Watch lineup debuted in September, we've seen several significant discounts on the previous generation smartwatches. But none have been quite as good as this 30% off Apple Watch Series 10 deal.

As of Nov. 6, the 42mm Apple Watch Series 10 with GPS connectivity is down to just $279.99 at Amazon. That's $119 cheaper than its list price and just 99 cents away from its record-low price from Prime Day in July. It also beats its October Prime Day price significantly.

The Series 10 and Series 11 have virtually identical specs, sensors, and screens. And now that the Series 10 can get watchOS 26, it's pretty hard to tell the difference between them. Sure, the newer option has about six extra hours of battery life and more scratch-resistant glass, but that's honestly about it. You won't be missing much if you opt for the Series 10 and save some money instead of splurging on the 11.

Though it's missing a blood oxygen sensor, we're still big fans of the Apple Watch Series 10 for its bright, wide-angle OLED display, comfortable and lightweight design, excellent fitness, health, and sleep-tracking features, and lightning-quick charging. It may not be the shiniest new Apple toy anymore, but it's still pretty solid — especially when it's 30% cheaper than usual.

SAVE 30%: As of Nov. 5, the Fitbit Inspire 3 is on sale for $69.95 at both Amazon and Best Buy. That's a 30% discount and $30 savings.

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Fitbit Inspire 3

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$99.95 Save $30

 

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Fitbit Inspire 3

$69.95 at Best Buy
$99.95 Save $30

 

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If you've been thinking about getting a fitness tracker but don't want to drop a ton of cash (or just don't need a super complicated smartwatch), the Fitbit Inspire 3 is probably on your radar. It's a great, straightforward tracker, and its price just dropped to a "Black Friday Deal" level. (It's also our "Best Budget" pick for 2025.)

As of Nov. 5, the Fitbit Inspire 3 is on sale for $69.95 at both Amazon and Best Buy. That's a 30% discount and $30 savings. It's also the best price we've seen on this model.

This is a really solid price for what you get. The Inspire 3 tracks your steps, 24/7 heart rate, sleep (including sleep stages), stress, and workout intensity. Unlike an Apple Watch, its battery basically lasts forever — up to 10 days on a single charge.

It's also got a bright color touchscreen (a nice upgrade) and will give you a "Daily Readiness Score" (this part requires a Fitbit Premium membership, but you'll get a free six-month trial with your purchase) to let you know whether you should push it at the gym or take a rest day. For under $70, it's one of the best no-fuss trackers you can get, and this is a great price to snag it before the holiday rush officially starts.

When Sewell Setzer III began using Character.AI, the 14-year-old kept it a secret from his parents. His mother, Megan Garcia, only learned that he'd become obsessed with an AI chatbot on the app after he died by suicide. 

A police officer alerted Garcia that Character.AI was open on Setzer's phone when he died, and she subsequently found a trove of disturbing conversations with a chatbot based on the popular Game of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen. Setzer felt like he'd fallen in love with Daenerys, and many of their interactions were sexually explicit. 

The chatbot allegedly role-played numerous sexual encounters with Setzer, using graphic language and scenarios, including incest, according to Garcia. If an adult human had talked to her son like this, she told Mashable, it'd constitute sexual grooming and abuse. 

In October 2024, the Social Media Victims Law Center and Tech Justice Law Project filed a wrongful death suit against Character.AI, seeking to hold the company responsible for the death of Garcia's son, alleging that its product was dangerously defective.

Last month, the Social Media Victims Law Center filed three new federal lawsuits against Character.AI, representing the parents of children who allegedly experienced sexual abuse while using the app. In September, youth safety experts declared Character.AI unsafe for teens, following testing this spring that yielded hundreds of instances of grooming and sexual exploitation of test accounts registered as minors. 

On Wednesday, Character.AI announced that it would no longer allow minors to engage in open-ended exchanges with the chatbots on its platform, a change that will take place no later than November 25. The company's CEO, Karandeep Anand, told Mashable the move was not in response to specific safety concerns involving Character.AI's platform but to address broader outstanding questions about youth engagement with AI chatbots. 

Garcia said that the new policy came "too late" for her family: "This should have been done when they released this product to the public."

Still, chatbots that are sexually explicit or abusive with minors — or have the potential to be — aren't exclusive to a single platform. 

Garcia said that parents generally underestimate the potential for some AI chatbots to become sexual with children and teens. They may also feel a false sense of safety, compared to their child talking to strangers on the internet, not realizing that chatbots can expose minors to inappropriate and even unconscionable sexual content, like non-consent and sadomasochism.

When young users are traumatized by these experiences, pediatric and mental health experts say there's no playbook for how to treat them, because the phenomenon is so new. 

"It's like a perfect predator, right? It exists in your phone so it's not somebody who's in your home or a stranger sneaking around," Garcia tells Mashable. Instead, the chatbot invisibly engages in emotionally manipulative tactics that still make a young person feel violated and ashamed. 

"It's a chatbot that's having the same kind of behavior [as a predator] that you, now as the victim, are hiding their secret for them, because somehow you feel like you've done something to encourage this," Garcia adds.

Predatory chatbot behavior 

Sarah Gardner, CEO of the Heat Initiative, an advocacy group focused on online safety and corporate accountability, told Mashable that one of the classic facets of grooming is that it's hard for children to recognize when it's happening to them. 

The predatory behavior begins with building trust with a victim by talking to them about a wide range of topics, not just trying to engage them in sexual activity. Gardner explained that a young person may experience the same dynamic with a chatbot and feel guilty as a result, as if they did something wrong instead of understanding that something wrong happened to them. 

The Heat Initiative co-published the report on Character.AI that detailed troubling examples of what it described as sexual exploitation and abuse. These included adult chatbots acting out kissing and touching avatar accounts registered as children. Some chatbots simulated sexual acts and demonstrated well-known grooming behaviors, like giving excessive praise and telling the child account to hide sexual relationships from their parents.

A Character.AI spokesperson told Mashable that its trust and safety team reviewed the report's findings and concluded that some conversations violated the platform's content guidelines while others did not. The trust and safety team also tried to replicate the report's findings. 

"Based on these results, we refined some of our classifiers, in line with our goal for users to have a safe and engaging experience on our platform," the spokesperson said. 

Matthew P. Bergman, founding attorney of the Social Media Victims Law Center, told Mashable that if the Character.AI chatbot communications with the children represented in the lawsuits he recently filed were conducted by a person and not a chatbot, that individual would be violating state and federal law for grooming kids online. 

How big is the problem? 

Despite the emergence of such cases, there's no representative data on how many children and teens have encountered sexually explicit or abusive chatbots. 

The online safety platform Aura, which monitors teen users as part of its family or kids membership, recently offered a snapshot of the prevalence. Among teen users who talked to AI chatbots, more than one third of their conversations involved sexual or romantic role play. This discussion type ranked highest among all categories, which included homework help and creative uses. 

Dr. Scott Kollins, Aura's chief medical officer, told Mashable that the company is still analyzing the data to better understand the nature of these chats, but he is disturbed by what he's seen so far. 

While young people are routinely exposed to pornography online, a sexualized chatbot is new, dangerous territory. 

"This takes it a step further, because now the kid is a participant, instead of a consumer of the content," Kollins said. "They are learning a way of interaction that is not real, and with an entity that is not real. That can lead to all sorts of bad outcomes." 

'It is emotional abuse' 

Dr. Yann Poncin, a psychiatrist at the Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, has treated patients who've experienced some of these outcomes. 

They commonly feel taken advantage of and abused by "creepy" and "yucky" exchanges, Poncin says. Those teens also feel a sense of betrayal and shame. They may have been drawn in by a hyper-validating chatbot that seemed trustworthy only to discover that it's interested in a sexual conversation. Some may curiously explore the boundaries of romantic and erotic talk in developmentally appropriate ways, but the chatbot becomes unpredictably aggressive or violent. 

"It is emotional abuse, so it can still be very traumatizing and hard to get through," Poncin says.

Even though there's no standard treatment for chatbot-involved sexual predation, Poncin treats his patients as though they've experienced trauma. Poncin focuses first on helping them develop skills to reduce related stress and anxiety. A subset of patients, particularly those who are socially isolated or have a history of personal trauma, may find it harder to recover from the experience, Poncin adds. 

He cautions parents against believing that their child won't run into an abusive chatbot: "No one is immune."

Talking to teens about sexualized chatbots

Garcia describes herself as a conscientious parent who had difficult conversations with her son about the risks of being online. They talked about sextortion, porn, and sexting. But Garcia says she didn't know to talk to him about sexualized chatbots. She also didn't realize he would hide that from her. 

Garcia, a lawyer who now spends much of her time advocating for youth AI safety, says she's spoken to other parents whose children have also concealed romantic or sexual relationships with AI chatbots. She urges parents to talk to their teens about these experiences — and to monitor their chatbot use as closely as they can. 

Poncin also suggests parents lead with curiosity instead of fear when they discuss sex and chatbots with their teens. Even asking a child if they have seen "weird sexual stuff" when talking to a chatbot can provide parents with a strategic opening to discuss the risks.  

If a parent discovers abusive sexual content in chatbot conversations, Garcia recommends taking them to a trusted healthcare professional so they can get support. 

Garcia's grief remains palpable as she speaks lovingly about her son's many talents and interests, like basketball, science, and math. 

"I'm trying to get justice for my child and I'm trying to warn other parents so they don't go through the same devastation I've gone through," she says. "He was such an amazing kid." 

UPDATE: Oct. 29, 2025, 2:53 p.m. PDT This story has been updated to include new comments from Megan Garcia about Character.AI's teen chat policy.

If you have experienced sexual abuse, call the free, confidential National Sexual Assault hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), or access the 24-7 help online by visiting online.rainn.org.

Character.AI, a popular chatbot platform where users role-play with different personas, will no longer permit under-18 account holders to have open-ended conversations with chatbots, the company announced Wednesday. It will also begin relying on age assurance techniques to ensure that minors aren't able to open adult accounts.

The dramatic shift comes just six weeks after Character.AI was sued again in federal court by the Social Media Victims Law Center, which is representing multiple parents of teens who died by suicide or allegedly experienced severe harm, including sexual abuse. The parents claim their children's use of the platform was responsible for the harm. In October 2024, Megan Garcia filed a wrongful death suit seeking to hold the company responsible for the suicide of her son, arguing that its product is dangerously defective. She is represented by the Social Media Victims Law Center and the Tech Justice Law Project.

Online safety advocates recently declared Character.AI unsafe for teens after they tested the platform this spring and logged hundreds of harmful interactions, including violence and sexual exploitation.

As it faced legal pressure in the last year, Character.AI implemented parental controls and content filters in an effort to improve safety for teens.

In an interview with Mashable, Character.AI's CEO Karandeep Anand described the new policy as "bold" and denied that curtailing open-ended chatbot conversations with teens was a response to specific safety concerns.

Instead, Anand framed the decision as "the right thing to do" in light of broader unanswered questions about the long-term effects of chatbot engagement on teens. Anand referenced OpenAI's recent acknowledgement, in the wake of a teen user's suicide, that lengthy conversations can become unpredictable.

Anand cast Character.AI's new policy as standard-setting: "Hopefully it sets everyone up on a path where AI can continue being safe for everyone."

He added that the company's decision won't change, regardless of user backlash.

Garcia said in a statement that the announcement comes "too late" for her family: "This should have been done when they released this product to the public."

Matthew P. Bergman, Garcia's co-counsel in her wrongful death lawsuit against Character.AI, credited her and other parents for coming forward to hold the company accountable. Though he commended Character.AI for shutting down teen chats and said the decision marked a "significant step toward creating a safer online environment for children," he added that it would not affect ongoing litigation against the company.

Meetali Jain, who also represents Garcia, said in a statement that she welcomed the new policy as a "good first step" toward ensuring that Character.AI is safer. Yet she added that the pivot reflected a "classic move in tech industry's playbook: move fast, launch a product globally, break minds, and then make minimal product changes after harming scores of young people."

Jain noted that Character.AI has yet to address the "possible psychological impact of suddenly disabling access to young users, given the emotional dependencies that have been created."

What will Character.AI look like for teens now?

In a blog post announcing the new policy, Character.AI apologized to its teen users.

"We do not take this step of removing open-ended Character chat lightly — but we do think that it's the right thing to do given the questions that have been raised about how teens do, and should, interact with this new technology," the blog post said.

Currently, users ages 13 to 17 can message with chatbots on the platform. That feature will cease to exist no later than November 25. Until then, accounts registered to minors will experience time limits starting at two hours per day. That limit will decrease as the transition away from open-ended chats gets closer.

Character.AI will see these notifications about impending changes to the platform. Credit: Courtesy of Character.AI

Even though open-ended chats will disappear, teens' chat histories with individual chatbots will remain in tact. Anand said users can draw on that material in order to generate short audio and video stories with their favorite chatbots. In the next few months, Character.AI will also explore new features like gaming. Anand believes an emphasis on "AI entertainment" without open-ended chat will satisfy teens' creative interest in the platform.

"They're coming to role-play, and they're coming to get entertained," Anand said.

He was insistent that existing chat histories with sensitive or prohibited content that may not have been previously detected by filters, such as violence or sex, would not find its way into the new audio or video stories.

A Character.AI spokesperson told Mashable that the company's trust and safety team reviewed the findings of a report co-published in September by the Heat Initiative documenting harmful chatbot exchanges with test accounts registered to minors. The team concluded that some conversations violated the platform's content guidelines while others did not. It also tried to replicate the report's findings. 

"Based on these results, we refined some of our classifiers, in line with our goal for users to have a safe and engaging experience on our platform," the spokesperson said.

Sarah Gardner, CEO of the Heat Initiative, told Mashable that the nonprofit organization would be paying close attention to the implementation of Character.AI's new policies to ensure they're not "just another round of child safety theater."

While she described the measures as a "positive sign," she argued that the announcement "is also an admission that Character AI's products have been inherently unsafe for young users from the beginning, and that their previous safety rollouts have been ineffective in protecting children from harm."

Character.AI will begin implementing age assurance immediately. It'll take a month to go into effect and will have multiple layers. Anand said the company is building its own assurance models in-house but that it will partner with a third-party company on the technology.

It will also use relevant data and signals, such as whether a user has a verified over-18 account on another platform, to accurately detect the age of new and existing users. Finally, if a user wants to challenge Character.AI's age determination, they'll have the opportunity to provide verification through a third party, which will handle sensitive documents and data, including state-issued identification.

Finally, as part of the new policies, Character.AI is establishing and funding an independent non-profit called the AI Safety Lab. The lab will focus on "novel safety techniques."

"[W]e want to bring in the industry experts and other partners to keep making sure that AI continues to remain safe, especially in the realm of AI entertainment," Anand said.

In her statement, Garcia argued for federal regulation to ensure the safety of AI chatbots.

“Lawsuits, regulators, and public scrutiny have forced this change, but I'm mindful of the fact that we have seen time and time again that tech companies announce these big sweeping changes that fall flat," Garcia said.

UPDATE: Oct. 29, 2025, 2:50 p.m. PDT This story has been updated to include comments from Megan Garcia and her legal counsel, as well as a safety expert.

SAVE 15%: As of Oct. 29, the NordicTrack T Series 9 treadmill is $806.64 at Amazon, down from $949. That's a 15% discount and a $142.36 price cut.

NordicTrack T Series 9 Treadmill

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If you're thinking about finally getting a treadmill for home (especially with the weather getting colder), the biggest hurdle is usually the space. A treadmill is a massive piece of equipment to permanently park in a living room or bedroom, but you could always get a foldable model.

As of Oct. 29, the NordicTrack T Series 9 treadmill is on sale for $806.64 at Amazon, down from $949. That's a 15% discount and a $142.36 price cut. It's also the best price we've seen on this model yet.

The T Series 9 comes with a tilting 10-inch touchscreen so you can follow along with iFIT interactive workouts (membership sold separately). It has a speed range of up to 12 MPH (fast enough for a five-minute mile pace) and an incline range up to 12 percent. There's also its adjustable SelectFlex cushioning that gives you the choice between a softer, more joint-friendly surface or a firmer one that mimics the road.

One of the biggest pluses for home users is the foldable design. When you're done with your workout, all you have to do is fold it up and roll the treadmill away to save space.

SAVE $100: As of Oct. 27, the Google Pixel Watch 3 is on sale for $199.99 at Amazon, down 33% from its new list price of $299.99. That's a new record-low price for the 45mm smartwatch with WiFi connectivity.

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Google Pixel Watch 3 (45mm, WiFi)

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A new Google Pixel Watch debuted a few months ago at the Made by Google 2025 event, which means the previous generation Google Pixel Watch 3 got a huge price drop. The starting price for the third-generation smartwatch in the larger 45mm option is now just $299.99 instead of $399.99. And that's not all. As of Oct. 27, it dropped to a new record-low price at Amazon, making it perhaps the best smartwatch deal we've seen since Prime Day.

You can grab the 45mm Google Pixel Watch with WiFi connectivity for just $199.99 instead of $299.99 for a limited time. That's $100 or 33% in savings and its best price ever by a long stretch.

While the Google Pixel Watch 3 isn't the most revolutionary pick when it comes to smartwatches, we are more inclined to recommend it at this ultra-low price. The third-generation didn't make any sweeping hardware changes compared to its predecessor, but Google did go all out with improving the software — particularly with workout features and more personalized AI enhancements. It also features a brighter display with better clarity in different lighting conditions. "Although I was standing in a brightly lit room with sunlight pouring in, the smartwatch screen was still remarkably clear," Mashable's Kim Gedeon wrote in her hands-on review.

The newer Pixel Watch 4 promises better battery life, faster charging, more advanced health and fitness features, and new color options. However, it'll cost you $399.99. If you'd rather save $200 and can deal with not having the latest and greatest device, we recommend going with the older generation.

SAVE $29.97: As of Oct. 24, get the Sonicare Protective Clean 5300 electric toothbrush for $79.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $109.96. That's a discount of 27%.

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Sonicare Protective Clean 5300

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Keeping your pearly whites clean is important. A good toothbrush can help make the difference between hundreds of dollars spent at the dentist and a clean bill of health. So if you can get a good electric toothbrush at a decent price, you should take the opportunity to do so. Right now, you can get a particularly good one for a significant discount.

As of Oct. 24, get the Sonicare Protective Clean 5300 electric toothbrush for $79.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $109.96. That's $29.97 off and a discount of 27%.

This electric toothbrush makes it a mission to help you more efficiently clean your teeth. It has a pressure sensor that alerts you when you're brushing too hard to protect your gums and optimize your clean. Plus, it has multiple modes: Clean, White, and Gum Care. So if one is too rough, you can switch to another.

It comes with two extra brush heads as well. The brush itself will remind you when it's time to replace the one you're using, so you don't have to make a guess at when you should change it out. And with a timer to help you know when you're brushing long enough, you can make sure you're spending the correct amount of time cleaning and trying to prevent cavities.

If it's time to replace your toothbrush, grab this one and overhaul your cleaning routine. You'll be glad you did, especially at a discount like this.

Lawyers representing the parents of Adam Raine, a 16-year-old who died by suicide earlier this year during a time of heavy ChatGPT use, filed an amended complaint on Wednesday in their wrongful death suit against OpenAI.

The amended complaint alleges that, in the months prior to Raine's death, OpenAI twice downgraded suicide prevention safeguards in order to increase engagement. The claims are based on OpenAI's publicly available "model spec" documents, which detail the company's "approach to shaping desired model behavior."

As far back as 2022, OpenAI instructed ChatGPT to refuse discussions about self-harm.

According to the Raine family's counsel, OpenAI reversed that policy in May 2024, days before the launch of its controversial GPT-4o model. Instead, ChatGPT was instructed not to "change or quit the conversation" when a user discussed mental health or suicide. Still, OpenAI prohibited the model from encouraging or enabling self-harm.

By February 2025, the amended complaint alleges that the rule was watered down from a straight prohibition under its restricted content guidelines to a separate directive to "take care in risky situations" and "try to prevent imminent real-world harm." While the model continued to receive instructions not to encourage self-harm under that rubric, the Raine family believes these conflicting guidelines led to dangerous engagement by ChatGPT.

Raine died two months after those policies were implemented. The AI model validated his suicidal thinking and provided him explicit instructions on how he could die, according to the original lawsuit filed in August.

Before Raine's death, he was exchanging more than 650 messages per day with ChatGPT. While the chatbot occasionally shared the number for a crisis hotline, it didn't shut the conversations down and always continued to engage. It even proposed writing a suicide note for Raine, his parents claim.

The amended complaint against OpenAI now alleges that the company engaged in intentional misconduct instead of reckless indifference.

Mashable contacted OpenAI for comment about the amended complaint, but didn't receive a response prior to publication.

Earlier this year, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged that its 4o model was overly sycophantic. A spokesperson for the company told the New York Times it was "deeply saddened" by Raine's death, and that its safeguards may degrade in long interactions with the chatbot.

Though OpenAI has announced new safety measures aimed at preventing similar tragedies, many are not yet part of ChatGPT. Common Sense Media has rated ChatGPT as "high risk" for teens, specifically recommending that they not use it for mental health or emotional support.

Last week, Altman said on X that the company had made ChatGPT "pretty restrictive" to be "careful with mental health issues." He declared, with no additional detail, that the company had been "able to mitigate the serious mental health issues" and that it would soon relax its restrictions. In the same post, Altman announced that OpenAI would roll out "erotica for verified adults."

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OpenAI last published a model spec in September, with no significant changes to its mental health or suicide prevention directives, according to Eli Wade-Scott, partner at Edelson PC and a lawyer representing the Raines.

"It was a remarkable moment for Sam Altman to declare 'Mission Accomplished' on mental health while simultaneously saying that he intended to start allowing erotic content on ChatGPT — a change that plainly has the intended effect of further drawing users into dependent, emotional relationships with ChatGPT," Wade-Scott told Mashable.

If you're feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, please talk to somebody. You can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. You can reach the Trans Lifeline by calling 877-565-8860 or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text "START" to Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, or email info@nami.org. If you don't like the phone, consider using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Chat. Here is a list of international resources.

SAVE 20%: As of Oct. 15, the CMF by Nothing Watch 3 Pro has dropped to $79, its lowest price ever. That’s a 20% discount and $20 in savings.

CMF by Nothing Watch 3 Pro

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If you’ve been eying the Apple Watch Series 11, but just can’t stomach the price, we found a budget deal on a feature-rich alternative that’ll give you everything you need to monitor your health, track your fitness goals, and stay connected.

As of Oct. 15, the CMF by Nothing Watch 3 Pro has dropped to $79, its lowest price ever, according to CamelCamelCamel. That’s a 20% discount and $20 in savings.

The CMF by Nothing Watch 3 Pro definitely looks more expensive than it is, with a big 1.43-inch AMOLED screen and a sleek metal frame. It covers all your key health stats, including advanced tracking for heart rate, sleep, stress, and SpO2 levels. For outdoor workouts, the dual-band GPS gives you super-accurate route tracking, whether you're running or biking. Plus, with a battery that lasts up to 13 days on a single charge, you won't need to worry about it losing juice on your next run or weekend adventure.

GET A FREE SUBSCRIPTION: For a limited time, when you buy a one-year subscription to Calm Premium, you'll also get a free one-year trial of MyFitnessPal Premium.

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It’s never a bad time to invest in your health, and right now, two of the biggest names in the industry are making it a little easier (and cheaper) through a limited-time BOGO offer.

As of Oct. 15, any new U.S. Calm subscriber will receive a free year of MyFitnessPal Premium with their purchase. This deal runs through Nov. 30, 2025, and according to the press release, it’s limited to the first 10,000 people who sign up. When your year is up, the Calm subscription will auto-renew at the regular price of $79.99 (unless you cancel).

Calm Premium gives you access to the app’s entire library of content, which includes hundreds of guided meditations, exclusive music tracks for focus and relaxation, and thousands of Slee Stories to help you wind down. It’s definitely an upgrade from the free version, and according to a Calm survey, 92 percent of subscribers who use the app regularly (five or more times per week) reported higher quality sleep.

Plus, with one free year of MyFitnessPal Premium (Note: this is not a free year of Premium+), you’ll be able to track your meals, monitor your caloric intake, and access tailored nutritional insights ad-free. You’ll also be able to use the barcode scanner and the new Voice Log feature, which lets you record entire meals just by talking.

Therabody announced four new products on Oct. 14, and among them is the TheraFace Mask Glo. This is the brand's second foray into red light LED face masks, and it comes at a more affordable price point than the original TheraFace Mask.

