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Ask HN: Which product have you purchased that increased your wellbeing?
Which product or service have you purchased that increased your well being to a noticeable level?
- 226_ebro_treaty 3y agoA smartphone with a 120 Hz screen. I am addicted to my phone like most people, so that smooth, smooth frame rate really makes a difference when you have 8h average screen time every single day.
- Venkatesh10 3y agoWhich phone are you using?
- 226_ebro_treaty 3y agoPoco X4 pro
- sds357 3y agoA new modern full suspension mountain bike. One of the only enjoyable ways to exercise that I will do regularly and look forward to.
- Someone1234 3y agoA standing desk and a "premium" chair (Steelcase Leap). A lot of people I talk to about spending $800-1K on a chair rebuke the very idea; while they themselves are on their second or third IKEA MARKUS ($300/per); while offering a far worse user experience in the interim. Depending on where you live, there's also an unusually large supply on the used market due to telecommutting. There's a saying: "Spend money on what separates you from the ground." Meaning shoes, beds, and chairs. But I'd also say a desk that is supporting your hands, wrists, and arms should maybe count. Standing desks can help a lot with sitting too long in one position, in particular if your work has times when you don't need to type you can switch to a non-traditional handheld mouse (e.g. ELECOM Relacon), and stand more naturally. YMMV of course.
- thorin 3y agoI have an Ikea chair (it might be the Markus) and an Ikea manual standing desk, although it's been in sitting mode so far. What advantages do you feel you get from the more expensive chair. I've been having some muscle issues around the lower back which have been causing a lot of pain so thinking of moving to standing mode, but currently I just get up every 20-30 mins and do some stretching.
- pipodeclown 3y agoI think you can sit all day on a shitty chair as long as you do some strenght training to ensure your spine is sufficiently stabilised. Only time I got some back aches was during Covid when the gyms were closed for half a year.
- xu3u32 3y agoA Garmin watch. Went from running rarely with no goal or plan in mind to running 20-30 miles a week consistently. The built-in running plans are great have coached me to multiple half marathon and 10k PRs. I've lost more than 60 lbs as well.
- mahogany 3y agoI always start running semi-regularly for a few weeks and then stop. I'd love to be more consistent about it, so this sounds enticing. What about the watch made you run more consistently? Was it that the built-in plans gave you motivation by having a concrete goal?
- poo-yie 3y agoProbably the single purchase that's had the greatest impact for me was my Bose noise-cancelling headphones. That was quite a while back, as they're the QC-15. However, they still work great and I still use them often.
- jimswhims 3y agoYeah, noise can have a detrimental effect on wellbeing. I've never tried active noise cancelling headphones but my 3M Peltor X5A headset earmuffs are a lifesaver. They're big and not the best for very extended periods, but when you need some relief from a noisy environment for a while they really help.
- MH15 3y agoApple Watch. Any watch with sleep and workout tracking would do (Garmin, Fitbit, etc). I primarily purchased the watch to help track my sleep and was shocked by just how bad my sleep habits were. I've improved my sleep patterns, increasing my average time asleep from 6:30 to 7:30 in two months. A few added bonuses: the app I use for weightlifting (https://www.hevyapp.com/ https://www.hevyapp.com/) has an Apple Watch mode, freeing me from my phone during workouts. I can also use the watch to track runs, as mentioned by the commenter in this thread with the Garmin Watch.
- switch007 3y agoI know nothing about Apple Watches but I know my sleep quality has plummeted recently. Does the watch just accurately track time asleep, and then you tried improving that number via various different thing? Or does it do anything more clever to help you fix your sleep?
- MH15 3y agoThat's correct. The built-in functionality is relatively primitive, but it's been enough for me so far. I do know people who use the Apple Watch with more advanced third-party apps but haven't had the need yet.
- runjake 3y ago- A refurb Vitamix 5200 - A Garmin watch, and I'd reluctantly also say an Apple Watch (HRM, SpO2, ECG). - A bicycle - A comfortable pillow and mattress - A CO2 monitor. I discovered my house regularly has very high levels of CO2 (2500+). We now open windows whenever we can and turn on the circulation fan.
- baremetal 3y agoA Vitamix will improve your life, I agree.
- uptownfunk 3y agoLove my daily smoothie!!
- ZYZ64738 3y agoA yogamat
- jimswhims 3y agoInstant Pot pressure cooker - Great for stews, can do big batches of beans and lentils, brown rice, chickpeas for hummus etc. You can save a lot of money and packaging buying dried beans and soaking them. Air fryer - Handy for french fries, roasting a couple of peppers, reheating food like pizza slices turns out better than the microwave.
- hayst4ck 3y agoPersonal trainer for resistance training. Nothing even comes close.
- aadames 3y agoA light therapy lamp to help set my circadian rhythm in the morning. I got a used NorthStar 10,000 off ebay for $100. Highly recommend if you're not a morning person. Hits better than coffee if you ask me.
- ezedv 3y agoI've been using TranscribeMe a lot recently! It's a bot that converts voice notes to text, it's for WhatsApp and Telegram https://transcribeme.app https://transcribeme.app It's great for those who don't like voice notes, haha!
- gadders 3y agoA dog. Makes me walk 1.5 miles most days of the week. Plus all the affection etc.
- idontwantthis 3y agoA used electric piano. $300, sounds great to my ear and it's a joy to learn to play a musical instrument.