Design graduate Lena Saleh has created a set of objects for people to look at before they go to sleep instead of their smartphones.

Saleh, who recently graduated from the Material Futures course at Central Saint Martins, began her project by questioning how we can optimise our sleep in the future.

She became particularly interested in the way our obsession and reliance on technology had affected our sleep rituals, and conducted a survey that showed over 85 per cent of people look at their phones right before going to sleep.

"The loss of ritual that has arisen due to technology is alarming," Saleh told Dezeen. "I wondered how I could recreate this ritual of 'winding down' to promote our sleep hygiene and habits."

"I wanted to explore how will we use technology in our future to promote our health and sleep in smart homes."

Her project developed into a series of "artefacts", which were each based on the rituals surrounding sleep.

"I explored ancient sleep temples where people received healing from their ailments in ancient Egypt," she said. "My goal was to recreate a modern ritual that acts as a gentle nudge to sleepers to promote positive habits and routines."

The first object, named Breath Lux Light, is designed to guide the reader through a breathing exercise through the use of soft lighting.

Made from Jesmonite, the amber light acts as a sedative to the sleeper at night, but shines blue in the morning as a stimulant.

The second artefact is a diffuser named Roma Olfacto, which uses relaxation-promoting scents. It responds to a sensor within the Breath Lux Light to let off the correct aroma depending on the time of day.

A set of hand-blown glass vials contain the scents to be dropped into the diffuser.

"While scent has been around for centuries, we are only now beginning to understand its positive impacts on our health and sleep and how we can harness this autonomously in our future," she said.

Designers are becoming increasingly interested in products to aid sleep. Recently, industrial designer Yves Behar worked with Silicon Valley start-up Rythm to make sleep-promoting headband Dreem, while a team from TU Delft developed the gently "breathing" Somnox pillow for insomniacs to cuddle in bed.