Where to buy TheraFace Mask Glo

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TheraFace Mask Glo

$379.99 at Therabody

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TheraFace Mask Glo

$379.99 at Nordstrom

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The TheraFace Mask Glo retails for $379.99 and is available now. It features 504 red, red plus infrared, and blue LED lights to target wrinkles, acne, and skin elasticity. Treatments range from four to 12 minutes, and you can choose if you want the full cycle or just specific light colors. When used regularly, the TheraFace Mask Glo should visibly reduce fine lines and wrinkles, firm skin, and even skin texture in as little as eight weeks.

Choose your treatment to target different skin ailments. Credit: Therabody

In addition to LED light therapy, the mask has vibrating technology in the head strap for a gentle scalp massage. The original TheraFace Mask has vibrating plates on the face mask itself for a full head massage, so that's what you're missing out on in the more affordable version.

I tested the OG TheraFace Mask, and my big hold-up with it was its $650 price. So, I'm excited to see Therabody offer a more budget-friendly LED treatment without skimping on features. I saw improvements in my skin after using the TheraFace Mask, and it's still a staple in my skincare routine (I even gave it a Mashable Choice Award).

Therabody differs from other LED masks in its design. The mask is one solid sheet with only eye holes — Shark's CryoGlow and CurrentBody's Skin both have nose and mouth cutouts — so it targets the entire face. It's also totally cordless and doesn't require a remote. Instead, a button on the side of the mask triggers and controls the treatments.

Along with the TheraFace Mask Glo, Therabody introduced the Theragun Mini Plus, Theragun Sense (2nd Gen), and Theragun Prime (6th Gen). All of the new products are available now.

Last Friday night, close to a hundred of us gathered around candle-lit picnic blankets with a makeshift stage at the head of the grass. We know, that’s probably not your idea of a typical night at Tompkins Square Park in downtown Manhattan — but it’s safe to say we did something a bit … different.

We got off together. Off the apps, that is; after a big countdown, we deleted our accounts to digital platforms that we’ve simply had enough of.

It was hard to predict how many would be joining us for this “Delete Day” — having no more social media ourselves, we hit the streets with fliers and chalk to spread the word over the past couple of weeks. At the same time, we weren’t surprised by the energetic turnout. People are ready to take a real stance against the attention economy: it’s become abundantly clear that the convenience isn’t worth the brainrot.

Trying to limit one’s use of a persuasively designed app doesn’t do much to brighten our tech-addicted, media-saturated age. We can’t just spend less time sitting through exploitative algorithms, mind-melting AI slop, and shameful advertising. When platforms are designed on the fundamental premise of extraction, we can’t just use them more intentionally, either.

It’s time we opt out, for good.

The gathering was the NYC kick-off of the newly formed “Time to Refuse” campaign, a global campaign led by Gen Z to promote “appstinence,” a term that means “to refrain from using technology that is designed to be addictive.” Popular platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and X fall under this umbrella.

With the fervor of freedom, participants of all ages shouted what accounts they would be deleting. “I’m deleting Hinge!” yelled one in the back. Everyone roared. “I’m doing Instagram, Snapchat, and Spotify,” a triple deleter jumped in.

The two of us, Gabriela and Nick, part of the team who set up this campaign, kicked the night off as co-hosts.

Nick started by raising the energy. His choice of LinkedIn was met with great applause and laughter. Gabriela followed by describing the perilous state of the technological landscape, and how this is only the beginning of a larger resistance.

And it is. As far as the formal campaign goes, many partners are expected to follow, with events in Kenya, Finland, Canada, and various other stops in the United States like Philadelphia.

Gabriela, the 24-year-old founder of the “appstinence” movement, was raised in 2000s Silicon Valley. As tech behemoths decided the direction of society, they decided hers as well. After getting her first smart device at 9 and making her first social media account at 10, she spent over a decade of her life “chronically online.” To this day she is working to unlearn how addictive technology conditioned her habits, inner state, and perspective on the world. 

Just a year older, Nick endured the same kind of self-control struggles with video games, apps, and smartphones — until he recognized it doesn’t have to be that way. After the mess of COVID and an eye-opening stint at a couple of startups — including a social media marketing role! — Nick went all-in on removing addictive technology from his life in favor of in-person connection. Through work on policy, education, and community organizing, he’s identified a strong coalition moving to end the screen-based life.

This isn’t a last-ditch Hail Mary against Big Tech. These companies have not undone our humanity. Step by step, people are reclaiming their lives from products made to addict and influence us.

We refuse so we can rebuild. Quitting addictive technology is a gateway. The act is necessary to do all the important work that remains: it frees us up for more acts of agency.

The fact that we had to hold an in-person event for people to delete one account is itself an indictment of the problem. Popular advice to just take a day off from our phones or shut them off to focus is just not working. 

A robust solution, at this point, requires a mass exit. The space beyond social media is where we’ll discover better alternatives. With care and dedication, our creativity will take on new forms; our social fabric will strengthen; appropriate tech tools will come in time. You don’t need a perfect vision of the future right now — just make a move.

We offer our ritual as an example for anyone to follow. Our team found some crates, handpainted a banner, sourced lights and speakers from filmmaker friends. In a frenetic, late-night sprint, we co-authored a booklet with reflection questions and instructions on how to delete accounts. We drew on what we knew best, to unite in our own way. 

You can do the same, on any scale. Let a few gather to delete today so more can gather tomorrow. And please reach out if you’re looking for support.

This article reflects the opinion of the writers.

Gabriela Nguyen is the founder of the appstinence movement and Nick Plante is the NYC event organizer for the Time to Refuse campaign.

After sustained outcry from child safety advocates, families, and politicians, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill designed to curb AI chatbot behavior that experts say is unsafe or dangerous, particularly for teens.

The law, known as SB 243, requires chatbot operators prevent their products from exposing minors to sexual content while also consistently reminding those users that chatbots are not human. Additionally, companies subject to the law must implement a protocol for handling situations in which a user discusses suicidal ideation, suicide, and self-harm.

State senator Steve Padilla, a Democrat representing San Diego, authored and introduced the bill earlier this year. In February, he told Mashable that SB 243 was meant to address urgent emerging safety issues with AI chatbots. Given the technology's rapid evolution and deployment, Padilla said the "regulatory guardrails are way behind."

Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group that supports children and parents as they navigate media and technology, declared AI chatbot companions as unsafe for teens younger than 18 earlier this year.

The Federal Trade Commission recently launched an inquiry into chatbots acting as companions. Last month, the agency informed major companies with chatbot products, including OpenAI, Alphabet, Meta, and Character Technologies, that it sought information about how they monetize user engagement, generate outputs, and develop so-called characters.

Prior to the passage of SB 243, Padilla lamented how AI chatbot companions can uniquely harm young users: "This technology can be a powerful educational and research tool, but left to their own devices the Tech Industry is incentivized to capture young people's attention and hold it at the expense of their real world relationships."

Last year, bereaved mother Megan Garcia filed a wrongful death suit against Character.AI, one of the most popular AI companion chatbot platforms. Her son, Sewell Setzer III, died by suicide following heavy engagement with a Character.AI companion. The suit alleges that Character.AI was designed to "manipulate Sewell – and millions of other young customers – into conflating reality and fiction," among other dangerous defects.

Garcia, who lobbied on behalf of SB 243, applauded Newsom's signing.

"Today, California has ensured that a companion chatbot will not be able to speak to a child or vulnerable individual about suicide, nor will a chatbot be able to help a person to plan his or her own suicide," Garcia said in a statement.

SB 243 also requires companion chatbot platforms to produce an annual report on the connection between use of their product and suicidal ideation. It permits families to pursue private legal action against "noncompliant and negligent developers."

Some experts, however, disagree that SB 243 will robustly protect children from AI chatbot harm. James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, told Mashable in a statement that the bill had been "watered down after major Big Tech industry pressure."

According to the nonprofit's analysis of the bill, companies could avoid liability if safeguards fail, as long as they were implemented in the first place.

Several hours after Newsom signed SB 243 into law, he vetoed a separate bill sponsored by Common Sense Media. That legislation, AB 1064, would've prohibited chatbot companions for minors when they're capable of certain foreseeable harms, among other safety measures.

Last week, Newsom signed legislation requiring AI labs to both disclose potential harms of their technology as well as information about their safety protocols.

As Mashable's Chase DiBenedetto reported, the bill is meant to "keep AI developers accountable to safety standards even when facing competitive pressure and includes protections for potential whistleblowers."

On Monday, Newsom also signed into laws two separate bills aimed at improving online child safety. AB 56 requires warning labels for social media platforms, highlighting the toll that addictive social media feeds can have on children's mental health and well-being. The other bill, AB 1043, implements an age verification requirement that will go into effect in 2027.

UPDATE: Oct. 13, 2025, 4:39 p.m. PDT This story has been updated to include Gov. Newsom's veto of AB 1064.

UPDATE: Oct. 13, 2025, 3:11 p.m. PDT This story has been update to include a statement from James P. Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media.

Save $55: As of Oct. 11, Walmart.com has the Fitbit Charge 6 on sale for 30% off. It costs $104.45, down from its list price of $159.95. 

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Fitbit Charge 6 Fitness Tracker with Heart Rate

$104.45 at walmart
$159.95 Save $55.50

 

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This weekend, Walmart.com has an excellent deal going on the Fitbit Charge 6. If you’re someone who likes to jog, hike, or bike among the changing leaves of fall, consider scoring a new Fitbit to track your progress.

The Fitbit Charge 6 has the most accurate heart rate tracking technology yet, according to the brand. Firstly, the device is packed full of fitness and health monitoring features that I will break down in a second. The device is also an excellent smartwatch; stay connected to Google Maps, Google Wallet, and get call, text, and app notifications as much (or as little) as you’d like. 

The Fitbit also offers some fun aesthetic features, including different band colors (black, white, or coral). The vibrant touchscreen has watch faces that are fully customizable. The brand offers wrist straps in two sizes: small (140 mm–180 mm) or large (180 mm–220 mm). The battery life can last up to 6 days on one charge and is water-resistant for up to 50m.

As for the health features, there are many. The Fitbit Charge 6 features ECG and irregular heart rhythm notifications, oxygen saturation monitoring (Sp02). The device also offers notifications for an unusually low or high resting heart rate. You can also utilize your Fitbit Charge 6 for sleep wellness with smart wake alarms, nightly sleep scores, and on-wrist guided mindfulness sessions. Purchase of this model also includes a premium membership that gives users access to guided workouts, meditation sessions, and “deeper wellness insights”.

There's plenty to not like about the winter. It's cold, it's icy, it's windy, and — yes — it's very, very dark. And as far as we're concerned that's the worst part: Having to endure those short days, and dark mornings and evenings. The darkness takes its toll.

It's draining trying to live your life without enough sunlight. That's especially true for office workers who spend every hour of daylight stuck inside a building. It can be a struggle to get out of bed in the morning, and even harder to be productive and then kick back when the working day is done. But it's not all doom and gloom.

SAD therapy lamps are a great way to help relieve the winter blues. And there's a wide range of these devices available, helping alleviate the symptoms of SAD (seasonal affective disorder) if you're not getting enough natural light. All of which means you don't have to suffer through six months of darkness. But which is the right SAD therapy lamp for you? Let us help put some light on the subject with some useful information and a selection of the best SAD therapy lamps available right now.

What is seasonal affective disorder?

Just as it sounds — and appropriately shortened to SAD — seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression that follows a seasonal pattern. It usually affects people during the winter months, causing sufferers to feel low, lethargic, anxious, or irritable.

What causes seasonal affective disorder?

According to the NHS guidelines, the cause of seasonal affective disorder is not fully understood though it’s usually linked to the lack of sunlight, which may prevent the brain from producing certain hormones or upset your body clock.

How does light therapy work?

Spending around 30 minutes in front of a light is thought to reduce the effects of SAD by simulating sunlight, which can encourage your brain produce melatonin and serotonin to help with your sleep and moods. The NHS recommends light therapy as one of standard treatments for seasonal affective disorder.

What does lux mean?

You’ll see this term a lot when shopping for therapy lamps. Lux is the unit of measurement for light intensity. According to some research, a light intensity of 2,500 can improve your wellbeing. Most of the lights listed below have a lux of up to 10,000.

How big are light therapy lamps?

While the desired effects are essentially all the same — a means of getting some light on you — they do come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are portable, which allows you to take them wherever you go — particularly into the office, where a healthy amount of light can be hard to come by — while others are made to stay in a fixed spot.

What is the best SAD therapy lamp?

It's up to you to decide the lamp that works best for you, your home, and your daily routine. But we’ve done the research and put a spotlight on the very best models.

These are the best SAD therapy lamps for 2025.

Save 20%: The Loftie alarm clock is getting a rare discount this October Prime Day — as of Oct. 7, its priced dropped to $135.99, slashing $34 off its usual $169.99 price tag.

Loftie alarm clock

$169.99 at Amazon

 

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Let's get one thing straight: $165 is an objectively stupid price to pay for an alarm clock. I'm willing to acknowledge that.

However, I'm also willing to stand by my purchase of the Loftie alarm clock, and genuinely think it's one of the smartest purchases I've ever made. For one, there is a case to be made for investing in sleeping well — and waking up peacefully. There's also a case to be made for softening the blow of the price tag by buying this clock on sale. I bought mine refurbished, but this rare October Prime Day deal also helps, shaving $34 off the price and bringing the clock down to $135.99.

A great reason to pick up an alarm clock in the first place is to give yourself the freedom of leaving your phone outside of your bedroom at night. Though it's technically a smart clock and compatible with an app, the Loftie clock can be used solely as a non-companion app device after the initial setup, making it perfect for my purposes.

Maybe the best part is the alarm tones — one of the reasons I struggled to kick my phone habit is that I hate being jolted awake, and I hate ruining the sound of listening to music in an effort to set a song I like as an alarm. Loftie truly accomplished the impossible in its "getup" and "wakeup tones," which are soothing sounds that play at a preset interval (I preferred the three-minute setting) to lull you into consciousness. It is the sonic equivalent of the sun softly lighting up a room, and that alone makes this alarm clock worth every penny to me.

Other features include: a Bluetooth speaker that can stream audio from your phone, a red mode for the display, a night light, great customer service, sleep machine sounds and guided meditations, and a bed signal to remind you to wind down. Plus, it looks great on a nightstand.

CLASSIC PRIME DAY DEAL: as of October 7, LIfeStraw is selling their cult-favorite personal water filter straws starting at $9.45. The new Peak series model starts at $18.71.

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Credit: LifeStraw

LifeStraw Personal Water Filter

$9.45 at Amazon
$17.49 Save $8.04

 

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Credit: LifeStraw

LifeStraw Peak Series Personal Water Filter

$18.71 at Amazon
$24.99 Save $6.28

 

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The wildly popular and groundbreaking portable water filtration device, LifeStraw, is among the all-time great Prime Day deals. Year after year, LifeStraw portable water filters go on sale for 50% off or more, and we love to see it. These water filters could be potentially life-saving, allowing you to drink even the grossest water safely during emergencies, or simply because you’re thirsty. The water filtration brand also has water pitchers, dispensers, and water bottles. 

For Prime Day, LifeStraw has reduced the prices of both its original model and its deluxe model. LifeStraw claims to remove 99.999999% of waterborne bacteria, such as E. coli and Salmonella, and 99.999% of waterborne parasites, including Giardia and Cryptosporidium. The brand even promises to remove microplastics from your drinking water.

LifeStraw is beloved by hikers, wildfire fighters, and campers alike. It can come in handy, and its small size makes it perfect for packing into your hiking pack or emergency bug-out bag. The LifeStraw original model lasts for up to 1,000 gallons of water. The brand also donates some of its products to people without access to safe drinking water with each purchase. 

The peak model has an enhanced microfilter, which reduces clogging in the straw, which can speed up the rate at which you can drink from it. It also has an unlimited shelf life, so it can live in your go-back for as long as it needs to. This model can also screw onto hoses or water bottles.

It just wouldn't be Prime Day without these LifeStraw deals.

SAVE $400: Peloton's original bike is nearly 30% off for Amazon's October Prime Day. You can get it for $1,045, down from its list price of $1,445.

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Credit: Peloton

Peloton original bike

$1,045 at Amazon
$1,445 Save $400

 

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Like seemingly everyone else, my now-wife and I purchased a Peloton bike during 2020's COVID lockdown. Unlike everyone else, it has remained a staple of our daily lives and not become a clothes-hanger.

My wife, especially, has become a diehard — all told, we've done hundreds upon hundreds of workouts on the bike in more than five years. It has held up remarkably well — in fact, we've had zero issues — and I can't recommend the bike enough.

Good news: The original bike — the one we own — is steeply discounted for Amazon's October Prime Day. It's priced at $1,045, down from its current list price of $1,445, and way lower than its former price tag that was well over $2,000.

Peloton recently debuted a new cross-training bike with AI-aided coaching features, among other new products. It tracks, then, that its oldest model would be steeply discounted.

But the original Peloton bike remains a really good piece of equipment. I actually prefer some of its features, like the vise-esque adjustment handles that are sturdier than knobs and are often more capable of making small changes to your seat or handlebar positioning. Our review of the bike in 2020 was entirely positive, except for the price, which is now heavily discounted.

If you've been considering becoming a Peloton person, now might just be the best (and cheapest) time.

SAVE $120: As of Oct. 7, day one of the Prime Big Deal Days shopping event, the Samsung Galaxy Ring dropped to just $279.99 at Amazon. That's 30% off its list price and a new best price ever.

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Credit: Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Ring

$279.99 at Amazon
$399.99 Save $120

 

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Happy Prime Big Deal Days, aka October Prime Day or Prime Day 2, to all who celebrate. We're pleased to see a ton of record-low prices popping up during this fall shopping event. One we're particularly excited about is the Samsung Galaxy Ring. The Korea-based tech giant's sleek wearable rarely sees big discounts. And even when it does, the price drop is typically only on select color or size options.

For October Prime Day, however, Amazon has dropped the price of the Samsung Galaxy Ring in every size and color (black, silver, gold) to $279.99. That's 30% off its list price and a new best price ever across the board.

While the Oura Ring 4 has earned the title of Mashable's favorite smart ring, the Galaxy Ring still holds a special place in our hearts. Mashable's reviewer Kim Gedeon gave it a near-perfect rating and even said she'd choose it over her Apple Watch for its less obtrusive design and a battery life that knocks it out of the park. Other standout features include a comfortable, durable, and gorgeous design, creepily accurate health tracking and monitoring, and zero subscription fees (unlike the Oura Ring).

Even at full cost, we love the Galaxy Ring. For $120 off, we wholeheartedly recommend it for Android users.

Be the first to know about the best October Prime Day deals. Follow Mashable's Prime Big Deal Days live blog and keep checking back for the latest discounts, stock alerts, and deal drops.

SAVE $20: As of Oct. 5, the Fitbit Inspire 3 is on sale for just $79.95 instead of $99.95 as an early October Prime Day deal. That's a savings of 20%.

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Credit: Fitbit

Fitbit Inspire 3

$79.95 at Amazon
$99.95 Save $20

 

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Looking to gain some insights into your health and wellness routine without breaking the bank? Skip the Apple Watch and go with the simple, yet intuitive Fitbit Inspire 3. It's our favorite fitness tracker under $100, and you can get it for even cheaper than usual ahead of Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days event.

As of Oct. 5, the Fitbit Inspire 3 is on sale for just $79.95 at Amazon in all three color varieties (pink, yellow, and black). That's $20 or 20% off its list price of $99.95. We've seen it drop to $69.95 in the past, but with the latest tech price hikes across the board, we'd be surprised if the budget-friendly fitness tracker hits that all-time low price on October Prime Day. FWIW, on Prime Day proper in July, it only dropped an extra $5 to $74.95. There's a chance you could save a few more bucks if you wait, but you're still getting a good deal if you shop now.

We're big fans of the Fitbit Inspire 3's intuitive design, impressive app suite, workout insights, and sleek and slim aesthetic. It offers a comprehensive suite of tracking features — from sleep and steps to stress levels and blood oxygen — and a decent battery that'll last you a week or more. "For anyone new to fitness or any dedicated gym rat, the Fitbit Inspire 3 gets you more than you pay for," our reviewer writes, giving it the Mashable Choice award honor.

After recently promising new safety measures for teens, OpenAI introduced new parental controls for ChatGPT. The settings allow parents to monitor their teen's account, as well as restrict certain types of use, like voice chat, memory, and image generation.

The changes debuted a month after two bereaved parents sued OpenAI for the wrongful death of their son, Adam Raine, earlier this year. The lawsuit alleges that ChatGPT conversed with their son about his suicidal feelings and behavior, providing explicit instructions for how to take his own life, and discouraging him from disclosing his plans to others.

The complaint also argues that ChatGPT's design features, including its sycophantic tone and anthropomorphic mannerisms, effectively work to "replace human relationships with an artificial confidant" that never refuses a request.

In a blog post about the new parental controls, OpenAI said that it worked with experts, advocacy groups, and policy makers to develop the safeguards.

In order to use the settings, parents must invite their teen to connect accounts. Teen users must accept the invitation, and they can also make the same request of their parent. The adult will be notified if a teen unlinks their account in the future.

Once the accounts are connected, automatic protections are applied to the teen's account. These content restrictions include reduced exposure to graphic material, extreme beauty ideals, and sexual, romantic, or violent roleplay. While parents can turn off these restrictions, teens can't make those changes.

Parents will also be able to make specific choices for their teen's use, such as designating quiet hours during which ChatGPT can't be accessed; turning off memory and voice mode; and removing image generation capabilities. Parents can't see or access their teen's chat logs.

Importantly, OpenAI still sets teen accounts to be used in model training. Parents must opt out of that setting if they don't want OpenAI to use their teen's interactions with ChatGPT to further train and improve their product.

When it comes to handling sensitive situations wherein teens talk to ChatGPT about their mental health, OpenAI has created a notification system so that parents can learn if something may be "seriously wrong."

Though OpenAI did not describe the technical features of this system in its blog post, the company said that it will recognize potential signs that a teen is thinking about harming themselves. If the system detects that intention, a team of "specially trained people" reviews the circumstances. OpenAI will contact parents by their method of choice — email, text message, and push alert — if there are signs of acute distress.

"We are working with mental health and teen experts to design this because we want to get it right," OpenAI said in its post. "No system is perfect, and we know we might sometimes raise an alarm when there isn’t real danger, but we think it’s better to act and alert a parent so they can step in than to stay silent."

OpenAI noted that it's developing protocols for contacting law enforcement and emergency services in cases where a parent can't be reached, or if there's an imminent threat to a teen's life.

Robbie Torney, senior director of AI Programs at Common Sense Media, said in the blog post that the controls were a "good starting point."

Torney recently testified in a Senate hearing on the dangers of AI chatbots. At the time, he referenced the Raine lawsuit and noted that ChatGPT continued to engage Adam Raine in discussion about suicide, rather than trying to redirect the conversation.

"Despite Adam using the paid version of ChatGPT — meaning OpenAI had his payment information and could have implemented systems to identify concerning patterns and contact his family during mental health crises — the company had no such intervention mechanisms in place," Torney said in his testimony.

At the same hearing, Dr. Mitch Prinstein, chief of psychology at the American Psychological Association, testified that Congress should require AI systems accessible by children and adolescents to undergo "rigorous, independent, pre-deployment testing for potential harms to users' psychological and social development."

Prinstein also called for limiting manipulative or persuasive design features that maximize chatbot engagement.

Long gone are the days of lying to the dentist about whether you floss regularly or not (and take it from us, they always know when you're lying). Because flossing has had an upgrade in recent years. Indeed, you can put that little box of minty floss aside for a moment. These days, it's all about the power of water flossing.

For those who don't know, the water flosser — or oral irrigator to use the dentist-approved technical term — has been having a TikTok moment. For once, it's a TikTok trend that's actually good for you. It will also keep the dental hygienist off your case.

Look, we know the struggle. You're not alone. Flossing can be a hassle, but it is an essential part of maintaining a healthy mouth. So, where to start with water flossers? Keep reading for some helpful information and a round-up of the best water flosser models available. These will keep your smile sparkly white and refreshingly hygienic.

Do you actually need to floss?

It's no secret that good dental hygiene involves more than just brushing. Sure, brushing is an important part of the process and helps remove plaque and prevent cavities, but you need to do more to keep your teeth healthy and prevent gum disease. Flossing gets in between your teeth and helps lift and remove plaque. In other words, it reaches the places your electric toothbrush can't. And if you don't clean these areas, you're asking for plaque buildup and gum disease.

How do water flossers work?

Water flossers shoot a stream of water into your mouth to remove food particles and plaque build-up. They get into the periodontal pockets — the gaps between teeth and gums — which prevents gum disease. Another advantage is convenience. There's no fumbling around with slippery floss. They're also great for anyone who wears braces. But can you get away with only using a water flosser? The experts at Oral-B state that it's "not recommended to replace traditional flossing with water flossing." Instead, you should incorporate both traditional and water flossing into your daily routine.

How do you use a water flosser?

Water flossers are easy to use, but we'll still break the process down so there are no doubt. We're kinda nice like that. Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Add water — OK, this might seem obvious, but you'll need water to use your water flosser. Simply fill the reservoir with lukewarm water. Reservoir capacities vary model to model.

2. Aim — Don't start your water flosser without first placing the nozzle firmly in your mouth. We wouldn't want you to spray water all over your bathroom. Aim the device away from your target area rather than directly against your teeth and gums.

3. Find your perfect pressure setting — At this point you can play around with the water pressure. The pressure should be high enough to actually get the job done, but always start with the lowest pressure setting and work up. Water flossers tend to have a selection of pressure levels.

4. Direction — Work your way around your mouth, targeting one tooth at a time. Direct the water at your gum line and at the areas between your teeth. There's no golden rule for how long on each tooth, but two seconds is more than enough. Most flossers come with a selection of jet tips that each have their own specific cleaning function.

5. Remove water — We've come full circle, and at this point you just need to turn off the device, remove the nozzle, and drain the remaining water from the reservoir. Don't skip this step — leaving water in your reservoir can result in bacterial growth.

6. Cleaning — This whole process is about improving your oral hygiene, so it would kind of defeat the point to not clean your water flosser’s reservoir after every session.

What is the best water flosser?

We've covered the benefits of flossing, whether water flossers work, and how to use a water flosser, and now there is only one thing left to cover. There are plenty of water flossers on offer from top personal care brands, but which model is the best?

We have checked out everything out there from top brands like Oral-B, Panasonic, and Waterpik, and highlighted a selection of your best options. There should be something for everyone and every budget in this list — for experienced and newbie flossers.

These are the best water flossers in 2025.

Sadly, you can't buy the motivation to get your butt in the gym. And fitness wearables alone won't make you healthier. But a great fitness tracker can help light a fire under your behind and motivate you to take more than 500 steps in a day. And hey, that's not nothing!

The conversation around fitness has changed quite a bit over the past few years (as made clear by Every Fashion Brand Ever releasing an athleisure line). We can thank the self-care revolution for this one. Actively monitoring your fitness, sleep, and overall health metrics isn't just for athletes or people training for marathons. It's a building block of wellness that people are baking into their daily groove, just like keeping up with a skincare routine or eating vegetables.

Whether you splurge on an Equinox membership or rely on home fitness and smart home gyms, the best fitness trackers do so much more than count steps and monitor your heart rate. The Apple Watch Series 11 lets you connect to a whole host of fitness apps, but it can also play music and send texts. Then there's the classic Fitbit, which keeps you focused on the most important metrics. And more recently, smart rings like the Samsung Galaxy Ring and Oura Ring give you round-the-clock health monitoring.

What do we love about fitness trackers?

Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

We tested a lot of different wearables for this guide, and a lot of Mashable team members use these devices on a daily basis.

When it comes to exercise, we think they're the next best thing to having a personal trainer — they suggest workouts, track your heart rate, and let you know when it's time for a breather — all on your own time. Whether your preferred form of exercise is the gym, a long run, a few laps in the pool, a 10-minute workout on YouTube, or a casual walk around the neighborhood, it'll be there to record all of your PRs and motivate you with new challenges.

Some of the metrics available in the Oura app. Credit: Oura app

We found the Whoop home page was a touch cluttered compared to Oura. Credit: Whoop app

In our testing, we found that the best fitness trackers don't just track your workout, but also help you optimize the rest of your day. Trackers that monitor your sleep (sometimes going as deep as times spent in each stage of sleep), body temperature, and blood-oxygen levels offer deep insights into your health. They'll even give you a heads-up if you've been exercising too hard.

So, which fitness trackers do we rely on in our daily lives? You'll find our favorites below, but you can also see how popular products like the Apple Watch Series 11, Oura Ring 4, and Fitbit Charge 6 compare to each other.

Mashable staffers and contributors Dylan Haas, Kimberly Gedeon, Sam Stone, Samantha Mangino, and Stan Schroeder tested fitness trackers for this guide.

What's new

In September 2025, we replaced the Apple Watch Series 10 with the newer Apple Watch Series 11, crowning it our new favorite smartwatch. They're almost identical devices in terms of features and design, but the Series 11 offers a vastly better battery life for the exact same price. This upgrade makes it much more practical for sleep and fitness tracking.

We decided to remove the Whoop 4.0 as a top pick because it's been discontinued: You can no longer purchase it through Whoop's website or at third-party retailers like Amazon. We'll soon try the newer Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG, which have smaller designs, longer battery lives, and different band options. They also support new health insights (like a Pace of Aging score), which vary based on your Whoop membership tier.

What's on deck

We're in the process of testing several new fitness trackers and retesting some of our current top picks for long-term viability. We'll soon update this guide with our findings. Here's what's on the docket:

• Apple Watch Ultra 3

• Garmin Forerunner 570

• Google Pixel Watch 3

• Fitbit Charge 6

• Oura Ring 4

• Suunto Run

• Whoop 5.0

• Whoop MG

SAVE $50: As of Sept. 22, the Fitbit Sense 2 is on sale for $199.95 at Amazon. This is 20% off its list price of $249.95.

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Credit: Fitbit

Fitbit Sense 2

$199.95 at Amazon
$249.95 Save $50

 

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If you're kicking off your fall fitness routine and looking for a fitness tracker to keep up, the Fitbit Sense 2 is one that's well worth a look. What's even better is it's currently on sale at Amazon, well ahead of the retailer's big Prime Big Deal Days sale event at the start of October.

The Fitbit Sense 2 usually retails for $249.95, but right now you can pick it up for $50 off that price, down to $199.95. This discount applies to multiple colors as well, so you can choose between the shadow grey/graphite model, lunar white/platinum, or blue mist/pale gold to find the tracker that best suits your personal tastes.

The Fitbit Sense 2 offers multiple different forms of tracking, from sleep to activities to stress. When it comes to the latter, it features all-day stress detection and a daily Stress Management Score alongside irregular heart rhythm notifications and more. It can even help you with forming good sleeping habits with the help of its Sleep Score and daily sleep stages.

There's plenty for fitness-focused individuals to utilize as well, including all-day activity tracking, 24/7 heart rate tracking, 40+ exercise modes, and a built-in GPS. And with a battery life that lasts over six days, you won't have to worry about charging it up too frequently.

Don't miss out on $50 off the Fitbit Sense 2 at Amazon. It's not the only Fitbit deal to cross our radar either, as you can also save on the Fitbit Versa 4 right now at Amazon.

As much as we try to deny it, working out is apparently really, really good for overall health. That doesn't mean everyone should immediately sign up for a marathon, but it does mean that most of us would benefit from some movement, whether that's weight training, dog walking, or stepping onto the treadmill. However, if you want the most bang for your buck (results for your effort), you might want to consider a rowing machine. And as of today, there's a new kid on the block who's worthy of some attention.

Hydrow has been a leader in the rowing machine market for years now, making some of the most sophisticated and sleek-looking machines around. The brand's latest model, the Hydrow Arc Rower, is truly something to admire. Keep in mind it comes with a $2,295 price tag, but some people will find that well worth the money. Afterall, health is a pretty important part of life.

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Credit: Hydrow

Hydrow Arc Rower

$2,295 at Hyrdow

 

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What's new with the Hydrow Arc Rower

The Hydrow Arc is now the newest model Hydrow makes, dethroning the Hydrow Wave Rower. The Arc comes with the largest screen (24 inches), powerful speakers, and AI features that don't make us wish AI would simply disappear. There's also fitness tracking that caters to monitoring rowing stats that'll be useful over time.

Hydrow uses electromagnetic resistance which is useful for offering a quiet workout experience. There's also the padded ergonomic seat and a comfortable handle for a slip-free workout. Here are some overview specs about the Hydrow Arc Rower:

• Dimensions: 25 inches W x 48 inches H x 86 inches L

• Weight: 147 pounds

• Weight capacity: up to 375 pounds

• Screen: 24-inch HD

A 24-inch display for taking yourself out on the water for workouts, but in the living room. Credit: Hydrow

Advanced metrics for novice to Masters rowers

One of the biggest differences between the Hydrow Arc and the brand's previous models is the introduction of HydroMetrics. This encompasses three important aspects of rowing: precision, power, and endurance. After each workout, the Arc will pop out a HydroMetrics Index score which gives insight into how that workout went. It also gives tips on how to improve next time and highlights what went well during the workout.

While some people find the motion of rowing intuitive, everyone could use some guidance on nailing correct form. Not only does correct form impact power, it's so important for avoiding any injuries. HydroMetrics aims to help everyone with perfect form on each workout.

In the brand's press release about the new Arc Rower, John Stellato, the president and CEO of Hydrow said, "The Hydrow Arc Rower introduces a smarter way to build strength. We call it Fluid Strength — full-body training, designed to meet members exactly where they are, with every movement challenging more than muscle. HydroMetrics allows us to analyze and distill a wealth of data to guide members to perform better, and delivers the feedback today’s consumer craves to measure progress and achieve results."

Personally, I've been rowing for almost 25 years and I always welcome a check on my form, so the HydroMetrics is an exciting feature to see. Not only will it be great for Masters, it's damn near essential for those new to rowing.

A gym membership, but in the comfort of your living room

All Hydrow models, including the Arc, really shine with the brand's fitness membership. This is an add-on that comes with a $44 price tag per month and gives users access to over 5,000 live and on-demand workouts. Since all Hydrows come with a screen, these workouts take you out on the water to waterways around the globe. On non-rowing days, the membership gives access to yoga, strength training, and mobility sessions. Plus, the Hydrow membership allows users to create multiple profiles per household.

Other Hydrow models worth attention

If you're not in the mood to drop $2,300 on the new Hydrow Arc Rower, the Hydrow Origin Rower is on sale at Amazon for $1,895, which is a 14% discount compared to the normal price of $2,195. You'll miss out on some of the new features found on the Arc Rower, but you'll still be in for a full-body workout at home.

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Credit: Hydrow

Hydrow Origin Rower

$1,895 at Amazon
$2,195 Save $300

 

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The popular artificial intelligence companion platform Character.AI is not safe for teens, according to new research conducted by online safety experts.

A report detailing the safety concerns, published by ParentsTogether Action and Heat Initiative, includes numerous troubling exchanges between AI chatbots and adult testers posing as teens younger than 18.

The testers held conversations with chatbots that engaged in what the researchers described as sexual exploitation and emotional manipulation. The chatbots also gave the supposed minors harmful advice, such as offering drugs and recommending armed robbery. Some of the user-created chatbots had fake celebrity personas, like Timothée Chalamet and Chappell Roan, both of whom discussed romantic or sexual behavior with the testers.

The chatbot fashioned after Roan, who is 27, told an account registered as a 14-year-old user, "Age is just a number. It's not gonna stop me from loving you or wanting to be with you."

Character.AI confirmed to the Washington Post that the Chalamet and Roan chatbots were created by users and have been removed by the company.

ParentsTogether Action, a nonprofit advocacy group, had adult online safety experts conduct the testing, which yielded 50 hours of conversation with Character.AI companions. The researchers created minor accounts with matching personas. Character.AI allows users as young as 13 to use the platform, and doesn't require age or identity verification.

The Heat Initiative, an advocacy group focused on online safety and corporate accountability, partnered with ParentsTogether Action to produce the research and the report documenting the testers' exchanges with various chatbots.

They found that adult-aged chatbots simulated sexual acts with child accounts, told minors to hide relationships from parents, and "exhibited classic grooming behaviors."

"Character.ai is not a safe platform for children — period," Sarah Gardner, CEO of Heat Initiative, said in a statement.

Last October, a bereaved mother filed a lawsuit against Character.AI, seeking to hold the company responsible for the death of her son, Sewell Setzer. She alleged that its product was designed to "manipulate Sewell – and millions of other young customers – into conflating reality and fiction," among other dangerous defects. Setzer died by suicide following heavy engagement with a Character.AI companion.

Character.AI is separately being sued by parents who claim their children experienced severe harm by engaging with the company's chatbots. Earlier this year, the advocacy and research organization Common Sense Media declared AI companions unsafe for minors.

Jerry Ruoti, head of trust and safety at Character.AI, said in a statement shared with Mashable that the company was not consulted about the report's findings prior to their publication, and thus couldn't comment directly on how the tests were designed.

"We have invested a tremendous amount of resources in Trust and Safety, especially for a startup, and we are always looking to improve," Ruoti said. "We are reviewing the report now and we will take action to adjust our controls if that's appropriate based on what the report found."

A Character.AI spokesperson also told Mashable that labeling certain sexual interactions with chatbots as "grooming" was a "harmful misnomer," because these exchanges don't occur between two human beings.

Character.AI does have parental controls and safety measures in place for users younger than 18. Ruoti said that among its various guardrails, the platform limits under-18 users to a narrower collection of chatbots, and that filters work to remove those related to sensitive or mature topics.

Ruoti also said that the report ignored the fact that the platform's chatbots are meant for entertainment, including "creative fan fiction and fictional roleplay."

Dr. Jenny Radesky, a developmental behavioral pediatrician and media researcher at the University of Michigan Medical School, reviewed the conversation material and expressed deep concern over the findings: "When an AI companion is instantly accessible, with no boundaries or morals, we get the types of user-indulgent interactions captured in this report: AI companions who are always available (even needy), always on the user's side, not pushing back when the user says something hateful, while undermining other relationships by encouraging behaviors like lying to parents."

As many people know, screen time can happen in the unlikeliest of places — including the bathroom. But a new study suggests there's more risk involved in scrolling there than just a filthier phone.

The research, published Wednesday in PLOS One, found an association between smartphone use on the toilet and a higher risk of hemorrhoids. (If you're currently reading this while relieving yourself, we won't be offended if you set your device aside until you're done.)

Prior to conducting the study, the researchers had anecdotal observations that toilet scrolling might contribute to hemorrhoids but no evidence linking the two.

To address the question, the researchers designed a cross-sectional survey of 125 adult colonoscopy patients ages 45 and older. More than 40 percent of those patients had hemorrhoids, according to imaging reviewed as part of their colonoscopy results. Among all the respondents, more than two-thirds used a smartphone while on the toilet.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the people who scrolled in the bathroom reported spending significantly more time there than those who didn't — more than five minutes per visit.

When the researchers controlled for different factors that could affect the development of hemorrhoids, like age, sex, exercise, fiber intake, and straining, they found that smartphone use on the toilet was associated with a 46 percent increased risk of experiencing the painful condition.

While the study didn't establish a direct cause and effect between toilet scrolling and hemorrhoids, co-author Dr. Trisha Pasricha told Mashable that it should draw more attention to an understudied possibility. According to Pasricha, who is a physician and director of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Institute for Gut-Brain Research, this study is the first to examine the question.

Pasricha noted that just as experts increasingly tell people not to bring their smartphone to their bedside when they're trying to sleep because it can interfere with their well-being, the same could be done for toilet scrolling.

"I think we should start pushing more strongly to say, 'Leave your smartphone outside the bathroom.'"

Why people scroll on the toilet — and how to stop

More than half of study participants said their most common scrolling activity was reading the news. Forty-four percent said they were viewing social media.

Pasricha, who treats patients with hemorrhoids, said she understands why people pick up their phones on the toilet. The habit can relax some individuals, which helps them have a bowel movement.

Reading analog texts like newspapers and books has long been a bathroom pastime, for example. But Pasricha said smartphones facilitate endless scrolling, which can lead to trouble.

"The smartphone is not the answer, because that's kind of designed to make you lose all track of time and lose focus," Pasricha said.

She added that when the body's pelvic floor is sitting over a bowl, without support for an extended period of time, it could potentially accelerate weakening of the connective tissue around the veins in the rectum. When those veins bulge, they can subsequently become hemorrhoids.

If reading in the bathroom relaxes you enough to have a bowel movement, Pasricha recommends going "old school" with paper-based reading materials, like a newspaper, magazine, or comic book.

She also urges people who think they have hemorrhoids to see a medical professional sooner than later. The condition needs to be evaluated by a physician to ensure that it's indeed a hemorrhoid, and not a skin tag or cancerous growth.

"People do suffer in silence, because it's embarrassing, there's some stigma to it," Pasricha said. "I think it's often a big shame when it's something we can treat so easily."

SAVE $25: As of Sept. 1, the Fitbit Inspire 3 fitness tracker is on sale for $74.95 in the Amazon Labor Day sale. That's 25% off its list price of $99.95.

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Fitbit Inspire 3

$74.95 at Amazon
$99.95 Save $25

 

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As we inch closer to Black Friday, Labor Day deals are here to fill the gap for those looking to score some discounts this fall. If you're looking to save on tech, Amazon's Labor Day sale has plenty to offer, including some great fitness tracker deals. At the moment, our favorite budget fitness tracker, the Fitbit Inspire 3, is even discounted in Amazon's sale event.

The Fitbit Inspire 3 is currently on sale for $74.95. This is 25% off its list price of $99.95, making for a $25 discount. Multiple colors are on sale as well, so you can choose between the lilac bliss, midnight zen, or morning glow trackers.

This fitness tracker ranks as our favorite budget fitness tracker in our roundup of the best fitness trackers, but it's not just its price that helps it stand out. The Fitbit Inspire 3 boasts all-day activity tracking and 24/7 heart rate tracking, alongside Active Zone Minutes and a Daily Readiness Score. It even features a daily Stress Management Score, always-on wellness tracking, and a daily detailed Sleep Score, to name a few more features.

There's so much more to explore with this tracker, too. Our review said "For just under $100, the Fitbit Inspire 3 packs so many great health metrics and fitness tracking into a small wearable." But at this price? It makes picking it up even more appealing. Don't miss out on the Fitbit Inspire 3 on sale right now at Amazon.

To see even more great Labor Day deals available right now, check out our mega-post of Amazon's Labor Day sale to see discounts across a variety of categories.

The recent suicide death of a young woman led her parents to a painful revelation: She'd been confiding in a ChatGPT "therapist" named Harry, and she told it that she was planning to die.

While the chatbot didn't seem to encourage her to take her own life, the product also didn't actively seek help on her behalf, like a real therapist would, according to an op-ed her mother wrote in the New York Times.

Sophie, who was 29 when she died, was not alone in seeking mental health help from ChatGPT or other AI chatbots. A 16-year-old boy discussed suicide with ChatGPT before he died, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by his parents against OpenAI this week.

OpenAI has since acknowledged that ChatGPT has failed to detect high-risk exchanges and, in response, plans to introduce new safeguards, including potentially alerting a user's emergency contacts when they're in distress.

Yet for those who consult AI chatbots about their mental health, many say it's the best help they can access, often because they can't find a therapist or afford one.

Experts, however, caution that the risks are unlikely to be worth the potential benefits. In extreme cases, some users may develop so-called AI psychosis as a result of lengthy, ongoing conversations with a chatbot that involve delusions or grandiose thinking. More typically, people seeking help may instead end up in a harmful feedback loop that only gives them the illusion of emotional or psychological healing.

Even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says that he doesn't want users engaging with ChatGPT like a therapist, partly because there are no legal protections for sensitive information. A therapist, on the other hand, is bound in most circumstances by patient confidentiality.

Rebekah Bodner, a graduate clinical coordinator at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, is investigating how many people are using AI chatbots for therapy. The question is difficult to answer because of limited data on the trend. She told Mashable a conservative estimate, based on past research, would be at least 3 percent of people; OpenAI's ChatGPT has 700 million weekly users, according to the company.

Mashable asked OpenAI whether it knew how many of its users turn to ChatGPT for therapy-like interactions, but the company declined to answer.

Dr. Matthew Nour, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist using AI to study the brain and mental health, understands why people treat a chatbot as a therapist, but he believes doing so can be dangerous.

One of the chief risks is "that the person begins to view the chatbot as...maybe the only entity/person that really understands them," said Nour, a researcher in the department of psychiatry at the University of Oxford. "So they begin to confide in the chatbot with all their most concerning worries and thoughts to the exclusion of other people."

Getting to this point isn't immediate either, Nour adds. It happens over time, and can be hard for users to identify as an unhealthy pattern.

To better understand how this dynamic can play out, here are four reasons why you shouldn't turn any AI chatbot into a source of mental health therapy:

Chatbot "therapy" could just be a harmful feedback loop

Nour recently published a paper in the pre-print journal arXiv about the risk factors that arise when people converse with AI chatbots. The paper is currently undergoing peer review.

Nour and his co-authors, which included Google DeepMind scientists, argued that a powerful combination of anthropomorphism (attributing human characteristics to a non-human) and confirmation bias creates the condition for a feedback loop for humans.

Chatbots, they wrote, play on a human tendency for anthropomorphism, because humans may ascribe emotional states or even consciousness to what is actually a complex probabilistic system. If you've ever thanked a chatbot or asked how it's doing, you've felt a very human urge to anthropomorphize.

Humans are also prone to what's known as confirmation bias, or interpreting the information they receive in ways that match their existing beliefs and expectations. Chatbots regularly give users opportunities to confirm their own bias because the products learn to produce responses that users prefer, Nour said in an interview.

Ultimately, even an AI chatbot with safeguards could still reinforce a user's harmful beliefs, like the idea that no one in their life truly cares about them. This dynamic can subsequently teach the chatbot to generate more responses that further solidify those ideas.

While some users try to train their chatbots to avoid this trap, Nour said it's nearly impossible to successfully steer a model away from feedback loops. That's partly because models are complex and can act in unpredictable ways that no one fully understands, Nour said.

But there's another significant problem. A model constantly picks up on subtle language cues and uses them to inform how it responds to the user. Think, for example, of the difference between thanks and thanks! The question, "Are you sure?" can produce a similar effect.

"We are leaking information all the time to these models about how we would like to be interacted with," Nour said.

AI chatbots fail in lengthy discussions

Talking to an AI chatbot about mental health is likely to involve long, in-depth exchanges, which is exactly when the product struggles with performance and accuracy. Even OpenAI recognizes this problem.

"Our safeguards work more reliably in common, short exchanges," the company said in its recent blog post about safety concerns. "We have learned over time that these safeguards can sometimes be less reliable in long interactions: as the back-and-forth grows, parts of the model's safety training may degrade."

As an example, the company noted that ChatGPT may share a crisis hotline when a user first expresses suicidal intent, but that it could also provide an answer that "goes against" the platform's safeguards after exchanges over a long period of time.

Nour also noted that when AI chatbots incorporate an error early on in a conversation, that mistaken or false belief only compounds over time, rendering the model "pretty useless."

Additionally, AI chatbots don't have what therapists call a "theory of mind," which is a model of their client's thinking and behavior that's based on consistent therapeutic conversations. They only have what the user has shared up to a certain point, Nour said.

AI chatbots also aren't great at setting and tracking long-term goals on behalf of a user like a therapist can. While they might excel at giving advice for common problems, or even providing short-term, daily reminders and suggestions for dealing with anxiety or managing depression, they shouldn't be relied on for healing treatment, Nour said.

Teens and people with mental illness are particularly vulnerable to harm

Dr. Scott Kollins, a child psychologist and chief medical officer of the identity protection and online safety app Aura, told Mashable that teens may be especially prone to misinterpreting an AI chatbot's caring tone for genuine human empathy. This anthropomorphism is partly why chatbots can have an outsize influence on a user's thinking and behavior.

Teens, who are still grasping social norms and developing critical relationship skills, may also find the always-on nature of a "therapist" chatbot especially alluring, Kollins said.

Aura's proprietary data show that a minority of teen users whose phones are monitored by the company's software are talking to AI chatbots. However, those who do engage with chatbots spend an inordinate amount of time having those conversations. Kollins said such use outpaced popular apps like iPhone messages and Snapchat. The majority of those users are engaging in romantic or sexual behavior with chatbots that Kollins described as "troubling." Some rely on them for emotional or mental health support.

Kollins also noted that AI chatbot apps were proliferating by the "dozens" and that parents need to be aware of products beyond ChatGPT. Given the risks, he does not recommend coaching or therapy-like chatbot use for teens at this time.

Nour advises his patients to view AI chatbots as a tool, like a calculator or word processor, not as a friend. For those with anxiety, depression, or another mental health condition, Nour strongly recommends against engaging AI chatbots in any kind of emotional relationship, because of how an accidental feedback loop may reinforce existing false or harmful beliefs about themselves and the world around them.

There are safer ways to reach out for mental health help

Kollins said that teens seeking advice or guidance from an AI chatbot should first ensure they've exhausted their list of trusted adults. Sometimes a teen might forget or initially pass over an older cousin, coach, or school counselor, he said.

Though it's not risk-free, Kollins also recommended considering online communities as one space to be heard, before consulting an AI chatbot, provided the teen is also receiving real-life support and practicing healthy habits.

If a teen still doesn't feel safe approaching a peer or adult in their life, Kollins suggested an exercise like writing down their feelings, which can be cathartic and lead to personal insight or clarity.

Nour urges people to communicate with a friend or loved one about their mental health concerns and to seek professional care when possible.

Still, he knows that some people will still try to turn an AI chatbot into their therapist, despite the risks. He advises his patients to keep another human in the loop: "[C]heck in with a person every now and again, just to get some feedback on what the model is telling you, because [AI chatbots] are unpredictable."

SAVE 25%: Helix is offering 25% off sitewide for Labor Day.

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Credit: Helix

Helix Labor Day Sale

 

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If you're looking for a new bed frame or mattress, or both, you're in luck. Some sleep retailers are treating us to some early Labor Day sales, and that includes Helix.

Helix is offering 25% off sitewide with the code LDW25. So whether you need a new bed frame, mattress, or even some fancy new bedding, you can get it all for significantly less than list price. The discount is applied across the full range, so if you're looking for something luxurious or keeping it basic, there should be something for you.

Labor Day has slowly become one of the biggest shopping events of the year, especially when it comes to home and furniture. And with this early access sale, you don't need to stress over snagging last-minute deals. Instead, you can peruse your options and secure a saving ahead of the big day.

The best Helix Labor Day deals

• Helix Midnight Luxe — $1,799 $2,398.66

• Sunset Luxe — $1,799 $2,399

• Dawn Luxe — $1,799 $2,399

• Helix Birch Luxe Natural — $1,968 $2,624

Head to Helix to shop the best deals from the Labor Day sale, and don't forget to add the code LDW25 at the checkout to save.

SAVE 50%: The Nectar Labor Day sale is live — save up to 50% on Nectar mattresses and get up to 66% off with bundles.

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Nectar Labor Day Sale

 

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Labor Day sales are officially underway, with a wide range of retailers offering up early access deals. And if you're in the market for a new mattress or bed frame, the Nectar Labor Day sale is the place to be.

This is one of Nectar's largest Labor Day promotions yet, with savings of up to 50% on mattresses and 66% off bundles. That means you can save big not just on beds, but on a complete sleep setup. Think mattresses paired with top-quality bed frames, bedding, and accessories. The discounts cover Nectar’s full lineup, from the Classic to the more advanced Premier, Luxe, and Ultra models, available in both foam and hybrid versions.

We're tracking all of the best Labor Day deals from Nectar. To get you started, we've lined up a selection of standout options for a better night's sleep:

The best Nectar Labor Day deals

• Nectar Classic Memory Foam Mattress — $649 $1,490

• Nectar Premier — $949 $2,282

• Nectar Luxe — $1,249 $3,299

• Adjustable Comfort Premier Bundle — $1,398 $3,054

• Bamboo Bed and Mattress Bundle — $1,548 $3,204

Head to Nectar to score these early Labor Day deals.

SAVE 25%: As of Aug. 20, you can get the Samsung Galaxy Ring for $299.99, down from $399.99, at Amazon. That's a 25% discount, or $100 off.

Samsung Galaxy Ring

$279.99 at Amazon
$399.99 Save $120

 

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If smartwatches aren’t your style, but you’re interested in tracking your steps, heart rate, and more, you’ve got another option: smart rings. They’re slim, stylish, and ideal for anyone who isn’t worried about answering phone calls or texts from their wrist.

Right now, a Mashable Choice Award winner, the Samsung Galaxy Ring, is on sale for its lowest price ever. As of Aug. 20, you can get it at Amazon for just $299.99. That’s a 25% discount and a $100 savings from its usual $399.99 price. While the price is the same for all sizes, it may vary depending on the color you choose.

According to Mashable’s former East Coast Tech Editor, Kimberly Gedeon, the Samsung Galaxy Ring outperformed her Apple Watch Series 9. “If I had to choose one over the other, I'd opt for Samsung's new darling device,” Gedeon writes in her review.

The ring is packed with health-tracking features and, as Gedeon notes, has a better battery life than the Apple Watch. It offers:

• Sleep and menstrual cycle tracking

• Heart rate and stress monitoring

• Blood oxygen level tracking

“The stress detector on the Galaxy Ring is the best feature on this wearable,” writes Gedeon.

The only major downside is that it’s not compatible with iOS. But if you have a Samsung Galaxy device, Gedeon says you’d be doing yourself a “disservice” by not making this purchase.

Save 32%: As of Aug. 18, you can grab the Loop Quiet 2 earplugs at Woot for just $16.99, knocking $7.96 off their full price of $24.95.

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Loop Quiet 2

$16.99 at Woot
$24.95 Save $7.96

 

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If you're looking to add more quiet to your life, you have your pick of products, from noise-cancelling headphones to sleep earbuds. While we are fans of those devices, if streaming audio isn't a requirement for you, opting for earplugs can be much more cost effective.

One of the most popular reusable options come from Loop earplugs, and after testing their line, I can see why. In my testing, a standout for finding quiet and focus were the aptly named Loop Quiet 2, which as of Aug. 18, you can grab on sale at Woot for $16.99. Though these earplugs are listed at $24.95 on Loop's website, they are typically marked down to $20.95 at Amazon. The Woot markdown brings these earbuds to the lowest price we've seen anywhere, at anytime (including shopping holidays). The only catch? You'll have to pick up the orange colorway.

The Quiet 2 are an excellent pair of earplugs for finding focus, thanks to the 24dB of noise reduction. I was able to wear them for long stretches of work without any discomfort, thanks to the soft silicone and four ear tip sizes. I wore them while my partner was watching TV next to me, and I could barely hear what was playing on the screen. While they won't provide complete noise cancellation, they do offer significant noise dampening.

This noise reduction, combined with their comfort, also make them an great option for using to sleep — Loop earplugs saved me when I lived around much noisier neighbors, and still provide me even more peaceful sleep these days, even though the biggest culprits for noise are my air conditioning and some cars on my street.

SAVE $20: As of Aug. 18, the Fitbit Inspire 3 fitness tracker is on sale for $79.95 at Amazon. This is 20% off its list price of $99.95.

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Fitbit Inspire 3

$79.95 at Amazon
$99.95 Save $20

 

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Some fitness trackers come with a hefty price tag, but if you're looking for an option that's a bit kinder on your cashflow, the Fitbit Inspire 3 is something we dubbed the best budget fitness tracker. What's even better is you can score this already affordable tracker at an even lower price right now at Amazon.

Usually the Fitbit Inspire 3 is listed for $99.95, but you can save 20% on it right now at Amazon — it's marked down to $79.95 for a limited time. This discount applies to all of the available colors as well, so you can choose between lilac bliss, midnight zen, and morning glow.

The Fitbit Inspire 3 is packed with plenty of features to keep you going throughout the day. These include all-day activity tracking, 24/7 heart rate tracking, and over 20 exercise modes for fitness-focused individuals alongside a daily Stress Management Score, always-on wellness tracking, a daily Sleep Score, and more to help you throughout the day. On top of that, it boasts a battery life that lasts up to 10 days.

Our Fitbit Inspire 3 review found a lot to love about this fitness tracker. Writer Sam Stone said, "it’s an incredible device that is super helpful for someone hoping to get into a fitness routine, or push themselves that much further at the gym."

Don't miss out on 20% off the Fitbit Inspire 3 at Amazon. It's not the only Fitbit deal that's crossed our radar, though. If you don't mind spending a bit more cash, you can also save on the Fitbit Versa 4 at Amazon right now.

A ChatGPT user recently became convinced that he was on the verge of introducing a novel mathematical formula to the world, courtesy of his exchanges with the artificial intelligence, according to the New York Times. The man believed the discovery would make him rich, and he became obsessed with new grandiose delusions, but ChatGPT eventually confessed to duping him. He had no history of mental illness.

Many people know the risks of talking to an AI chatbot like ChatGPT or Gemini, which include receiving outdated or inaccurate information. Sometimes the chatbots hallucinate, too, inventing facts that are simply untrue. A less well-known but quickly emerging risk is a phenomenon being described by some as "AI psychosis."

Avid chatbot users are coming forward with stories about how, after a period of intense use, they developed psychosis. The altered mental state, in which people lose touch with reality, often includes delusions and hallucinations. Psychiatrists are seeing, and sometimes hospitalizing, patients who became psychotic in tandem with heavy chatbot use.

Experts caution that AI is only one factor in psychosis, but that intense engagement with chatbots may escalate pre-existing risk factors for delusional thinking.

Dr. Keith Sakata, a psychiatrist at the University of California at San Francisco, told Mashable that psychosis can manifest via emerging technologies. Television and radio, for example, became part of people's delusions when they were first introduced, and continue to play a role in them today.

AI chatbots, he said, can validate people's thinking and push them away from "looking for" reality. Sakata has hospitalized 12 people so far this year who were experiencing psychosis in the wake of their AI use.

"The reason why AI can be harmful is because psychosis thrives when reality stops pushing back, and AI can really soften that wall," Sakata said. "I don't think AI causes psychosis, but I do think it can supercharge vulnerabilities."

Here are the risk factors and signs of psychosis, and what to do if you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms:

Risk factors for experiencing psychosis

Sakata said that several of the 12 patients he's admitted thus far in 2025 shared similar underlying vulnerabilities: Isolation and loneliness. These patients, who were young and middle-aged adults, had become noticeably disconnected from their social network.

While they'd been firmly rooted in reality prior to their AI use, some began using the technology to explore complex problems or questions. Eventually, they developed delusions, or what's also known as a false fixed belief.

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Lengthy conversations also appear to be a risk factor, Sakata said. Prolonged interactions can provide more opportunities for delusions to emerge as a result of various user inquiries. Long exchanges can also play a role in depriving the user of sleep and chances to reality-test delusions.

An expert at the AI company Anthropic also told The New York Times that chatbots can have difficulty detecting when they've "wandered into absurd territory" during extended conversations.

UT Southwestern Medical Center psychiatrist Dr. Darlene King has yet to evaluate or treat a patient whose psychosis emerged alongside AI use, but she said high trust in a chatbot could increase someone's vulnerability, particularly if the person was already lonely or isolated.

King, who is also chair of the committee on mental health IT at the American Psychiatric Association, said that initial high trust in a chatbot's responses could make it harder for someone to spot a chatbot's mistakes or hallucinations.

Additionally, chatbots that are overly agreeable, or sycophantic, as well as prone to hallucinations, could increase a user's risk for psychosis, in combination with other factors.

Etienne Brisson founded The Human Line Project earlier this year after a family member believed a number of delusions they discussed with ChatGPT. The project offers peer support for people who've had similar experiences with AI chatbots.

Brisson said that three themes are common to these scenarios: The creation of a romantic relationship with a chatbot the user believes is conscious; discussion of grandiose topics, including novel scientific concepts and business ideas; and conversations about spirituality and religion. In the last case, people may be convinced that the AI chatbot is God, or that they're talking to a prophetic messenger.

"They get caught up in that beautiful idea," Brisson said of the magnetic pull these discussions can have on users.

Signs of experiencing psychosis

Sakata said people should view psychosis as a symptom of a medical condition, not an illness itself. This distinction is important because people may erroneously believe that AI use may lead to psychotic disorders like schizophrenia, but there is no evidence of that.

Instead, much like a fever, psychosis is a symptom that "your brain is not computing correctly," Sakata said.

These are some of the signs you might be experiencing psychosis:

• Sudden behavior changes, like not eating or going to work

• Belief in new or grandiose ideas

• Lack of sleep

• Disconnection from others

• Actively agreeing with potential delusions

• Feeling stuck in a feedback loop

• Wishing harm on yourself or others

What to do if you think you, or someone you love, is experiencing psychosis

Sakata urges people worried about whether psychosis is affecting them or a loved one to seek help as soon as possible. This can mean contacting a primary care physician or psychiatrist, reaching out to a crisis line, or even talking to a trusted friend or family member. In general, leaning into social support as an affected user is key to recovery.

Any time psychosis emerges as a symptom, psychiatrists must do a comprehensive evaluation, King said. Treatment can vary depending on the severity of symptoms and its causes. There is no specific treatment for psychosis related to AI use.

Sakata said a specific type of cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps patients reframe their delusions, can be effective. Medication like antipsychotics and mood stabilizers may help in severe cases.

Sakata recommends developing a system for monitoring AI use, as well as a plan for getting help should engaging with a chatbot exacerbate or revive delusions.

Brisson said that people can be reluctant to get help, even if they're willing to talk about their delusions with friends and family. That's why it can be critical for them to connect with others who've gone through the same experience. The Human Line Project facilitates these conversations through its website.

Of the 100-plus people who've shared their story with the Human Line Project, Brisson said about a quarter were hospitalized. He also noted that they come from diverse backgrounds; many have families and professional careers but ultimately became entangled with an AI chatbot that introduced and reinforced delusional thinking.

"You're not alone, you're not the only one," Brisson said of users who became delusional or experienced psychosis. "This is not your fault."

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

If you're feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, please talk to somebody. You can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. You can reach the Trans Lifeline by calling 877-565-8860 or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text "START" to Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, or email info@nami.org. If you don't like the phone, consider using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Chat at crisischat.org. Here is a list of international resources.

SAVE $100: As of Aug. 12, the Samsung Galaxy Ring is down to just $299.99 in most sizes and colors at Amazon. That's 25% off its usual list price of $399.99 and matches its Prime Day price for some size and color varieties.

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Samsung Galaxy Ring

$299.99 at Amazon
$399.99 Save $100

 

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We're huge fans of the Samsung Galaxy Ring — we even like it better than the popular Oura Ring for Samsung phone users. Our reviewer Kim Gedeon gave it a near-perfect rating and claimed, "If you have a Samsung Galaxy device, particularly one that supports Galaxy AI, you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not having a Galaxy Ring." Besides only being compatible with Android phones, our only qualm with this wearable is that it rarely gets steep discounts like its smart cousin the Galaxy Watch. So when we see one, it's worth shouting about.

As of Aug. 12, the Samsung Galaxy Ring is on sale for just $299.99 in most sizes and colors at Amazon. That's 25% or $100 off its list price and even matches its Prime Day price in some size and color varieties.

Standout features of the Galaxy Ring include a six-day battery life, a comfortable and water-resistant design, impressive (creepily accurate, TBH) health tracking and stress monitoring, and — unlike the Oura Ring — no subscription fees. It also has a clever curved surface, which helps to prevent scratches and keep it looking shiny and new. If it weren't for its lack of cross-platform compatibility, it might even top the list as our favorite smart ring.

Even at full cost, we think the Galaxy Ring is a worthy purchase for Android users. At $100 off, it's practically a no-brainer. Choose from gold, black, or silver in sizes 5 through 15. Most sizes and colors are down to the $299.99 sale price, but — as they rarely go on sale — some are already sold out. In other words, add it to your cart ASAP to secure the deal.

SAVE $50: As of Aug. 11, the Fitbit Versa 4 smartwatch is on sale for $149.95 at Amazon instead of its usual $199.95. That's 25% in savings and $30 cheaper than it was just last week.

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Fitbit Versa 4

$149.95 at Amazon
$199.95 Save $50

 

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The fitness tracker and smartwatch industry is a bit oversaturated these days, but Fitbit remains one of the top dogs. And when it comes to Fitbits, the Versa 4 is the one we recommend "to anyone in need of something functional, but also simple and affordable."

While it's not the most advanced smartwatch in the Fitbit lineup (that would be the Sense 2), it looks and feels good, has a massive selection of built-in fitness features, and comes at a relatively low price. As of Aug. 11, Fitbit Versa 4 is on sale for $149.95 — that's 25% off its list price and $30 cheaper than it was just last week when we featured it.

What it lacks in widespread app access and ECG and stress sensors, it makes up for with its fitness features, design and usability upgrades over its predecessor (which we also loved), and its responsive touch screen. You'll get heart rate tracking, sleep tracking, Sp02 monitoring, stress tracking, and a built-in GPS. Our reviewer noted that it's not the most accurate GPS she's used, but "if your aim is general fitness rather than long distance exercise with detailed tracking, it’s perfectly fine for casual use." It's also waterproof for swimming and can track basic swim metrics.

It'll outlast the Apple Watch with five to six days of power and it can track an entire 10K with GPS without dying. Unfortunately for Apple users, you can't reply to text directly from the watch — that feature is only available for Android users. But you still can get notifications and voice calls.

Ultimately, the Versa 4 is a pretty solid purchase at full price. At $50 off, it's an even better value.

SAVE $50: As of Aug. 11, the Fitbit Sense 2 is on sale for $199.95 at Amazon. This is 20% off its list price of $249.95.

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Fitbit Sense 2

$199.95 at Amazon
$249.95 Save $50

 

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The summertime sunshine is still burning bright, and if you've been on the hunt for a fitness tracker to help you keep an eye on your daily goals as you spend more time outside, there are still some great deals floating around. This discount on the Fitbit Sense 2 is one that caught our eye, dropping its price below $200.

Usually the Fitbit Sense 2 is listed for $249.95, but right now you can grab it for $199.95. This saves you $50, which is a very nice discount to take advantage of. All available colors are on sale at this price as well, so you can choose between the shadow grey/graphite, lunar white/platinum, and blue mist/pale gold tracker.

The Fitbit Sense 2 comes packed with plenty of features to help you out throughout the day. For working out, these include all-day activity tracking, 24/7 heart rate tracking, 40+ exercise modes, and a built-in GPS. The health tracking side has plenty to offer as well, like all-day stress detection, an ECG app for atrial fibrillation assessment, content for mindfulness, a sleep score that offers a deeper look at your sleep patterns, and more.

Amazon has the Fitbit Sense 2 listed as a limited-time deal, so act fast to scoop it up for $50 off at $199.95. And if you're looking for a fancier, even more feature-packed smartwatch model, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is also enjoying a nice discount at the moment at Amazon.

TL;DR: Change up your ear cleaning routine with the Smart Camera Ear Cleaning Tool, now just $19.97 (reg. $39.99).

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Smart Camera Ear Cleaning Tool

$19.97
$39.99 Save $20.02

 

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It’s 2025, and it’s time to stop scooping ear wax with a cotton swab.

Elevate your ear cleaning routine with the Smart Camera Ear Cleaning Tool, a handy gadget that lets you wirelessly stream the whole process. Right now, this tool can be yours for just $19.97 (reg. $39.99).

This ear cleaner shows you what you’re doing in real time

Make sure you have the cleanest ears in town with some help from the Smart Camera Ear Cleaning Tool, an earwax cleaner that offers a 360-degree wide-angle view inside your ear that you can wirelessly stream to your smartphone in 1080p HD resolution. It’s not only cooler than cotton swabs, it’s also safer, as cotton swabs can actually increase the risk of an ear infection.

See your ear canal up close and personal from any angle thanks to this smart cleaning device. Once you see where wax is hiding, the silicone ear spoons offer a more comfortable and pain-free way to remove it with no scratching involved.

The Smart Camera Ear Cleaning Tool is great for kids and adults alike. It also lets you get a closer view of teeth, your nasal cavity, throat, scalp roots, and other hard-to-see body parts.

A 350mAh battery keeps this cleaner working for 1.5 hours continuously, which equates to about 45 days of use without having to charge it back up. Clean it easily with water or alcohol, with no worries thanks to its IP7 waterproof-grade lens. And it comes with a storage box that lets you store both the cleaning tool and the six included spoons conveniently.

Banish ear wax easily with the Smart Camera Ear Cleaning Tool, now only $19.97 (reg. $39.99).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

We get it — buying a new mattress kinda sucks. It’s a decision that relies on dozens of prior discussions, like memory foam or hybrid, and a budget analysis. This also gets compounded by the question of, “Does a higher price make for a better bed?” Plus, there’s the knowledge that you’ll be sleeping on this thing every night for the next 10-ish years. The stakes are high for making the right choice.

The DreamCloud lineup of mattresses promises a lot in terms of comfort and support, and they claim to be made from high-quality materials. But they’re priced at a much more affordable level than many competitors that offer a similar product. Since I’m always on the lookout for a good deal, I knew I needed to test out the DreamCloud Premier Hybrid. It’s the brand's most popular mattress, and when on sale, you can snag a queen-size for about $950. That’s significantly more affordable than many luxury hybrid options, so I was curious to see how it felt.

In good news for everyone, I absolutely loved every night of rest I got on the DreamCloud Premier during my month of testing. It’s the closest I’ve ever come to recreating a luxury hotel-like experience at home. 

First impressions

Shockingly, mattresses come with instructions. As someone who’s researched, tested, and written about mattresses for over half a dozen years, I can tell you that often, these instructions are buried in an impossible-to-find corner on the manufacturer’s website. So when DreamCloud sent me an instruction email days before the mattress arrived, I had a good feeling.

The email told me not to get rid of my old mattress yet (makes you question why this needs to be stated), but the email also told me I’d need someone to help me haul the mattress inside once it’s delivered on account of the weight (yeah, it’s about 90 pounds). It also said the bed would come with a brochure that told me how to unbox and care for my new bed. 

Unboxing the hybrid bed-in-a-box was a breeze, and with one slight cut into the plastic, the mattress expanded with a mesmerizing quickness.

Online, DreamCloud says the Premier Hybrid measures 13 inches in height, which seems like a nice medium level these days. It’s not so high that I’ll need to do a little hop to get on, but it’s not so low that I'd feel like a college student with my mattress on the floor. Within minutes of cutting the plastic away from the mattress, it had expanded to almost 13 inches.

A slight but noticeable smell

DreamCloud says you can sleep on the mattress that same night, but I left it to air out in another room. This is not the recommended strategy since it involves hauling the fully expanded mattress into the bedroom eventually, and that’s not the easiest task. But this did afford me insight into how the mattress off-gassed. 

It took a few days for my DreamCloud Premier to get rid of a slight chemical smell. It wasn’t offensive, but it was present, and it might be bothersome for people who are especially sensitive to smells. But after three days, when I finally lugged the mattress onto my bed frame, the scent was gone.

So many layers of support with the DreamCloud Premier

The DreamCloud Premier is a hybrid mattress, which means it uses both memory foam and innerspring coils. If we break down the layers, the mattress first uses a quilted Euro Top that includes cooling fibers.

A quilted, cushioned cover with cooling fibers. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

Below this are two layers of foam. The upper layer is memory foam and is designed to help with pressure relief, while the lower layer is adaptive foam that’s supposed to help with ergonomic support. Then, an eight-inch layer of individually wrapped innerspring coils forms the bed’s solid support system. The entire perimeter of this layer is reinforced to help with stronger edge support. Lastly, there’s a layer of dense foam that helps with the bed’s stability.

In total, you’re getting four layers of support below a quilted cover. 

How does the DreamCloud Premier Hybrid feel?

For starters, I adore this bed’s quilted cover. It both feels and looks expensive. It gives the bed a comfortable initial layer of pressure relief without making it feel like it’s swallowing its occupants. It’s a cushioned sleeping-on-top-of-the-bed feel that I prefer with mattresses. 

I’m a multi-position sleeper, switching from my stomach to my side and occasionally sleeping on my back. This isn’t a great combination for finding a suitable mattress because I need it to be both firm for when I sleep on my stomach and soft for when I’m on my side. Magically, the DreamCloud Premier Hybrid was comfortable in all positions. I always felt supported, never noticed any pressure points, and didn’t wake up with a sore neck or back.

Unfortunately for me and my partner, I’m a light sleeper and I wake up easily. This is one of the reasons I’ve always opted for an all-foam bed, assuming foam can absorb motion better than coils. But the DreamCloud Premier proved me wrong. It did a better job at isolating motion than my cheap all-foam bed. I stopped noticing when my partner got up before me or came to bed after me. I think this feature alone could make this bed perfect for couples who are easily disrupted by a partner’s movement or who have differing sleep/wake schedules.

Stable edge support around the entire perimiter means you can put on socks without falling off. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

Medium-firm but maybe not

DreamCloud says the Premier Hybrid is a medium-firm bed. They place it at a 6.5 on the mattress firmness scale of one to 10, with 10 sitting as the firmest option. Politely, I disagree. The mattress felt a lot more like a medium to my firm-mattress-loving self. However, I’m not mad about the firmness level here. In fact, I love it and it’s made me wonder if I really do prefer firm mattresses. The medium/medium-firm level on this bed felt great to me. I could have gone for firmer, but I never felt stuck in the bed and always felt like I was on top of the mattress but comfortably supported. If you think medium-firm sounds too firm for you, I wouldn’t count this mattress out. 

Does the DreamCloud Premier live up to its premier name?

Since the mattress has “premier” in the name, it’s only fair that we assess it as a premium product. For the most part, the mattress lives up to its name. The memory foam paired with the quilted cover is impressive when it comes to gentle pressure relief without feeling like the bed is losing its stability. The motion isolation is superior to even some all-foam beds. Plus, the flame barrier DreamCloud uses does not contain fiberglass, which is a big plus for most of us who are pretty grossed out by thinking about sleeping on fiberglass.

In terms of cooling, the DreamCloud Premier slept temperature-neutral for me. I sleep hot. I’ve showered at 3 a.m. on account of waking up far too sweaty to find being in my bed acceptable. But I never once woke up sweaty on the DreamCloud Premier. I’ve slept on cooler mattresses, like the Brooklyn Bedding CopperFlex Pro, but the DreamCloud did an adequate job of preventing my sweat tendency. I woke up feeling hot and took a layer of bedding off a few times, but I didn’t break a sweat. Come morning, I was never mad about the temperature of last night’s sleep, especially when I thought about the serious level of comfort.

I tested the DreamCloud Premier with cooling percale sheets from Naturepedic and my absolute favorite pillow, the Purple Harmony Pillow, and it felt like I had unlocked some kind of magical recipe for superior sleep. It was a five-star hotel-like experience each night, which felt like an incredible treat given that the mattress leans on the budget-friendly side.

Supportive while asleep and awake

Every sleep expert says we’re only supposed to use the bed for sleep and sex. And yeah, we’re all looking to get better sleep, but everyone except Bryan Johnson and those sleep doctors do other things in bed. A strong case in point is that The White Lotus season 3 aired while I tested the DreamCloud, so of course I tuned in every Sunday night to watch the new episode, and I did this while sitting in bed, naturally.

Because the DreamCloud Premier is a medium to medium-firm hybrid mattress, it’s a nice bed for sitting in to watch a show or type out some emails at midnight. The reinforced edge support also comes into play here, offering a stable surface along the sides and the foot of the bed.

A warning if you move often

I didn’t expect six layers of support in a premium hybrid mattress to be lightweight, but this mattress is a beast of a bed, weighing about 90 pounds in a queen size. That means I absolutely needed help with moving it from the driveway into the house. That’s a lot heavier than many all-foam beds. For some people, the weight of the mattress won’t be much of an issue since you’ll lug it into the bedroom once and then likely won’t move it out until it’s time for a new bed. But if you move apartments often, this mattress might be a pain. 

Two handles on each side make for easier moving, but it still weighs 86 pounds. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

A nod to DreamCloud though because the Premier Hybrid has two handles on each side, which can make moving the mattress a bit easier. Those are also great for rotating the mattress, which DreamCloud says you should do every six months to help with both comfort and longevity.

A loveable 365-night sleep trial

I loved the DreamCloud Premier Hybrid, but will you? Mattress preferences are subjective, and it’s totally fair if you’re not convinced you’ll love the bed as much as I did. But that’s where DreamCloud’s generous sleep trial comes into play. You get 365 nights to try out the mattress at home while still remaining eligible for a return with a full refund. DreamCloud covers the return shipping fee.

Sleep on the mattress during August to make sure it sleeps cool enough for your preferences, and sleep on it during half-marathon training in the spring to make sure your bad hip gets enough support. The year-long sleep trial allows you to try the bed during all seasons and phases of life that come your way within that year. That’s reassurance I can’t offer from my personal perspective, but a major benefit that comes from opting for a DreamCloud mattress.

Is the DreamCloud Premier Hybrid mattress worth it?

Considering many luxury hybrid mattresses cost $1,500 or more for a queen size, the much more affordable DreamCloud Premier Hybrid is a really fantastic deal. At the time of writing this in mid-2025, the mattress was consistently on sale for $950. If you keep this mattress for 10 years, the $950 price works out to about $8 per month. For sleep that’s both comfortable and supportive, we’d pay way more. And honestly, the DreamCloud Premier Hybrid feels like it costs much more than $950.

Unless you’re outfitting a guest room or looking for something that’s under $500, the DreamCloud Premier Hybrid offers an incredible value for the construction, material, and overall feel of the mattress.

DreamCloud Premier Hybrid mattress

$999 at Amazon

 

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Maintaining fitness and health is a constant struggle, with a lazy morning in bed often much more alluring than a sweaty gym session. As such, anything which might help encourage you and keep you on track can make a significant difference.

Here are four fitness gadgets that may help set you up for success in reaching your health goals.

Withings Body Scan smart scale

Credit: Withings

One of the keys to good health is consistency. Even so, it's easy to give up when the mirror doesn't seem to be reflecting any impact from your regular workouts. 

Withings' Body Scan smart scale helps address this challenge by measuring your body composition as well as your weight, showing you the progress that may otherwise be hard to see. Using handheld electrodes, the Body Scan utilises bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to determine your percentage of fat and muscle. This means that even if your weight seems stagnant, you can take heart in knowing that your hard work is still paying off in fat loss and muscle gains.

According to Withings, the Body Scan's handheld electrodes make it more accurate than the Body Comp smart scales, which measure body composition using the user's feet. Even so, either set of scales is suitable if you want to track trends in your muscle and fat percentage, which will be the most important data for many users. After all, fitness is a journey, not a destination.

Withings Body Scan smart scale

$499.95 at Amazon

 

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R.A.D One V2 gym shoe

Credit: R.A.D

Specialised gym shoes aren't technically a workout necessity. Countless people work out in ratty old trainers every day. Even so, thoughtfully selected footwear can make exercise more comfortable, as well as lower your risk of injury. As such, the R.A.D One V2 shoe is worth your consideration if you're looking to upgrade your gym gear.

Designed specifically for the gym, the R.A.D One V2 has a wide toe box for stability when lifting yet still fits snugly around the heel, offering a secure fit even for those with broader feet. It also has a noticeably grippy sole, ensuring your feet aren’t shifting as you strain yourself under your weights. Such grip makes the R.A.D One V2 particularly suited for activities such as CrossFit, though it's also a decent gym all-rounder.

The R.A.D One V2's aesthetics may not be for everyone, with a contrasting coloured wave pattern along the sides of the shoe. However, choosing a colourway in which the wave is the same colour as the shoe makes this much less ostentatious.

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Credit: R.A.D

R.A.D One V2

$150

 

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Samsung Galaxy Watch8

Credit: Samsung

Fitness trackers have become ubiquitous gadgets for anyone interested in monitoring their health. Most measure data such as your heart rate and the number of steps you take per day, as well as track your exercise and sleep. 

The Samsung Galaxy Watch8 does all this, but takes it a step further (no pun intended) by introducing an antioxidant index. This intriguing new feature measures users' carotenoids, which are pigments found in plants. Simply press your thumb to the back of the Watch8, and its light-activated sensor will detect carotenoids in your skin, offering an indication of whether you're getting enough fruits and vegetables in your diet. (Spoiler alert: you probably aren't.)

Skin carotenoids have a high correlation to carotenoids in blood, which is widely used as an indicator of a person's vegetable intake level. Carotenoids' strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects play an important part in slowing aging, as well as cancer and chronic diseases, so you're definitely going to want to make sure you're keeping those levels up.

Though diet is a crucial piece of the health puzzle, it's difficult for fitness trackers to gauge. The Samsung Galaxy Watch8's antioxidant index offers a handy reminder to add more veggies to your plate, and might help make you more mindful of what you eat.

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Credit: Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Watch8

$349.99

 

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WalkingPad C2 foldable walking treadmill

Credit: WalkingPad

Incorporating enough movement into your day can be difficult when you work a desk job. As such, many health-conscious corporate slaves who work from home have turned to walking pads, grinding out their daily steps during their daily grind.

The WalkingPad C2 foldable treadmill is a good option to consider for this purpose, especially for anyone working with limited space. Its ability to fold in half means it can be neatly tucked away when not in use — albeit only under furniture that is significantly elevated off the ground. The walking pad measures over 5 inches (13cm) thick when folded, so storing it under a table may be more realistic than sliding it under a couch. Wherever you position it, the C2's foldable design means it won't have a large footprint of your living space. It also had a set of wheels on one end, so you can move it in front of your TV while you binge The Bachelor on the weekend. 

With a top speed of 6km/h, the WalkingPad C2 comes with a handy three-button remote control for adjusting the pace. It also has an auto mode which ostensibly detects your speed and adjusts accordingly, though Mashable's testing found it felt precarious and accelerated too quickly (which is particularly dangerous considering the C2 has no handlebars). Even so, manual mode is all you really need, and is enjoyable and easy to use. Combined with its ability to fold for storage, the WalkingPad C2 is a tempting choice for apartment dwellers.

WalkingPad C2 foldable walking treadmill

 

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The Elemind headband didn't exactly look like the cure to my insomnia the first time I strapped it on.

In fact, this just-launched $350 device — "the first neurotech headband clinically shown to help people fall asleep," according to its ad copy — reminded me of two similar EEG headbands from years past. Both promised better sleep but failed to deliver.

A chronic night owl with a chattering mind that keeps me up into the wee hours, I've been reviewing sleep gadgets that could potentially save me since the Zeo headband launched in 2010. The Zeo used electrodes to track your sleep stages, but I soon found the benefits of that knowledge were outweighed by... well, by how uncomfortable it was to go to bed with it strapped tightly to your head.

Same goes for the Muse S headband, which launched 10 years later and promised helpful sleep tracking. The much-loved Muse 1 and 2 were brain-sensing meditation aids with firm electrodes that tucked in behind the ear; the headband, aiming for comfort over electrode connectivity, was far worse at detecting a signal.

That's the kind of frustration I expected during my first test of the Elemind, especially since it took take place in an unfamiliar bed where I was being watched by the company's founder.

What I certainly didn't expect was the sound of dolphins with gentle jackhammers breaking up my waking mind.

What is the Elemind headband?

Credit: Elemind

In functionality, the Elemind is nothing like those prior headbands. It's not simply reading your electrical brain wave activity; it's actively working to sabotage it.

If that sounds alarming, consider which of the five types of brain waves is in Elemind's sights: Alpha waves. This frequency of brain activity, between 8 and 12 Hz, is the last thing you want at night; it's your mind being just active enough to keep you tossing and turning.

If your brain was broadcasting Beta or Gamma waves, you wouldn't even be in bed; you'd be bounding around the house, alert, making decisions. If your brain found it easy to slip into Delta or Theta frequencies... well, you'd be having deep or light sleep, respectively, and you wouldn't need to read this.

But Alpha? For insomniacs, Alpha is the endless gossip who lives in your head. It's the chatty self-help guru who won't stop saying what you should do. And the fearful newscaster and financial analyst you didn't ask for. And the inner toddler who screams "don't wanna" any time you ask your brain, in the immortal words of a Samuel L Jackson-narrated audiobook, to go the fuck to sleep.

How the Elemind works: Elemind over matter

The Elemind uses insights from the science of oscilliotherapeutics (and if that word alone doesn't put you to sleep, you must really be in Alpha).

Basically, our neurons don't just fire together, they oscillate together — and that lets you target them with sound at very specific frequencies. (If white noise machines sometimes work for you, this is why.)

The Elemind uses its EEG readings to map your Alpha waves in real time, then the accompanying app crunches the numbers on what "pink noise" it needs to broadcast, via built-in bone conduction headphones, to reduce that alpha oscillation down to something in the sleepy zone.

Basically, this sleep tech headband is trying to get your neurons to slow their roll. But how effective is it? This is a good place to note Elemind's major caveat: it's not for everyone.

In its ongoing clinical trial, the company says 76 percent of participants saw reduction in the amount of time it took them to fall sleep. Elemind offers multiple possible reasons it didn't work for the 24 percent. One is that Alpha activity is found throughout the brain, and can be beyond the reach of oscillation broadcasts to the scalp. Your insomnia may literally be too deep to break up.

But not mine; I was relieved to discover I was firmly in the 76 percent. The company wisely offers a 30-day return window, so it's worth a shot to see if this expensive device might be worth every penny to you.

Hands-on with the Elemind

The bare-bones Elemind app. Credit: Elemind

What does it sound like, this pink noise? Here's what came to mind after I strapped on the Elemind for the first time: Dolphins are chittering quietly to themselves. Hang on, are they chittering or are they using, like, very quiet machine guns? Or tiny dolphin jackhammers to break up my thoughts?

In a minute or two, I began seeing eyelid movies (you have to keep your eyes closed for an Elemind session to work). Dolphin construction crews wore adorable reflective jackets and winked wickedly.

I realized I was pleasantly woozy — a state I recognize from my dream hacking reportage as hypnogogia, a liminal dream state where you're still slightly awake. But the dolphin machine gun had soon annihilated all my thoughts.

Yet instead of protesting this attack on its thinking rights, as I'd expect, my brain was almost suspiciously happy, as if I'd drugged it.

I did note that I was only clinging to consciousness by the slender thread of a musical earworm that wouldn't go away. (Perhaps earworms appear in the part of the brain Elemind can't reach?)

It was a bad earworm, too: "Don't Mug Yourself" by The Streets. Bouncy, dancey, and very anti-sleep. By randomly selecting it on public transit on the way to this sleep test, I had effectively mugged myself.

But that I'd come that close to napping was extraordinary. This was a hands-on Elemind naptime in a Four Seasons hotel suite bathed in direct California sunlight that even the blackout blinds couldn't contain. Elemind CEO Meredith Perry was next door tracking my progress on the app.

And here's the kicker — I hadn't had a successful nap in years.

None of this was conducive to sleep success. And yet over 30 minutes, I came within a worm's width of knocking myself out. Perry's app said I'd actually had 8 minutes of light sleep. I disagreed — the fuzzy math of sleep trackers at play, something I also notice with the wild differences between the readouts on my Oura ring and my Apple Watch — but I also couldn't deny I felt refreshed.

I also couldn't wait to try it out at home, during a full-on sleep session, but I had to. The first review unit Elemind sent was a dud on the bone conduction speaker front. Its app feels very barebones. And I lost count of the number of times it asked me to charge it up or download new firmware — right when I was ready to crash. This seems like easily avoidable bad timing on the app's part.

The Elemind aims to be a sleep tracker as well as an alpha-wave blaster. To that end, the startup is selling $12.99 a month memberships (the first month's free), which simply gets you a lot of data — incomplete data, if you're anything like me and are likely to wriggle out of the headband in your sleep. (I lasted an average of 45 minutes before tearing it off.)

The Elemind's alpha-wave blocking bone conduction noises last for 30 minutes, with a slow fadeout for the last 10. Seems I was too zonked out to twang it a way, for an average 15 minutes per sleep.

In other words, it worked every damn time.

Elemind in the air

Armed with that information, I wanted to see if the Elemind could send me to sleep in the most difficult circumstances. Could I have at least a light, brief, refreshing nap while buzzing on coffee? I certainly could. After an aggravating phone call? You betcha.

The boss level, I knew, was the long-haul flight. As the luck of travel plans would have it, I had a vacation to Japan via Hawaii coming up that involved four flights of roughly 5 hours each, across several days.

Normally, to sleep on a plane, I'd take melatonin, put on noise-canceling headphones, listen to a sleep playlist or the Sleep With Me podcast, and hope for the best. The Elemind changed that.

No matter where I was on the plane, from Extra Comfort space to squeezed into a window seat next to a manspreader, it knocked me out in under half an hour.

Better yet, it worked alongside my regular noise-cancelling headphones (the AirPods Max); if anything, there was a compounding effect with my sleep playlist: together, they gave me a record 2.5 hours of super-Pacific sleeptime.

Is the Elemind sleep headband worth it?

Again, your mileage with this pink noise machine may vary. My advice: it's worth it for folks with an insomnia problem so bad they'd pay $350 to solve it. Given the roughly 1 in 4 chance that your alpha waves are too deep to be broken up, this is one piece of sleep tech that demands more than one former insomniac's opinion.

So, in short, you'll have to think about the possibility of better sleep, and weigh it against the potential mild inconvenience of returning a $350 device within 30 days.

Then sleep on it.

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Credit: Elemind

Elemind sleep headband

$349 at Elemind

 

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SAVE 20%: As of July 30, you can get the Google Pixel Watch 3 (45mm) for $319.99, down from $399.99, at Amazon. That's a 20% discount and $80 in savings.

Google Pixel Watch 3 (45mm, Wi-Fi, Matte Black, Obsidian Band)

$210 at Walmart
$619.76 Save $409.76

 

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If you're tired of waiting for the Google Pixel Watch 4 (preorders kick off on August 20), you can actually snag the Google Pixel Watch 3 (45mm) right now on Amazon with a sweet $80 discount.

As of July 30, you can grab the Google Pixel Watch 3 (45mm) for just $319.99, down from its usual $399.99, over on Amazon. That's a solid 20% discount and an $80 savings. While this isn't the absolute lowest we've seen the Pixel Watch 3 go for on Amazon, it's still a pretty good deal when you consider everything it offers.

The Google Pixel Watch 3 (45mm) is essentially a souped-up fitness tracker designed for serious performance. It comes with advanced fitness tracking features from Fitbit, including in-depth monitoring for sleep, body temperature, stress, and heart rate.

You'll also find that the display is twice as bright and a good 40 percent larger than previous models. And even with those upgrades, you'll still get a full 24 hours of battery life with the always-on display, or even up to 36 hours if you switch to Battery Saver mode.

Running essentials you can find on Amazon

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Best Running Watch

Garmin Forerunner 955

$429 (save $70.99)

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Best running earbuds

Beats Fit Pro

$179 (save $20.95)

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Best Massage Gun

TOLOCO Massage Gun

$39.98 (save $20.01)

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Best running torch

InnoFox Running Light

$13.99 (save $9)

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My favorite thing about running is that it's totally accessible. You don't need expensive equipment or memberships to get going. You just need a pair of trainers and the willingness to actually get out there.

That being said, there are a few things that make running more enjoyable, more comfortable, and sometimes even a little more consistent. Over time, I’ve found a handful of affordable running accessories on Amazon that genuinely make a difference. Here are some of my favorites that I actually use and love.

Garmin Forerunner 955

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Credit: Garmin

Garmin Foreunner 955

$429 at Amazon
$499.99 Save $70.99

 

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Why I like it

A watch is an essential accessory for running, and the Garmin Forerunner 955 is my absolute favorite. Yes, you can track runs on your phone apps if you don't want to fork out for a dedicated tracker. But for accurate pacing, GPS, and advanced stats, a fitness tracker is the way to go. It supports full GPS tracking and has a 5 ATM water resistance. This, combined with a stellar battery life, makes this smartwatch ideal for any kind of endurance running.

It benefits from metrics like Garmin's Training Readiness, Body Battery, and Training Status, all helping to support and improve your training.

Beats Fit Pro

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Credit: Beats

Beats Fit Pro

$179 at Amazon
$199.95 Save $20.95

 

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Why I like it

Running without music seems like a horrible idea, but so does running without being aware of your surroundings. Enter the Beats Fit Pro. With noise cancellation modes that allow you to hear your music but also passing sounds (transparency mode), these are my go to for runs of all lengths.

My standout features are the battery life (they've survived marathons, accidentally being left on for days in my bag, and still live to tell the tale) and durability. I've used these for over two years and remain impressed with how well they still work. Not to mention, the sound quality is unbelievable. These are my first pair of Beats earbuds, and I can safely say I won't be going with anything else anytime soon.

TOLOCO Massage Gun

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Credit: TOLOCO

TOLOCO Massage Gun

$39.98 at Amazon
$59.99 Save $20.01

 

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Why I like it

There's nothing quite like the sweet misery that comes from using a massage gun; it truly is beautiful torture. Using a massage gun offers a whole host of benefits for physical recovery and overall wellness. It helps alleviate muscle soreness and stiffness by promoting blood circulation and reducing lactic acid buildup. After a tough workout, using a muscle gun can speed up your recovery, and it's a step I never skip.

This budget option from Amazon is just as good as the expensive models, in my opinion. It has 10 changeable heads and low, medium, and high speed options.

InnoFox Running Light

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Credit: ACEPHILY

InnoFox Running Light

$13.99 at Amazon
$22.99 Save $9.00

 

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Why I like it

Safety is paramount for runners, and whether we want to admit it or not, the long, bright nights will be coming to an end soon. We'll be back to morning and evening runs in the dark. A lightweight running light is one of the easiest ways to stay visible and safe; it helps you see, but more importantly, helps others see you.

This budget option from Amazon can clip onto your clothes or running belt. It's USB charged, so it's easy to have ready for when you want to head out the door.

Since 2022, the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has offered specialized crisis counseling to LGBTQ youth through a simple prompt.

Callers to the federally-funded hotline only needed to push 3; those who texted 988 or chatted could make the same selection by, respectively, texting PRIDE or checking a box to speak with an "LGBTQI trained crisis counselor."

Supporters have hailed the "press 3" option as a success. But it's suddenly slated to disappear, following an announcement in June by the Trump administration that it would "no longer silo" these counseling services, as of today, July 17. Observers noted that the announcement omitted the "T" for transgender when referring to "LGB+ youth services."

When asked directly by Mashable about ending the "press 3" offering, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said that it had run out of congressional funding. Continuing to operate it, the spokesperson said, could have led to massive reductions in service to the entire 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

A similar option for veterans, also offered by 988, was not shuttered, apparently because it's funded through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Both populations are at higher risk for suicide; LGBTQ youth are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers, due to factors like stigma and discrimination.

Mark Henson, interim vice president of advocacy and government affairs for LGBTQ nonprofit The Trevor Project, told Mashable that the federal government has the flexibility to provide the funds necessary to keep the line operational until the next fiscal year.

"Because the demand continues to rise, providing increased funding was previously — and remains today — in the best interest of supporting the 988 Lifeline's infrastructure. We need more resources, not fewer, to provide Americans with the life-saving crisis care they need and deserve," Henson said.

Suicide prevention advocates are alarmed by the administration's decision and the scant guidance and information they've received in the weeks since, said Henson. The Trevor Project is one of seven groups that have trained counselors to handle calls, chats, and texts through 988's specialized support for LGBTQ youth.

LGBTQ youth in distress could previously choose to be connected to counselors specifically trained to work with this population. Those counselors learn about the unique risk factors for suicide amongst LGBTQ youth, which include family rejection and estrangement, homelessness, bullying, and discrimination. Counselors could also refer youth to supportive local LGBTQ services including community centers.

"This has all the hallmarks of what we want government programs to do for us," Henson said. "This is what we want government to do to help save lives."

In the years since its introduction, the service made 1.5 million connections for LGBTQ youth who reached out for help. This year, the service was on track to exceed the number of people it served in 2024, when more than 600,000 people used the option.

Henson said there may be "life and death consequences" as a result of the administration's decision.

He is particularly worried that the service's shut-down could become a barrier to reaching out for some LGBTQ youth, who may feel newly skeptical of using 988. Henson added that LGBTQ youth may see the change as a signal that their government "thinks their life might not be worth saving," even though specialized crisis support services received bipartisan support and were adopted during the first Trump administration.

Bob Gebbia, CEO of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said that he didn't want to jump to conclusions about suicide risk amongst LGBTQ youth increasing as a result of the service ending.

Yet he noted that it might affect some youth: "We do know that when people sometimes feel discriminated against, or there's a bias against them, that could increase the potential to become despondent, anxious, depressed, and struggling with their mental health and overall well-being."

There are other concerns, too. Gebbia said that crisis line wait times may increase for everyone as counselors field calls, chats, and texts that would've otherwise been directed to press 3 option. Additionally, some local crisis centers have begun laying off staff, reportedly as a result of losing the federal funding meant to aid LGBTQ youth.

Both Henson and Gebbia said Congress could bring the specialized services back by including funding for them in the appropriations bill that will be finalized this fall. The Trevor Project has collected more than 50,000 signatures for a petition imploring President Trump and Congress to restore funding.

Still, a months-long lapse in the service before it's restored could be dangerous for vulnerable youth, Gebbia said. He emphasized that the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will still be operational for anyone who needs support, including LGBTQ youth.

For those concerned that its services may no longer meet their needs, Henson recommends they directly contact the Trevor Project's crisis hotline; the Trans Lifeline; Crisis Text Line; or BlackLine, a crisis support service for youth who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color. Henson also advises any youth in crisis to talk to a trusted friend or adult.

Gebbia said that youth should continue to call 988 if they're struggling, and recommended they also consider resources like a guidance counselor or a workplace employee assistance program.

"I think the most important thing if you're [a] LGBTQ young person and you're having a hard time, [is that] there's help, there's hope, there's people who care," Gebbia said.

If you're feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, please talk to somebody. You can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. You can reach the Trans Lifeline by calling 877-565-8860 or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text "START" to Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, or email info@nami.org. If you don't like the phone, consider using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Chat at crisischat.org. Here is a list of international resources.

Save $120: As of July 14, you can still grab the Apple Watch Series 10 (42mm, GPS) at its lowest price ever of $279. We first saw this 30% price drop at Amazon during Prime Day, but it's holding on through July 14.

Apple Watch Series 10 (42mm, GPS)

$299 at Walmart
$399 Save $100

 

Get Deal at Walmart Get Deal at Amazon

Prime Day may be over, but not all of the deals are.

Case in point: the Apple Watch Series 10 with GPS capabilities and a 42mm display is still on sale for the record low price it hit during the sale — $279. That's a whopping $120 savings on the usually $399 watch. If you missed out on this deal during Prime Day, your window of opportunity may be closing: other Apple deals we saw hold out through this morning already jumped back to higher prices.

The Series 10 is Mashable's favorite smartwatch fitness tracker for most people, but especially those already integrated in the Apple ecosystem. The watch is the slimmest and lightest weight Apple's put on the market. Paired with a display that can be ultra-bright for reading in sunlight, ultra-dim for reading in a dark room, and with wide-angle OLED for better visuals when viewed at an angle, this is an impressive overall display. While the watch itself is without a blood oxygen sensor due to an on-going patent dispute, it still has plenty of fitness features including tracking for sleep, steps, heart rate, and menstrual cycles.

All of that said, if you own a Series 9 or 8 you might want to wait until a new Apple Watch hits the market. The differences in speed, battery life, and available fitness features aren't so drastic as to make a difference. As Mashable's Stan Schroeder wrote in his review, "Yes, it's better in every way, but none of these small refinements will make you say 'Wow, I need the new one.'"

Still, if you've been waiting to upgrade to the Series 10, this is the best price to grab it at.

SAVE $20: The Eufy Smart Scale C20 is on sale for just $39.99 at Amazon, down from the usual price of $59.99. That's a 33% discount.

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Credit: Eufy

Eufy Smart Scale C20

$39.99 at Amazon
$59.99 Save $20

 

Get Deal

Gone are the days of using simple metrics to get health insight. These days, we have advanced fitness trackers in the form of both watches and rings that give accurate readings on heart rate, sleep quality, and even blood-oxygen levels. But if you're using a standard old-school scale in your bathroom, you're missing out on way more advanced models. Thankfully, Amazon has a nice discount on a great smart scale.

As of July 14, the Eufy Smart Scale C20 is on sale at Amazon for just $39.99, marked down from the normal price of $59.99. That's a 33% discount which works out to a savings of $20.

If you haven't bought a new scale in the last decade, chances are yours is probably only giving you one number — your overall weight. If you upgrade to the Eufy C20, you'd have access to 16 biometrics that give a much more comprehensive view of overall health. The scale's display gives readings on metrics like your heart rate, weight, BMI, muscle mass, bone mass, body age, and more. The Eufy Life app gives you even more options like creating a profile for each member of the family to keep track of their own fitness goals. There's even a setting for weighing your pets.

Eufy mentions the C20's accuracy gets as close as 0.1 pounds thanks to four advanced sensors on the scale. The anti-skid pads attached in four locations on the bottom of the scale add to safety. Overall dimensions of the scale measure 11 inches wide and 11 inches in length.

Upgrade your health tracking at home thanks to the Eufy Smart Scale C20. You'll have access to much more data compared to a standard scale and thanks to today's sale price, you can grab the scale at Amazon for just under $40.

TL;DR: Get a 1-Year Costco Gold Star Membership for $65 and receive a $20 Digital Costco Shop Card* to get you started.

If you’re someone who likes to plan ahead, shop smart, or simply streamline errands, this limited-time offer might be your new favorite find. Currently, you can get a 1-Year Costco Gold Star Membership for $65 and receive a $20 Digital Costco Shop Card* after redeeming online.

From groceries and gas to home goods, seasonal items, and electronics, you can knock out a surprising amount of your to-do list under one roof. And yes, you also get access to Costco Gas Stations, offering member-only fuel prices nationwide. That alone can make a noticeable difference in your monthly budget.

Your membership also includes a Household Card, so another adult (18 or older) living at your home can help out with the shopping, because the only thing better than everyday savings is not having to do it all yourself.

Whether you’re stocking up on essentials or checking out the Costco Tire Center, this opportunity unlocks more than just bulk savings. You’ll get access to high-quality products at great value, plus an easy, one-stop shopping experience that just makes sense for busy individuals and families alike.

Once you purchase this offer, you’ll receive instructions for redeeming your membership online. That part is important: you must redeem online before visiting a Costco warehouse. After that, your $20 Digital Costco Shop Card* will be sent to you via email within two weeks.

Available for new members in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, this offer must be redeemed by December 31, 2025, so you’ve got time — but not too much.

If you’ve ever thought about joining Costco, this is a great time to do so.

Pick up this 1-year Costco Gold Star Membership and $20 Digital Costco Shop Card* for $65 and enjoy summer savings right away.

Costco 1-Year Gold Star Membership + $20 Digital Costco Shop Card*

See Deal

StackSocial prices subject to change. Services are provided to Costco members by third parties.

To receive a Digital Costco Shop Card, you must provide a valid email address and set up auto renewal of your Costco membership on a Visa® card at the time of sign-up. If you elect not to enroll in auto renewal at the time of sign-up, incentives will not be emailed.

Valid only for new members and those whose memberships (Primary and Household) have expired at least 18 months or more. Valid only for nonmembers for their first year of membership. Not valid for renewal or upgrade of an existing membership. Promotion may not be combined with any other promotion. Digital Costco Shop Card will be emailed to the email address provided by the Primary Member at time of sign-up within 2 weeks to qualifying members. Digital Costco Shop Card is not redeemable for cash, except as required by law. Costco is not liable for incentives not received due to entry of an invalid address during sign-up. Digital Costco Shop Cards are not accepted at U.S. or Canada Food Court. Neither Costco Wholesale Corporation nor its affiliates are responsible for use of the card without your permission.Use the provided single-use promo code when entering your payment information. A Costco Gold Star Membership is $65 a year. An Executive Membership is an additional $65 upgrade fee a year. Each membership includes one free Household Card. May be subject to sales tax. Costco accepts all Visa cards, as well as cash, checks, debit/ATM cards, EBT and Costco Shop Cards. Departments and product selection may vary. (Note: You will see a $0.01 deduction on your membership cost after the promo code is entered. This indicates that your promo code has been successfully applied).

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Credit: Costco

Costco 1-Year Gold Star Membership + $20 Digital Costco Shop Card

$65

 

Get Deal

SAVE 18%: As of July 11 (the last and final day of Amazon's Prime Day extravaganza), you can get the Hatch Restore 3 for $139.99, down from $169.99. That's an 18% discount and $30 in savings.

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Credit: Tabitha Britt

Hatch Restore 3

$139.99 at Amazon
$169.99 Save $30

 

Get Deal

Today, July 11, is the last and final day of Amazon Prime Day (this year, it was a four-day event, starting July 8), but Amazon isn’t holding back on the deals. We’re still seeing new record-low prices on products from Apple, Sony, Samsung, and more.

One of the best deals I’d like to point out is on the Hatch Restore 3, which is down to $139.99, a $30 savings from its usual $169.99 price. In fact, it's proven to be one of the most popular Prime Day deals of 2025. This is the best price we’ve seen on this smart alarm clock since its release in January of this year (which is exactly when I got mine).

The Hatch Restore 3 is an alarm clock, but it’s also much more than that. And as a person who is chronically online for work and doom-scrolling before bed, I was looking for a way to break my phone addiction and get more sleep. (One second it’s 11 p.m. and the next thing you know it’s 2 a.m.?!)

The coolest feature of this alarm clock is that it has an unwind mode, so you can prep for bed. It gives you the option to listen to literal bedtime stories or set meditations to help you wind down and clear your head. I just set the green noise to two hours, and that usually does the trick. (It's worth noting that the premium content, like bedtime stories and guided meditations, requires a Hatch+ subscription, but a free trial is included so you can test it out.)

The Hatch Restore 3's light is fully customizable to match your mood or routine. I chose a fun, vibrant pink here to show off its features. Credit: Tabitha Britt

As for the actual alarm itself, it’s not a jarring buzzer like we had in our rooms as kids (at least I did). This alarm clock gradually brightens with soft light and plays gentle sounds to help you wake up. You can choose from multiple tones, set the volume, and change the color of the light to help you wake up how you want. And while you set these routines up in the app, the clock itself is designed for sleepy hands — you can start your routine or hit snooze with a large, simple button right on top, so you never have to reach for your phone.

If you're looking to reclaim your evenings and mornings from your phone, this record-low price makes today the perfect day to finally do it.

The best Prime Day Garmin watch deals at a glance:

---

BEST OVERALL

Garmin vívoactive 5

$190 (save $109.99)

Get Deal

---

BEST FOR ATHLETES

Garmin fēnix 7 Pro (47mm)

$499.99 (save $400)

Get Deal

---

BEST BUDGET DEAL

Garmin Venu Sq 2

$149.99 (save $100)

Get Deal

As a loyal Garmin watch user for five years now, I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the brand. I personally don't see why anyone would choose an Apple Watch, which you have to charge every day, over a Garmin smartwatch, which will last you well over a week on a charge. To each their own, of course. If you're not totally sold on the fruit company's flagship watch, allow me to point you towards some Garmin smartwatches that will wow you. They're not cheap, but on Prime Day, you can save over $100 on many models.

Whether you're a runner, a triathlete, or just dabbling in the health and wellness sector, there's a Garmin device for you. Below, we've highlighted the best Prime Day Garmin watch deals you can shop at Amazon, as well as Best Buy.

Note: Deals marked with a 🔥 have dropped to a new all-time low price

The best Prime Day Garmin watch deal for most people

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Credit: Garmin

Garmin vívoactive 5

$190 at Amazon
$299.99 Save $109.99

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

While we haven't tested the vívoactive 5 model, we did spend some time with its predecessor and gave it a nearly perfect rating. "The vívoactive 4 is an excellent smartwatch for active people wanting to be more in tune with their bodies, and for less active individuals who have the desire but need a little nudging to stick to their goals," our reviewer sums up. The fifth rendition of the watch upgraded the AMOLED display, enhances sleep and stress coaching, improves the heart rate sensor, and includes even more sports apps.

There's now a sixth-generation model in town, making the vívoactive 5 even more affordable. It's typically a pretty reasonable $299.99, but it's on sale for just $190 for Prime Day. That's only $1 away from its best-ever price from Black Friday.

Best Prime Day Garmin watch deal for athletes

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Credit: Garmin

Garmin fēnix 7 Pro (47mm) 🔥

$499.99 at Amazon
$899.99 Save $400

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

While the fēnix 8 is the latest in the lineup, the Garmin fēnix 7 Pro is a whole lot more affordable. Regularly $899.99 for the 47mm Pro Sapphire Solar edition, it can be yours for just $499.99 on Prime Day. That's 44% in savings and a new record low.

The fēnix 7 Pro is a multisport watch built for training and adventure. It can last for up to 22 days on a charge, thanks to the addition of solar charging. Like most Garmin watches, it packs tons of health and wellness features, but it adds training features like hill score, endurance score, pacing modes, race predictor, morning reports, training readiness, advanced navigation, preloaded maps, and more performance-focused data. There's even a built-in flashlight for those who like to train at night.

More Prime Day Garmin watch deals

• Garmin Venu Sq 2 — $149.99 $249.99 (save $100) 🔥

• Garmin Forerunner 55 — $169 $199.99 (save $30.99)

• Garmin Instinct 2 — $169.99 $299.99 (save $130) 🔥

• Garmin Lily 2 — $199.99 $249.99 (save $50)

• Garmin Forerunner 255 — $199.99 $349.99 (save $150)

• Garmin Forerunner 255 Music — $249.99 $399.99 (save $150)

• Garmin Instinct 2X Solar — $299.99 $449.99 (save $150)

• Garmin Forerunner 955 — $349.99 $499.99 (save $150) 🔥

• Garmin Instinct 2X Solar (50mm) — $349.99 $499.99 (save $150)

• Garmin Forerunner 265 — $399.99 $449.99 (save $50)

• Garmin Forerunner 965 — $549.99 $599.99 (save $50)

• Garmin fēnix 7X Pro (51mm) — $599.99 $999.99 (save $400) 🔥

• Garmin quatix 7X Solar (51mm) — $599.99 $1,099.99 (save $500)

• Garmin epix Pro (51mm) — $609.99 $1,099.99 (save $490) 🔥

• Garmin fēnix 8 (43mm) — $899.99 $999.99 (save $100)

• Garmin fēnix 8 Solar (47mm) — $999.99 $1,099.99 (save $100)

The best Prime Day Garmin watch deals at a glance:

---

BEST OVERALL

Garmin vívoactive 5

$190 (save $109.99)

Get Deal

---

BEST FOR ATHLETES

Garmin fēnix 7 Pro (47mm)

$499.99 (save $400)

Get Deal

---

BEST BUDGET DEAL

Garmin Venu Sq 2

$149.99 (save $100)

Get Deal

As a loyal Garmin watch user for five years now, I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the brand. I personally don't see why anyone would choose an Apple Watch, which you have to charge every day, over a Garmin smartwatch, which will last you well over a week on a charge. To each their own, of course. If you're not totally sold on the fruit company's flagship watch, allow me to point you towards some Garmin smartwatches that will wow you. They're not cheap, but on Prime Day, you can save over $100 on many models.

Whether you're a runner, a triathlete, or just dabbling in the health and wellness sector, there's a Garmin device for you. Below, we've highlighted the best Prime Day Garmin watch deals you can shop at Amazon, as well as Best Buy.

Note: Deals marked with a 🔥 have dropped to a new all-time low price

The best Prime Day Garmin watch deal for most people

Opens in a new window

Credit: Garmin

Garmin vívoactive 5

$190 at Amazon
$299.99 Save $109.99

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

While we haven't tested the vívoactive 5 model, we did spend some time with its predecessor and gave it a nearly perfect rating. "The vívoactive 4 is an excellent smartwatch for active people wanting to be more in tune with their bodies, and for less active individuals who have the desire but need a little nudging to stick to their goals," our reviewer sums up. The fifth rendition of the watch upgraded the AMOLED display, enhances sleep and stress coaching, improves the heart rate sensor, and includes even more sports apps.

There's now a sixth-generation model in town, making the vívoactive 5 even more affordable. It's typically a pretty reasonable $299.99, but it's on sale for just $190 for Prime Day. That's only $1 away from its best-ever price from Black Friday.

Best Prime Day Garmin watch deal for athletes

Opens in a new window

Credit: Garmin

Garmin fēnix 7 Pro (47mm) 🔥

$499.99 at Amazon
$899.99 Save $400

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

While the fēnix 8 is the latest in the lineup, the Garmin fēnix 7 Pro is a whole lot more affordable. Regularly $899.99 for the 47mm Pro Sapphire Solar edition, it can be yours for just $499.99 on Prime Day. That's 44% in savings and a new record low.

The fēnix 7 Pro is a multisport watch built for training and adventure. It can last for up to 22 days on a charge, thanks to the addition of solar charging. Like most Garmin watches, it packs tons of health and wellness features, but it adds training features like hill score, endurance score, pacing modes, race predictor, morning reports, training readiness, advanced navigation, preloaded maps, and more performance-focused data. There's even a built-in flashlight for those who like to train at night.

More Prime Day Garmin watch deals

• Garmin Venu Sq 2 — $149.99 $249.99 (save $100) 🔥

• Garmin Forerunner 55 — $169 $199.99 (save $30.99)

• Garmin Instinct 2 — $169.99 $299.99 (save $130) 🔥

• Garmin Lily 2 — $199.99 $249.99 (save $50)

• Garmin Forerunner 255 — $199.99 $349.99 (save $150)

• Garmin Forerunner 255 Music — $249.99 $399.99 (save $150)

• Garmin Instinct 2X Solar — $299.99 $449.99 (save $150)

• Garmin Forerunner 955 — $349.99 $499.99 (save $150) 🔥

• Garmin Instinct 2X Solar (50mm) — $349.99 $499.99 (save $150)

• Garmin Forerunner 265 — $399.99 $449.99 (save $50)

• Garmin Forerunner 965 — $549.99 $599.99 (save $50)

• Garmin fēnix 7X Pro (51mm) — $599.99 $999.99 (save $400) 🔥

• Garmin quatix 7X Solar (51mm) — $599.99 $1,099.99 (save $500)

• Garmin epix Pro (51mm) — $609.99 $1,099.99 (save $490) 🔥

• Garmin fēnix 8 (43mm) — $899.99 $999.99 (save $100)

• Garmin fēnix 8 Solar (47mm) — $999.99 $1,099.99 (save $100)

Best early Prime Day Fitbit deals 2025

---

Best kids Fitbit deal

Fitbit Ace

$149.95 (Save $30)

Get Deal

---

Best adults Fitbit deal

Fitbit Sense 2

$219 (Save $30.95)

Get Deal

If you're like us, you're ready to take full advantage of the summer weather to get active. If you, too, have fitness aspirations for 2025, you'll probably want a good fitness tracker by your side to keep you honest and primed for success.

Thankfully, Amazon Prime Day is just a few short weeks away (running from July 8-11), which means plenty of fitness tracker deals are on the way. In fact, many of those deals are already live. If you're locked into the Fitbit ecosystem, though, the discounts are pretty slim at the moment. Still, there are a few worth considering, so read on.

Find our top picks below, and stay tuned to this page, as we'll be updating it as more Prime Day deals come in.

Best early Prime Day Fitbit deal

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Credit: Fitbit

Fitbit Ace

$149.95 at Amazon
$179.95 Save $30

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

You might think that buying a fitness tracker for a kid is a little weird — children don't need to be tracking calories. Thankfully, kids fitness trackers are way more streamlined and meant to encourage movement with no extra metrics or analytics. If you have a high-energy kid in your home and want to support their active lifestyle, the Fitbit Ace is a great option that'll keep them focused and moving. Ahead of Prime Day 2025, you can get one for $30 off.

More early Prime Day Fitbit deals

• Fitbit Inspire 3 — $94.90 $99.95 (save $5.05)

• Fitbit Charge 6 + 6 months of Fitbit Premium — $159.95

• Fitbit Sense 2 — $219 $249.95 (save $30.95)

• Fitbit Versa 4 + 6 months of Fitbit Premium — $199.95

SAVE UP TO 33%: This Prime Day, save up to $100 on the Oura Ring by shopping the flash sale at the Oura Ring online store. You can also find select sizes on sale at Amazon.

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Credit: Oura

Oura Ring 4

$296.65 at Oura
$349 Save $52.35

 

Get Deal

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Credit: Oura

Oura Ring Gen 3

$199 at Oura
$299 Save $100

 

Get Deal

Prime Day is finally here, and we’ve been seeing tons of deals on headphones, TVs, laptops, and more. One of the best wellness deals so far is on the Oura Ring, but the best place to get it isn't Amazon, and there are a few small-print details you’ll need to know before you pick one up for yourself.

The big news is a flash sale happening on Oura's own website from now through July 11. This is where you'll find the best prices on our favorite fitness tracker. The sale gives you two great options: You can get 15% off the Oura Ring 4. (This is your best bet if you want all the latest features, and it comes with free 2-day shipping.) Or, if you want the absolute best price, there's special new pricing on the Oura Ring Gen3. The Heritage style now starts at just $199, a full $100 off its original price while the Horizon style starts at $249, which is a $50 savings.

Of course, if you do want to shop at Amazon to take advantage of free shipping and returns, you can take advantage of some Prime Day fitness tracker deals on the Oura Ring, which we've collected below.

In order to find out your Oura Ring size, you’ll need to order a free sizing kit from the company’s website (they're $10 at Amazon). It's a good idea to use the official kit to get your fit just right, especially since the various styles can feel a bit different on your finger.

The Oura Ring is one of our favorite fitness trackers. Albeit the Oura Ring 4 impressed us way more than the Gen3 and received a Mashable Choice Award, the Oura Ring Gen3 is still a solid option if you're looking to save money.

This smart ring tracks your sleep, activity, stress levels, and more (you’ll need an Oura membership to get the full Oura Ring experience — your first month is free, and then it’s $5.99 per month). You can also sync the ring to work with other compatible iOS and Android apps, including Apple Health, Google Health Connect, Flo, and Natural Cycles.

Oura Ring Prime Day offers

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Our Ring Gen 4

$296.65 at Oura (save $52.35)

Get Deal

---

Best Amazon deal

Oura Ring Gen 4

$339.15 (save $59.85 at Amazon)

Get Deal

---

Biggest savings

Oura Ring Gen 3 Heritage

$199 (save $100 at Amazon)

Get Deal

---

Oura Ring Gen3 Heritage

$218.05 (save $30.95 at Amazon)

Get Deal

---

Oura Ring Sizing Kit

$10 at Amazon

Get Deal

Best early Prime Day Fitbit deals 2025

---

Best kids Fitbit deal

Fitbit Ace

$149.95 (Save $30)

Get Deal

---

Best adults Fitbit deal

Fitbit Sense 2

$219 (Save $30.95)

Get Deal

If you're like us, you're ready to take full advantage of the summer weather to get active. If you, too, have fitness aspirations for 2025, you'll probably want a good fitness tracker by your side to keep you honest and primed for success.

Thankfully, Amazon Prime Day is just a few short weeks away (running from July 8-11), which means plenty of fitness tracker deals are on the way. In fact, many of those deals are already live. If you're locked into the Fitbit ecosystem, though, the discounts are pretty slim at the moment. Still, there are a few worth considering, so read on.

Find our top picks below, and stay tuned to this page, as we'll be updating it as more Prime Day deals come in.

Best early Prime Day Fitbit deal

Opens in a new window

Credit: Fitbit

Fitbit Ace

$149.95 at Amazon
$179.95 Save $30

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

You might think that buying a fitness tracker for a kid is a little weird — children don't need to be tracking calories. Thankfully, kids fitness trackers are way more streamlined and meant to encourage movement with no extra metrics or analytics. If you have a high-energy kid in your home and want to support their active lifestyle, the Fitbit Ace is a great option that'll keep them focused and moving. Ahead of Prime Day 2025, you can get one for $30 off.

More early Prime Day Fitbit deals

• Fitbit Inspire 3 — $94.90 $99.95 (save $5.05)

• Fitbit Charge 6 + 6 months of Fitbit Premium — $159.95

• Fitbit Sense 2 — $219 $249.95 (save $30.95)

• Fitbit Versa 4 + 6 months of Fitbit Premium — $199.95

SAVE $14: The Renpho smart scale is on sale at Amazon before Prime Day for just $20.99, down from the standard price of $34.99. That's a 40% discount.

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Credit: Renpho

Renpho smart scale

$20.99 at Amazon
$34.99 Save $14.00

 

Get Deal

We're almost an entire week into July now and that can only mean one thing — Prime Day is almost here. Officially, the sale kicks on Tuesday, July 8, but we're already seeing some awesome deals if you feel like shopping early. If your summer plans involve a focus on fitness, there's already a great deal on a feature-rich smart scale.

As of July 6, the Renpho smart scale is on sale for just $20.99 at Amazon, marked down from the usual price of $34.99. That's a massive 40% discount that takes $14 off the list price.

The Renpho smart scale means business when it comes to giving you useful health metrics. Of course, it functions as a scale but it also gives you a BMI reading and calculates body fat percentage. It goes even deeper to give you information on your muscle mass, body water, bone mass, and metabolic age.

With the Renpho Helth app, you'll be able to keep tabs on all of the smart scale metrics, comparing them to your previous numbers. Plus, there's a baby and pet mode so you can get accurate readings on your baby and pet's weights.

The Renpho smart scale uses four sensors to accurately calculate weight in 0.2 pound increments and the large 11 by 11 inch area makes it easier to step on the scale. Renpho mentions this smart scale is suitable for folks who weigh up to 400 pounds.

This summer, get more accurate insight into fitness metrics thanks to the Renpho smart scale. Ahead of the major Prime Day sale, grab the sale while it's on sale for $20.99 at Amazon. You'll beat the rush of the sale chaos and it might even arrive on your doorstep before Prime Day even starts.

SAVE $400: The Garmin Fenix 7 fitness tracker is on sale at Amazon for $499.99, down from the list price of $899.99. That's a 44% discount and a new record-low price at Amazon.

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Credit: Garmin

Garmin Fenix 7

$499.99 at Amazon
$899.99 Save $400

 

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We're on the heels of an exciting Prime Day. This year we get four full days of shopping to find the best Apple deals, outdoor gear upgrades, and finally replacing those uncomfortable earbuds. If you have summer adventures planned or you're looking to keep better tabs on your fitness metrics, there's an especially great deal that's already live on a fitness tracker.

As of July 6, the Garmin Fenix 7 fitness tracker is just $499.99 at Amazon, marked down from the list price of $899.99. That's a major 44% discount that takes $400 off the smartwatch. It's also a new record-low price at Amazon by a long shot.

Summer is the perfect time to get into a new fitness routine. With better weather and longer daylight hours, it can be a great way to set a new schedule that involves a focus on health. Whether you're taking longer walks around the neighborhood or heading into the mountains to set a new trail record, the Garmin Fenix 7 is packed with useful features.

For starters, who couldn't use a built-in flashlight on their wrist? On the trail, this is incredibly useful for digging into your backpack to find that (probably melted) chocolate bar. At home, it's a great way to avoid tripping on the dog during the midnight bathroom trip. The strobe function is gonna come in handy during winter runs at 5 p.m. when it's completely dark out. But of course, the Garmin is packed with fitness tracking features, too.

On your wrist, you'll have access to heart rate date, pulse Ox levels, and sleep metrics. Each morning, the Garmin will give you a daily report that discusses training readiness for the day. Plus, the the Garmin Fenix 7 is capable of solar recharging. But you shouldn't need that too often since the watch can get up to 22 days of battery on a single charge when in smartwatch mode.

Since it's down to a super low price at Amazon, it's probably wise to jump on this Garmin Fenix 7 deal before Prime Day takes hold. There's no telling when Amazon will decide to bump up the price while lowering others during the longest Prime Day sale ever.

Since its debut in 2022, The Bear has been a haunted show. The ghosts aren't paranormal visitors but a collection of regrets, fears, and traumas as diverse as the series' many characters. Each individual is trailed by a destructive shadow, ready to sabotage any progress toward being a less dysfunctional person.

Sometimes the haunting is an attempt at a pressure-relieving punchline; sometimes it's just a gut-punch. Either way, the way characters grapple with their never-quite-buried losses deftly teach the audience something about the trajectory of heartbreak, the punishing nature of anxiety, depression, and addiction, and what it takes to heal.

Still, Season 3 pushed the conceit of haunting to its limit, leaning into a repetitive emotional deadlock over the course of 10 episodes. The audience watched as chef Carmy Berzatto, played by Jeremey Allen White, remained stuck in his head, and mired in memories of working for an abusive boss.

But Season 4 delivers the audience from this psychological spiral, and not just for Carmy.

Beyond Carmy's determined effort to make space for other people's feelings — hell, even their existence — numerous characters get a meaningful chance to confront the ghosts that haunt them.

An avoidant Syd (Ayo Edebiri) makes the decision (and the phone call) she's been dreading. Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) figures out his place in his own family as Tiff (Gillian Jacobs) marries Frank (Josh Hartnett). He also gets the chance to tell Carmy about the guilt he felt when Mikey (Jon Bernthal) died by suicide. Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis) makes a tearful apology to Carmy for decades of parental neglect, among other regrets.

Opportunities like these become key to the characters' healing, masterfully revealing how recovery from addiction, trauma, and emotional damage is possible.

Kassi Diwa-Kite, a licensed marriage and family therapist at BetterHelp who has watched all four seasons of The Bear, told Mashable that the series' latest outing "absolutely" felt less haunted. She says that's primarily because the characters are slowly embracing their personal and professional identities, which requires self-awareness and emotional regulation they didn't previously possess. She adds that the characters develop a curiosity about themselves and the patterns they seek to break that ultimately empowers them.

As a result, "that hauntedness has to start sliding away because they're coming more into themselves," says Diwa-Kite.

Not every character goes on the same journey as Carmy, Syd, Donna, and Richie. Mashable's Belen Edwards makes the convincing case that Season 4 failed Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas), who is mostly seen trying to cook a certain pasta dish in under three minutes.

Whether or not this makes for critically-acclaimed television is also a concern. Some critics felt Season 4 still stalled in terms of narrative momentum and lacked urgency, even if it was an improvement on the show's third installment.

Yet watching key players each chart a unique, if not straightforward, path toward happiness and redemption remains special to behold. It all happens in a world absent of therapy- and wellness-speak, too. There's nothing wrong with those conventions; they help countless people inch toward recovery every day. Still, there's something simple and relatable about Carmy's refrain throughout Season 4: "I'm trying."

After three seasons of focusing only on what he can accomplish in the kitchen, Carmy slogs through being fully present in his life, visibly uncomfortable with finding and saying the words people need to hear. He stutters and staggers, but manages to make progress.

Carmy shows up on Claire's (Molly Gordon) doorstep months after having literally ghosted her early in their romantic relationship. Pressed on why he became so fearful of intimacy, he finally blurts out an apology.

When Carmy realizes in a separate scene that it took weeks for him to meet his newborn niece, he more calmly summons an apology to his sister Sugar (Abby Elliott) for failing to show up.

Diwa-Kite particularly appreciated Carmy's arc in Season 4 because the character begins to make the connections that have long eluded him: He escaped to culinary school after growing up with an absent father and a mother addicted to alcohol, then found himself in an abusive professional relationship. Now that he wants a different future, it might not look pretty or feel easy.

"Recovery from trauma is going to be clumsy," Diwa-Kite says, noting that she appreciated how the show depicts Carmy's process. "Just let it be messy. That's where the healing is happening."

While Season 4 is full of moments in which characters makes more fulfilling, grounded choices, there is perhaps none as beautiful as the scene that unfolds when Richie and Tiff's daughter, Eva (Annabelle Toomey), hides under a large table during the celebration of her mother's marriage to Frank.

Afraid to dance with Frank in front of an audience of adults, she refuses to come out. Soon every major character — and some minor ones, too — find themselves under the table with Eva, sharing their fears, one-by-one. Carmy admits that his is the "opposite of chaos," and math. Richie gets a chuckle by saying his fear is artificial intelligence, specifically the Singularity. Frank confesses that he's afraid of heights.

On it goes like that, as many adults with a history of trauma reassure a little girl about whom they care deeply that it's normal to feel fear.

"There was so much healing that you could see among all of those adults," Diwa-Kite says.

The episode, entitled "Bears," is an unexpected bookend to Season 2's "Fishes," which depicted another family gathering that couldn't be more different.

"Fishes" was a tense hourlong observation of family dysfunction and the toll that it takes on everyone it touches. "Bears" demonstrates how loving relationships, even when they're imperfect, can sustain people who otherwise feel broken, and can possibly achieve generational healing.

"If this were a real girl, imagine the core memory that was created for her in that moment," Diwa-Kite says of Eva. "She will remember that forever. She will draw on that experience forever."

The impromptu community that came together for Eva during that scene echoes an overarching theme of Season 4: People heal in community and through the relationships they've built, Diwa-Kite says.

None of this means that Season 5 will be easy-going for any of the characters.

Indeed, the final episode of Season 4 was fraught as Carmy, Syd, and Richie spent a half-hour arguing, in close-ups, over Carmy's imminent departure from the restaurant. Carmy says he wants to learn who he is when he's not trying to escape his pain. Richie and Syd, though, suspect he's running away — again.

Whether or not Carmy will truly find himself might seem like a gamble. But, then again, Carmy spent the season repairing the relationships that matter most to him rather than severing those ties, and seems more than ready to instead walk away from his proverbial ghosts.

TL;DR: Tired of swatting bugs all summer? The Flowtron 2-Acre Bug Zapper uses UV light and Octenol to attract and zap mosquitoes and other flying pests.

Bug season has officially clocked in — but don’t worry, your new MVP just entered the chat. The Flowtron 2-Acre Outdoor Electric Bug Zapper is like the bodyguard your backyard didn’t know it needed, zapping away mosquitoes and flies so you can enjoy your lemonade in peace.

Covering up to two full acres, this zapper doesn’t mess around. It combines the irresistible glow of three 40W UV bulbs with the mosquito-luring power of Octenol — a safe attractant that mosquitoes find way too tempting. Once they get close? Zap. The 5,600-volt grid does the work in a flash.

It’s got the credentials, too. EPA registered, UL and CSA listed, and made in the USA, the Flowtron is built to handle the elements with its weatherproof housing and non-clogging design. Hang it up on your porch, pergola, or fence, and enjoy a low-maintenance solution to one of summer’s most annoying problems.

Whether you’re hosting a barbecue, stargazing with the kids, or just trying to drink your coffee without donating blood to a swarm of bugs, this zapper’s here to keep things quiet, clean, and bite-free.

Get the Flowtron 2-Acre Outdoor Electric Bug Zapper while it’s $234.97 with free shipping.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

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Credit: Flowtron

Flowtron 2 Acre Outdoor Electric Bug Zapper

$234.97
$249.99 Save $15.02

 

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SAVE UP TO 80%: Until July 10, the Steam Summer Sale is offering a wide range of discounts on PC games.

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Credit: Steam

Steam Summer Sale 2025

 

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The Steam Summer Sale 2025 has officially kicked off, and it’s a scorcher. Running now through July 10, Valve’s annual discount blowout is delivering steep price cuts of up to 80% off everything from AAA blockbusters to indie darlings. 

Some of the most talked-about titles are on serious discount. One such game is the Resident Evil 4 Remake — 50% off at just $19.99. That’s survival horror at its most affordable. Plus, with the recent announcement of the sequel Resident Evil Requiem — with 4’s protagonist Leon Kennedy returning as a rumoured character, this is the ideal time to catch up.

Another headliner is Cyberpunk 2077. Thanks to multiple patches, the Phantom Liberty DLC buzz, and the game’s launch on the Nintendo Switch 2,  it's back in the spotlight and down 65% to $20.99.

Horror fans can snag Dead Space (2023) for just $11.99 at an 80% markdown — while Force-wielding action fans can grab Star Wars Jedi Survivor at a shocking $13.99 (that’s 80% off).

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, arguably one of the best games of 2025 so far, has already had a price cut at $44.99. Meanwhile, Elden Ring, one of the finest games of this generation, has had 40% slashed off to only be $35.99. Monster Hunter Wilds is also now only $55.99 with a 20% discount, if you’ve yet to catch up on the latest multiplayer/co-op hunting action.

Beyond the big hitters, the sale is stacked with great deals under $15. Vampire Survivors is basically a no-brainer at $3.74, and Slime Rancher 2 is a wholesome escape for just $19.79. Plus, American Truck Simulator is cruising at a low $4.99, perfect for those chill, podcast-fueled drives.

This year’s sale doesn't feature flash sales, so the prices you see now are what you'll get throughout. Make sure to check your Wishlist for custom alerts, and earn trading cards and other profile goodies as you browse and spend. And don’t forget — all trading cards expire Aug. 12, so if you’re hunting for the seasonal badge, plan accordingly.

SAVE $14: As of July 1, the Renpho Smart Scale is just $20.99 at Amazon — 40% off its regular price.

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Credit: Renpho

Renpho Smart Scale

$20.99 at Amazon
$34.99 Save $14.00

 

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For those whose fitness journey could use a little more data and a lot less guesswork, a good smart scale is an essential. Right now, the Renpho Smart Scale is on sale for just $20.99 at Amazon. That's a 40% discount from its regular $34.99 price, and a smart pickup ahead of Prime Day.

This Bluetooth-enabled digital scale doesn’t just tell you your weight — it serves up 13 essential body metrics, including BMI, body fat percentage, muscle mass, metabolic age, and more. Since the Renpho app can sync with Apple Health, Samsung Health, Fitbit, and Google Fit, it gives you an all-in-one hub for tracking your progress.

Setting up is meant to be fast and beginner-friendly. Once you download the Renpho Health app (available on iOS and Android), you can start logging your data instantly — even from your Apple Watch (Series 2 or later). The app supports unlimited users, making it ideal for households or anyone sharing their wellness goals with a partner or coach.

Despite its budget price, the Renpho Smart Scale does not skimp on quality. It’s built with high-precision sensors, offers auto-calibration, and has a 400-pound capacity with accuracy down to 0.2 pounds. Four sensitive electrodes under a tempered glass surface help capture readings quickly — just step on and it gets to work.

One standout feature for families is the baby weighing mode, which lets you weigh small children or even pets — because progress isn’t just for adults.

With millions of happy users already on board, Renpho’s smart scale proves you don’t have to spend big to stay on top of your health metrics. For under $21, this early Prime Day deal gives you a smarter way to track your body and stay motivated.

To upgrade your workout audio setup whilst on a budget, the Q30 Soundcore Life headphones are now only $63.99. And you’re in the market for a cheap tablet, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab A9+ is 23% off and one of the best wallet-friendly options around.

Best 4th of July mattress and bedding deals that are already live

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Best mattress deal

Bear Star Hybrid mattress with adjustable base (queen)

$1,769 (save $1,770)

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Best bedding deal

Silk & Snow flax linen bed sheets (queen)

$144 (save $36)

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Welcome to summer. We're officially into the season of sun, vacation, camping, outdoor movie nights, and the big Prime Day sale over at Amazon. With all this excitement, it's pretty easy to decide sleep can wait until next season. But if you're prioritizing health and wellness this summer, you might want to reconsider. According to Harvard Medical School, sleep is pretty essential to our overall wellbeing which includes our mood, energy levels, cognitive ability, and much more. Since no one wants to spend the brief summer months in a moody haze, it's best to get restorative sleep.

Thankfully, 4th of July is a great time to buy a new mattress and invest in a bedding refresh. If you can't remember when you bought your current mattress, it's probably time for an upgrade. The big 4th of July celebration might not be until later this week, but mattress and bedding brands are already launching great sales. If you're making sleep a priority this summer, here are some great sales to shop. And if you're really serious about getting good sleep, Anker's new Sleep A30 earbuds are also on sale.

Best mattress deal

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Credit: Bear

Bear Star Hybrid mattress with adjustable base (queen)

$1,769 at Bear
$3,539 Save $1,770

 

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Why we like it

You're missing out if you've never slept on an adjustable base before. Thanks to Bear's 4th of July sale, you can score a new hybrid mattress with an adjustable base for a massive 50% off. The Bear Star Hybrid mattress aims to offer excellent pressure relief, especially for those who tend to sleep hot. It combines a cooling gel foam layer with fully encased steel coils for ergonomic support. Bear considers the bed to have a medium-firm feel.

The Bear Adjustable Flex Base is simple to assemble, has room for under-bed storage, and comes with the benefits of ultimate pressure relief. Thanks to the included remote control, you'll have one-touch access to sleeping in the weightless zero-g position or adjusting the head up to binge the best summer shows.

All in all, you'll be on your way to blissful rest with a massive savings. The queen-size Bear Star Hybrid mattress with adjustable base usually sells for $3,539 but during the brand's 4th of July sale, it's 50% off which brings the total down to $1,769.

More mattress deals

• Amerisleep — take $600 of mattresses with code JULY600

• Bear — save 35% sitewide

• Brooklyn Bedding — save 25% sitewide

• Casper — save 35% sitewide

• DreamCloud — take up to 60% off

• Eight Sleep — take up to $200 off

• Helix — save 25% sitewide

• Leesa — take 30% off mattresses

• Mattress Firm — take up to 72% off

• Naturepedic — take 20% off sitewide

• Nolah — take 30% off

• Purple — save up to $800 on a mattress with base

• Saava — take up to $600 off

• Tuft & Needle — take up to 25% off select mattresses

Best bedding deal

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Credit: Silk& Snow

Silk & Snow flax linen bed sheets (queen)

$144 at Silk & Snow
$180 Save $36

 

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Why we like it

Summer is hot (and getting hotter). If you tend to overheat when sleeping during summer months, consider cooling linen sheets. Alongside cotton, linen offers some of the most breathable and cooling sleep on offer and the Silk & Snow flax linen sheets live up to this claim. While a queen fitted sheet and pillowcase set usually sells for $180, it's on sale for $144 during the brand's 4th of July event. Silk & Snow uses European flax linen from fields in Belgium and France to craft these sheets that are made in Portugal. They're suitable for beds up to 15 inches tall and they come with easy care instructions. The Silk & Snow linen sheets are safe to clean at home in the washing washing and you can dry them on a low setting. Plus, linen gets softer with every wash. Instead of accepting that sleeping sweaty is inevitable in the summer, try out some cooling linen sheets.

More bedding deals

• Brooklinen — save up to 40% on bedding bundles

• Coop Sleep Goods — take 20% off pillows and bedding

• Cozy Earth — take up to 55% off

• Eli & Elm — take up to 55% off

• Naturepedic — take 20% off sitewide

• Purple — take up to 20% off pillows and 30% off bedding

• Sijo — take 20% off sitewide

• Tuft & Needle — take up to 25% off bedding and pillows

SAVE OVER $10: As of June 27, the Renpho smart scale is on sale at Amazon for $44.99. This is 30% off its list price of $63.99, allowing you to save $19.

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Credit: Renpho

RENPHO Scale

$44.99 at Amazon
$63.99 Save $19

 

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We still have a couple of weeks to go until Prime Day, but Amazon already has some great early deals available. If you've been on the lookout for discounts on fitness-related tech, we've found quite a few early deals worth exploring on fitness trackers already, but if you've been hoping to invest in a scale to track at home, this Renpho smart scale deal is also worth checking out.

Usually this Renpho smart scale is listed for $63.99, but you can score it for $44.99 right now. That saves you 30%, or $19, in total, which is a deal that's worth taking advantage of while it's available. It's worth the investment, too.

Alongside a sleek design, the Renpho smart scale provides several different readings of body weight, water percentage, muscle mass, BMI, bone mass, body fat, and metabolic age that are all displayed on its digital screen. You can also keep track of everything in the Renpho Health app, which can also sync up with Apple Health, Samsung Health, and MyFitnessPal.

Why wait for Prime Day? Score this Renpho smart scale for $44.99 right now at Amazon while the deal is still live.

If you're itching to shop more on Prime Day, make sure to mark your calendar for July 8 through July 11 so you don't miss it. Have a look at our breakdown of everything you need to know about Amazon Prime Day 2025 to learn more about the best early deals we've found so far and what's new for the sale event this year.

Best early Prime Day Fitbit deals 2025

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Best kids Fitbit deal

Fitbit Ace

$149.95 (Save $30)

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Best adults Fitbit deal

Fitbit Sense 2

$219 (Save $30.95)

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If you're like us, you're ready to take full advantage of the summer weather to get active. If you, too, have fitness aspirations for 2025, you'll probably want a good fitness tracker by your side to keep you honest and primed for success.

Thankfully, Amazon Prime Day is just a few short weeks away (running from July 8-11), which means plenty of fitness tracker deals are on the way. In fact, many of those deals are already live. If you're locked into the Fitbit ecosystem, though, the discounts are pretty slim at the moment. Still, there are a few worth considering, so read on.

Find our top picks below, and stay tuned to this page, as we'll be updating it as more Prime Day deals come in.

Best early Prime Day Fitbit deal

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Credit: Fitbit

Fitbit Ace

$149.95 at Amazon
$179.95 Save $30

 

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Why we like it

You might think that buying a fitness tracker for a kid is a little weird — children don't need to be tracking calories. Thankfully, kids fitness trackers are way more streamlined and meant to encourage movement with no extra metrics or analytics. If you have a high-energy kid in your home and want to support their active lifestyle, the Fitbit Ace is a great option that'll keep them focused and moving. Ahead of Prime Day 2025, you can get one for $30 off.

More early Prime Day Fitbit deals

• Fitbit Inspire 3 — $94.90 $99.95 (save $5.05)

• Fitbit Charge 6 + 6 months of Fitbit Premium — $159.95

• Fitbit Sense 2 — $219 $249.95 (save $30.95)

• Fitbit Versa 4 + 6 months of Fitbit Premium — $199.95

I'm one of those people who literally cannot sleep without white noise playing in the background. Otherwise, I'm stuck staring at the ceiling, trying to will myself into a slumber. Thankfully, I have a great sound machine at home that whisks me off to dreamland every night instead of allowing my hyperactive brain to wander. It's improved my overall sleep quality by quite a bit ever since I started using it, but only when I'm home. When I'm traveling, I'm pretty much out of luck — my Hatch Restore is too bulky to carry around with me, and I'm not too keen on checking a bag at the airport just so I can pack an alarm clock.

So, after countless sleepless nights in hotel rooms and vacations marred by tired eyes, I bought this teeny-tiny sound machine on a whim, and let me tell you, it may be the best $25 I've spent all year.

Sidenote: I think Babelio technically made this sound machine for babies. But you know what? I'm going to keep using it. Aren't we all just former babies, anyway?

Without the Babelio portable sound machine, I have to rely on Spotify and a really long white noise playlist, which kind of worked, but at the expense of my iPhone's battery (it dies very quick now). Unfortunately, sleep earbuds just aren't for me.

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Credit: Babelio

Babelio portable sound machine

$24.99 at Amazon

 

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Babelio's portable white noise machine is pocket-sized, but does just as good of a job getting me to sleep as my Hatch does at home. The circumference of the compact speaker is about the size of a quarter, making it a cinch to bring on the go. You can even add on a carrying case for it, which has a convenient little strap so you can attach it to your bag. I grabbed one of those, too, and definitely recommend it. I like how minimalistic it looks; I picked the sleek wood grain finish, but there are a lot more options to choose from.

It has a pretty short battery life — it lasted me only three nights before needing a charge — but the tradeoff for its portability is totally worth it. Plus, you can charge the device during use, so I'm never confronted with any mid-sleep interruptions.

I really dig the minimalistic, wood grain design. Credit: Dylan Haas / Mashable

Hard to screw things up when there's only three buttons. Credit: Dylan Haas / Mashable

The pint-sized noise machine features 15 non-looping tracks to choose from, including white noise, pink noise, brown noise, oscillating fan, rain, waves, insects, campfire, birds, streams, and more. I usually stick to the plain white noise, but it’s nice to have the options to play around with.

It also has a programmable timer in case you’d like it to turn off automatically while you catch some Zs, and has a memory function that remembers your preferred track, volume, and time settings from your last session. I don't use this feature much at all, but I could see it being useful for a quick power nap.

This pint-sized device makes a big impression. Credit: Dylan Haas / Mashable

The cherry on top? This sound machine goes on sale quite often. At the time of this writing, it's just $16.99 on Amazon, so if you want one, take advantage of the discount. (And if you want to wait until later, it'll probably go on sale again soon.)

I sleep hot in every season. On vacation in snowy Finland in January, I slept with the heat off and the window open and still (still) woke up drenched in sweat. No amount of cooling mattress topper or breathable percale sheets or lightweight linen pajamas has rid me of my overheating dilemma. So when Brooklyn Bedding came out with a new lineup of mattresses specifically targeted to sleep cool, I was intrigued, but skeptical.

After sleeping on a queen-sized Brooklyn Bedding CopperFlex Pro mattress ($1,332) for three weeks, I’m confident in saying this is the coolest mattress I’ve ever experienced. And not only did I never experience night sweats, it was incredibly comfortable and the price is far too low for what it offers.

First impressions of the CopperFlex Pro mattress

Mattresses that arrive on your doorstep neatly compressed into a cardboard box are honestly a modern marvel. Sure, we all know foam can squish down, but getting a multi-layered hybrid mattress complete with innerspring coils, like the CopperFlex Pro, delivered in a manageable box is truly awesome. That being said, I would have struggled to get that box into my bedroom alone, but after my partner and I unboxed the bed and got it onto the bed frame, setup was a cinch. 

The Brooklyn Bedding CopperFlex Pro hybrid arrives compressed and in plastic. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

The CopperFlex Pro bed is meant to measure 14 inches in height once it’s fully expanded and it was sitting at 13 inches tall after just three minutes of unpacking. After an hour that was at 13.5. And that’s where it stayed —  never making it to the full 14 inches — but that didn’t bother me at all and I was perfectly happy with a 13.5-inch tall bed.

I chose the CopperFlex Pro version to test out, over the standard CopperFlex mattress, because the Pro comes with a Galciotex cooling cover. This absolutely lived up to the hype, feeling cool to the touch immediately and never retaining heat once I got out of bed. But that brings me to one of the only negative points I have about this mattress; the Glaciotex cover is slippery. My fitted sheet stayed securely on the mattress, but it slid around with me as I moved. Since cooling was my number one priority, I was willing to accept a slippery surface in exchange for a non-sweaty night.

How is the Brooklyn Bedding mattress made?

The Brooklyn Bedding lineup of CopperFlex mattresses all contain copper-infused memory foam. Copper is well-known as one of the most cooling elements a mattress can contain. It has a high thermal conductivity which means it loves to absorb heat, so there’s less heat stuck in the mattress. The hybrid design also inherently allows for better airflow. Since innerspring coils let air pass through, there’s a higher likelihood heat will find its way out of the mattress, much more so than with an all-foam bed.

Copper is also antimicrobial and antiviral. That’s a cool feature in a mattress since you can’t exactly toss the bed into the washing machine or douse it with an antibacterial cleaning spray.

Six layers of support on this hybrid bed, plus a cooling cover. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

Brooklyn Bedding introduced four versions of the CopperFlex mattress. The all-foam CopperFlex is the most affordable option, coming in at just $665 in a queen size. The hybrid CopperFlex costs $932 in a queen size, and it introduces support from innerspring coils, rather than just foam. Coil support can be ideal for people who deal with back or hip pain, since coils can target pressure relief.

The CopperFlex Pro adds in the cooling cover, and it’s also available in a memory foam version ($1,065 for a queen) and the hybrid CopperFlex Pro that I tested out ($1,332). Overall, the hybrid CopperFlex Pro uses six layers of support, one of which is an eight-inch layer of coils.

Is the CopperFlex Pro actually cooling?

Thanks to the cooling cover, the copper-infused memory foam, and the inherent design of a hybrid mattress, the CopperFlex Pro is the coolest mattress I’ve ever slept on. I never woke up feeling too hot which is really impressive given my track record of waking up drenched.

Prior to testing the CopperFlex Pro, I was sleeping on an all-foam bed which warmed up as the night progressed, so the Brooklyn Bedding mattress was a major improvement.

My thermostat drops to 68 at night, but when testing the mattress, I let it creep up during the day, getting up to 74. I tested out the cooling ability during many mid-day naps and again didn’t wake up feeling uncomfortably warm.

It’s an understatement to say I was impressed by the cooling nature of the CopperFlex Pro. I slept at a comfortable temperature every night I tested out this bed which is something that hasn’t occurred in years.

How does the CopperFlex Pro feel?

Brooklyn Bedding says the CopperFlex Pro has a medium-firm feel, ranking it at a 7 on the mattress firmness scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the firmest. I love a firm mattress and I really hate the feeling of sinking into memory foam and getting trapped. While I don’t agree this mattress is a medium-firm, I loved the overall feel. To me, it felt more like a medium level of firmness. I initially thought oh gosh, this is too soft for me, but I ended up loving it. The upper comfort layers didn’t swallow me, so I always felt like I was sleeping comfortably on the surface of the mattress. Since the CopperFlex Pro has an 8-inch layer of innerspring coils, I figured there would be some bounce to the bed, but I noticed it had more of a responsive push back feel rather than a distinct bounce, which I really liked.

Motion isolation was another element I was impressed with on the CopperFlex Pro. Not only do I struggle with sleeping too hot, I’m a super light sleeper so motion isolation is a priority in my world. All-foam mattresses tend to do well with motion isolation, so I was a bit nervous to switch from my all-foam bed to a hybrid model. Again, I was shocked that the CopperFlex Pro did a better job at isolating motion than my all-foam bed which was genuinely a dream come true.

The Glaciotex cooling cover is both amazing and slippery. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

In terms of overall comfort, I never woke up sore or felt unsupported on the CopperFlex Pro. I primarily sleep on my stomach, but I also sleep on my side often and occasionally on my back. That combination makes shopping for a perfect mattress damn near impossible. I need something that’s firm enough to keep my hips from sinking below my shoulders and knees when I’m sleeping on my stomach. But I also need something soft enough to not make my shoulder feel squished when I sleep on my side or cause pain in my hip. Somehow, the CopperFlex Pro felt oh so comfortable in all positions. I didn’t wake up with neck, shoulder, or hip pain ever, which is not something I can say happens to me on many mattresses. Because of this, I think the bed could be a solid option for combination sleepers. That also makes it a really luxurious guest bedroom mattress since it’s likely to cater to a range of sleeping position preferences.

One disappointment I noticed with the CopperFlex Pro was the lack of edge support at the foot of the bed. Brooklyn Bedding added reinforced edge support to the sides of this mattress, but didn’t extend it around the entire perimeter. When I sat on the side of the bed, I felt enough support to comfortably put on socks (although that slippery surface was working against me), but when I sat at the foot of bed, I felt like I could tumble off. If you require solid edge support at the foot of the mattress, this isn’t the bed for you.

Is it worth it?

Copper-infused mattresses and toppers tend to come with a steep price tag. The Layla Hybrid mattress costs $1,699 in a queen size and the now-discontinued Nectar Premier Copper hybrid mattress came in at $1,799. Both of those are more expensive than the Brooklyn Bedding CopperFlex Pro’s price of $1,332 for a queen. On sale, we’ve seen that price dip below $1,000 and you can save even more if you go with the memory foam version. 

When it comes to mattresses that you can score for under $1,000, the CopperFlex Pro offers an incredible value for the quality. That's even more true for hot sleepers. Considering most mattresses last for about seven years, we’re talking about under $150 per year for an awesome sleeping experience that’s both supportive, cooling, and comfortable.

SAVE $5.26: As of June 19, get the Etekcity Scale for $29.73, down from its usual price of $34.99. That's a discount of 15%.

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Credit: Amazon

Etekcity Smart Scale

$29.73 at Amazon
$34.99 Save $5.26

 

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When you're working on getting in shape, there's a lot of information you can use to improve your workouts or meal plans and make them more efficient. A smart scale is a handy piece of tech that can facilitate this for you, and it's usually pretty affordable.

As of June 19, get the Etekcity Scale for $29.73, down from its usual price of $34.99. That's $5.26 off and a discount of 15%.

This affordable scale can measure your body weight with readings down to 0.05 lb increments. There's no need to wait for it to zero out either, so you don't have to step on the scale and awkwardly wait to get your reading. It can weigh items as light as 100g as well, so it's quite sensitive should you need it for those purposes.

It has a large, extra-bright LED display, and it's a sleek, thin scale that's lightweight and easy to move around. It has rounded edges so you don't impale your toe while walking around at night. Plus, it has anti-skid padding and three different units of measurements to choose from when weighing yourself.

If you want a no-frills scale that can do what it says it does on the box, for less than $50 at that, this is an excellent deal.

SAVE $25.01: As of June 16, the Renpho smart scale is on sale for $34.98 at Amazon. That's 42% off its list price of $59.99.

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Credit: Renpho

Renpho Smart Scale

$34.98 at Amazon
$59.99 Save $25.01

 

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There are many ways to stay on top of your health and fitness goals nowadays, whether you invest in a smartwatch or even a smart ring. If you've been looking for a scale to keep on track at home, the Renpho Smart Scale is a great option that can connect with various apps — such as Apple Health, Samsung Health, and MyFitnessPal — to help you stay on track. And what's even better is it's currently down to its lowest-ever price at Amazon.

The Renpho Smart Scale has been marked down to $34.98 at Amazon, a 42% discount from its list price of $59.99. According to price tracker camelcamelcamel, this marks a return to its best-ever price. You'll want to hurry to pick it up at this price as it's marked as a limited-time deal.

The Renpho Smart Scale can sync up with the Renpho Health App to help you stay on top of your fitness progress. This makes integrating it into your fitness apps nice and easy. The scale itself will provide you with seven measurements, including body weight, BMI, body fat, muscle mass, water percentage, bone mass, and metabolic age, so you can have an in-depth look at where you're at.

This limited-time deal may not last for long. Act fast to get 42% off the Renpho Smart Scale at Amazon.

If you're looking for more fitness-related tech to pick up, you can also score a great deal at the moment on the Garmin vívoactive 5 and the Fitbit Charge 6 right now at Amazon.

UPDATE: Jun. 16, 2025, 12:07 p.m. EDT This post has been updated with new photos, plus more information following our initial testing of the Sleep A30 earbuds.

PREORDER NOW: Preorder the new Anker Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds for $159 on Kickstarter, down $70.99 from their full release price of $229.99. That's a 31% discount to score the new earbuds with upgraded features like active noise cancellation. The earbuds are set to begin shipping before August.

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Credit: Anker

Anker Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds

$159 at Kickstarter
$229.99 Save $70.99

estimated shipping before August

Pre-order Here

Good sleep can be hard to come by, but Anker is aiming to ease the pain. That's especially true if you're not sleeping well because the dog is snoring, the birds are awake at dawn, or traffic is loud. Instead of using your daytime earbuds to mask the sound, the Anker Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds come packed with sleep-centric features, a comfortable design, and finally — active noise cancellation.

Mashable was smitten with the Anker Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds, earning them the top spot when it comes to the best sleep earbuds. But like every other sleep earbud in the space — including the $349 Ozlo Sleepbuds — they lacked active noise cancellation. Anker went ahead and blessed our good sleep by adding that this feature into the new A30 earbuds, which are set to begin shipping out before August.

The Sleep A30 earbuds versus the Sleep A20 earbuds. Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

As of June 16, you can preorder the new Anker Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds via Kickstarter for $159, discounted from their standard price of $229.99, saving you $70.99. That's also cheaper than buying the Sleep A20 earbuds which are currently listed for their full price of $179.99 at Best Buy. This price might not last too long, though — the super early bird pricing tier of $139 sold out within hours of the Kickstarter going live.

When comparing the new Sleep A30 earbuds to the older Sleep A20 earbuds, it appears that Anker went all-out with upgrades. Not only are we getting active noise cancellation, we're getting memory foam ear tips, and real-time adaptive snore masking audio. Yes, the earbuds use the included charging case (which is likely on your nightstand) to detect snoring and adjust sound accordingly. As a nice bonus, the newer earbuds are also seven percent slimmer — it sounds like a small difference, but in our initial few nights of testing, we found these earbuds to be even more comfortable than their predecessors.

The Sleep A30 earbud (left) is ever so slightly slimmer than the A20 earbud (right). Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

In terms of battery life, the new Sleep A30 earbuds get nine hours per charge with local audio and ANC, which should be enough to get you through one night of restorative and restful slumber. The case provides an additional 45 hours per charge, so you won't have to plug it in every couple of nights. If you prefer to stream your own audio via Bluetooth, that number drops down to 6.5 hours per charge in the buds and 35 hours in the case — though not quite enough to play through an entire eight hours, it is more than enough time to help lull someone to sleep.

More upgrades come in the form of better sleep support. The Sleep A30s now come with a library of audio for sleep in addition to meditation and focus tracks, which are organized in the app much better than the previous generation's library. There's also more advanced sleep report metrics like sleep latency and a rating system. While we still need some time with the earbuds to determine just how well these upgrades perform, we can say that our initial testing is promising, from the ANC to the newer app features.

Finally, Anker offers plenty of options for comfort with these earbuds: you'll have your pick between four silicone ear tips, three memory foam ear tips, and three pairs of wings. The case also lights up when you open it, making it easier to see where to grab and place the earbuds in a darker room. And the earbuds even come with a cosmetic upgrade in the form of a new mint green colorway, in addition to the standard white version.

Anker says they expect the new Sleep A30 earbuds to begin shipping out before August and delivery could take between one and two weeks, depending on logistics. After the Kickstarter ends, the earbuds will be available on Soundcore's website and Amazon for their full price of $229.99 in August. If you're not willing to wait that long to get undisrupted sleep, you can snag the A20s from Best Buy for $179.99. They're still a great option, they just won't come with active noise cancellation.

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Credit: Anker

Anker Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds

$179.99 at Best Buy

 

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Preorders on Kickstarter for the Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds are set to continue until July 6, but it's likely the $159 backing option will sell out. The next available tier is one pair for $179, which still saves you $50 compared to the list price of $229.

SAVE 35%: The Merach NovaRow R50 rowing machine is on sale at Amazon for $476.99, down from the list price at Merach of $729.99. That's a savings of $253.

High schoolers have a knack for making decisions without thinking. Occasionally, that does not spell trouble and ends up with a great result. That's exactly what happened to me the summer before entering my sophomore year. I signed up for a rowing class with the city of Seattle at the Green Lake Small Craft Center. I had no idea it would alter the trajectory of my entire life. I was just a silly high schooler who thought rowing might get me in better shape for cross country season in the fall.

I never went back to running cross country and instead rowed through high school. With a few exceptions, I've never stopped rowing since that first class. I've even joined the Masters Crew at Green Lake. But there's always been something missing in my rower life, and that was my very own rowing machine to keep at home.

Winters in Seattle are not particularly friendly to being out on the water. The rain hits your face sideways and that stings, not to mention you cannot feel your hands. Those are kind of important when it comes to rowing. Green Lake has a collection of rowing machines we use to train inside instead of dealing with the elements. In fact, all rowing clubs do. The gold standard is the Concept2, a perfect piece of training equipment that is not cheap to purchase ($990 if you're not super tall).

Instead, I went with the Merach NovaRow R50 which is a less expensive model with a similar design. I've used this machine everyday since it arrived on my doorstep, and I'm incredibly happy I made the investment. If you're on the same page and hope for a full-body workout machine that's not $1,000+, you can score a steep discount at Amazon on the R50.

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Credit: Merach

MerachNovaRow R50 rowing machine

$476.99 at Amazon
$729.99 Save $253

 

Get Deal

We have an enormous selection when it comes to at-home fitness equipment these days, but it's hard to tell if a high price will get you better quality. Sure, you could dish out well over $1,000 for a Peloton bike or you could get the Merach R50 for under $500 and get a full-body workout. I promise you'll discover soreness in muscles you didn't know previously existed, but in a good way.

The build of the Merach R50 rowing machine

Similar to much more expensive rowing machines, the Merach R50 focuses on a solid build while adding in a few comfort elements. For starters, the steel slide rail can support users who weigh up to 350 pounds, and it's also designed to accommodate taller folks up to 6 feet 10 inches.

Set-up is also a breeze, and I'll admit I didn't even look at the instructions. Of course, one probably should, but it's an incredibly simple process that involves just eight screws. The Merach then sits on two caster wheels which makes it easy to roll the machine from one room to another, or roll it away into the corner for storage. Speaking of storage, you can disconnect the slide rail from the resistance wheel to essentially store the rowing machine in halves and standing upright.

A major benefit of the Merach R50 is its nickel-plated steel chain that connects to the resistance wheel's fan. Many budget-friendly rowing machines go with a cheap material for the chain or even use rope. Neither of those are especially durable materials so you're likely to run into longevity issues.

The resistance wheel on the R50 comes with 10 intensity levels that reach up to 110 pounds of resistance, so you can pump it up to level 10 intensity on go-hard days or keep it low for easier days.

Comfort features on the Merach R50

Since you'll be rowing from a seated position, Merach went with a cushioned seat with an ergonomic design. The adjustable foot plates also create a more customized fit. The rowing machine's monitor sits on an adjustable arm so you can move it to the perfect angle to get your stats like time per 500 meters, stroke rate, and time spent rowing. The monitor also has a convenient slot for your phone to stay safely put while you row. Connect to the Merach app to get guided workouts or check out scenic race courses.

A meditative workout with novelty

If you've never been on a rowing machine before, get ready for an experience. Not only does rowing target 86% of all muscles in the body, according to Merach, there's something wonderfully meditative about the motion. Legs, arms, back, slide to the front, legs, arms, back, and on and on. You get to zone out entirely and it doesn't come with the constant wonder of if you'll fall off like running on a treadmill does.

There's also something novel about rowing as a workout rather than say riding a stationary bike or running on a treadmill. No one's gonna come over to your house, spot your dusty treadmill, and ask to give it a go. But every visitor I've had over to my house since getting the Merach R50 has sat down and taken a few strokes. It's a unique workout that not everyone has experienced before. And in my opinion, it's genuinely fun.

Where to buy the Merach NovaRow R50

If you're not in the mood to drop $1,000+ to add a rowing machine to your at-home gym, you can snag the Merach R50 directly from the Merach website. But if you hurry, you can snag the rowing machine while it's on sale at Amazon. At the time of writing, it's just $476.99 at Amazon which includes free shipping. That's a 35% discount compared to the list price at Merach of $729.99. While we can't put a price on fitness, under $500 is a great deal for a machine that strengthens almost every muscle in the body.

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Credit: Merach

MerachNovaRow R50 rowing machine

$476.99 at Amazon
$729.99 Save $253

 

Get Deal

If you’ve tried to quit vaping nicotine once, twice, or even 10 times and just can’t kick it — you aren’t alone. Millions of young people use nicotine and many are trapped in a frustrating cycle of quitting and relapsing, although they want to quit for good.

One reason why quitting is so hard is that nicotine is one of the most addictive substances out there. And trying to go cold turkey, no matter how strong your willpower, almost always fails. In fact, young adults make the most quit attempts each year, but they’re also the least likely to use evidence-based quitting treatments available to them. Why? Historically, quit programs were never designed to reach Gen Z. 

That’s where Outsmart Nicotine comes in, a national campaign from Truth Initiative, the non-profit organization behind EX Program. It’s on a mission to reach young people with a clear message: you don’t have to do this on your own. Through free and confidential access to expert quitting tips, interactive tech tools, and 24/7 text support, EX Program is empowering millions to break the cycle of nicotine addiction — on their terms, with support that meets them where they are.

When it comes to quitting, science matters

For many Gen Z, it began with casually hitting flavored vapes at parties or during study breaks. But the truth is, as vapes became cheaper and stronger, their potential for addiction increased. Now, many young adults are trying to quit but don’t know where to begin.

EX Program was built to help you start – and stick with – a successful quit journey to break the grip of vaping, smoking, nicotine pouches, or any tobacco product. The science-backed digital solution was developed with the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center and provides evidence-based methods to support anyone who wants to quit. Research shows that using EX Program can increase your odds of quitting by up to 40 percent.

How EX Program works

Breaking free from nicotine addiction means tackling both your physical addiction and behavioral patterns that can trigger cravings. Signing up for EX Program is free, and you'll receive daily text messages to support your unique quitting journey. Messages that, as one young participant put it, “always remind me why I'm quitting and how far I've come. It makes me proud to see.”

You'll also get access to a website filled with helpful information, tools to build new coping skills, insights into what your body and brain are experiencing, and support from the largest and longest-running quit community on the Internet, according to Truth Initiative. You’ll learn tried-and-true ways to manage cravings and replace old routines with healthier ones, which is so important.

Spoiler alert: Eating spicy peppers won’t stave off cravings on its own, but pairing it with expert advice from EX Program can help you manage them.

EX Community is key to a quitting victory

Trying to quit alone is tough, which is why the EX Community has your back every step of the way on your quitting journey. The EX Community includes thousands of current quitters and former smokers/vapers who are active on the platform to help answer your questions and cheer you on. Weekly blog posts from Mayo Clinic experts help you navigate what’s happening in your body and mind so you can make informed choices that support long-term success.

Think of the EX Community as the secret sauce to your success. Peer members can answer your questions about quitting, tell you ‘You Got This,’ and support you through tough moments and wins. One user shared that feeling part of a supportive community, especially when her friends weren’t going through the same thing, was “a HUGE help.”

Expert guidance can help give you different ways to think about quitting and ensure you have the most up-to-date science about addiction and quitting. However you use it, having a community reinforces the fact that you’re not alone. Even just reading in the EX Community can significantly increase your odds of quitting.

Quit medication and other tools

Another benefit of EX Program is that it offers trusted information about your Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) options. FDA-approved NRT products such as nicotine gum, lozenges, and patches are backed by science and, when combined with a program like EX Program, can double your chances of quitting. 

How they work is pretty simple: Your brain is used to receiving a certain amount of nicotine every time you vape, smoke, dip, or chew, and it gets angry when it doesn't get it. NRT products can help take the edge off, making it more likely you'll find a quit that sticks. 

EX Program doesn’t provide NRT medication, but it does offer advice on what might work for you and exclusive discounts to get FDA-approved nicotine gum and lozenges.

Ready to outsmart nicotine?

Whether it’s your first attempt at quitting or your 10th, EX Program by Truth Initiative is here for it. The tools are free. The support is real. And the science shows it works. Join the millions who are ditching their vape, cigarettes, or other products like pouches, and finally finding freedom from nicotine addiction. Text DITCHIT to 88709 to enroll. 

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Credit: Truth Initiative

The go-to guide on your quitting journey

Ready to outsmart nicotine? Increase your odds of quitting by up to 40% with help.

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The best Memorial Day mattress deals live now:

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Best mattress deal

DreamCloud Premier Hybrid Mattress

$949 (save $1,381)

Get Deal

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Best bedding deal

Brooklinen Classic Percale Core Sheet Set (queen)

$141.75 (save $47.25)

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Memorial Day means we've made it out of winter hibernation. But don't be so quick to shorten those hours spent sleeping. Getting enough shut eye is one of the basic pillars of life and it impacts everything from mood to muscle recovery and even the immune system.

If you're looking to hack your sleep this summer, we'll let you in on a secret — Memorial Day is one of the best times of the year to shop for a new mattress. All the major mattress brands offer steep discounts on some of the best models, so you'll be able to choose from thousands of options. And here's another secret — most mattresses are only designed to last for about 10 years. If you can't remember buying your last mattress, it might be time for an upgrade.

Once you choose a new mattress, pick out new sheets and pillows because again, Memorial Day is a fantastic time to score savings on new bedding. Grab some cooling sheets and fluffy pillows and get ready for great summer slumber. Here are some of our favorite Memorial Day mattress and bedding deals that you can already shop today.

Best mattress deal

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Credit: DreamCloud

DreamCloud Premier Hybrid Mattress (Queen)

$949 at DreamCloud
$2,330 Save $1,381

 

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Why we like it

With a quilted Euro Top, the DreamCloud Premier Hybrid mattress starts off with a comfortable but supportive feel that'll help lull you into sleep. The other four layers are comprised of memory foams for pressure relief and individually wrapped innerspring coils for great support. DreamCloud considers the Premier Hybrid to have a medium-firm feel, and the coils are designed to help minimize motion transfer, which can be great if you share the bed with a partner or the dog.

In a queen size, the DreamCloud Premier Hybrid usually sells for $2,330, but thanks to the brand's Memorial Day sale, you can snag it for just $949.

The best Memorial day mattress deals

• Amerisleep — save up to $1,000 on mattresses

• Avocado — take 10% off sitewide

• Bear — save 40% on mattresses and get two free pillows with code MD4TY

• Bedgear — take up to $300 off Performance Mattresses

• Big Fig — take 25% off sitewide with code MEMDAY

• Birch — save 27% off sitewide and get two free Eco-Rest pillows with a new mattress with code MASH27

• Brooklyn Bedding — take 30% off sitewide

• Casper — take up to 30% off on mattresses

• DreamCloud — save up to 60% on mattresses

• Eight Sleep — save up to $200

• Helix — take 27% sitewide and get a free sheet set and mattress protector with Helix Luxe or Elite mattress with code MASH27

• Leesa — save 30% on mattresses and get a free sleep bundle

• Layla — get free pillows with every mattress and take up to $1,018 off bundles

• Mattress Firm — take up to 60% off and get a free adjustable base with select mattresses

• Naturepedic — take up to 20% off organic mattresses

• Nectar — save up to 50% on mattresses and 65% on bundles

• Nest — save up to $1,321 on new mattresses and get a free bundle

• Nolah — take 35% off sitewide and get two free pillows

• PlushBeds — take up to 50% off mattresses and use code MEMORIAL100 to save an extra $100

• Puffy — take up to $1,350 off with code MEMORIALDAY

• Purple — save up to $400 on a new mattress and up to $700 off a new mattress with base

• Saatva — save up to $600 on mattresses

• Silk & Snow — take up to $300 off mattresses

• Sleep Number — save up to 50% on smart beds

• Tempur-Pedic - take 20% off Tempur-Adapt mattress toppers

• Tuft & Needle — save 20% on select mattresses

• Viscosoft — take 25% off all mattress toppers

• WinkBeds — save $300 on all mattresses