Forget Therapy: These Devices Will Improve Your Relationship

Ah, marriage. You weren't kidding when you vowed "for better or worse," and sometimes that "worse" seems pitifully trivial. Lack of sleep, a silly spat over lost keys, or even dirty dishes can sometimes make you feel like throwing in the towel. But never fear. You chose each other for a reason, and these devices will help you stop sweating the small stuff, and get back to what's most important: enjoying each other.

From an app that wakes you up silently and let’s your partner sleep in to a DVR that allows you to watch two live shows or record up to six at once, here are 10 products that will squash fights before they start.

1. He’s Hogging The Remote
He wants to watch the rest of the football game and you refuse to miss the newest episode of Homeland, especially knowing you’ll see spoilers the second you sign onto Facebook. Sound like a familiar Sunday night? TiVo’s all-new Roamio Series DVRs will put an end to your usual TV tug-of-war. With this epic DVR, you can record and live stream up to six shows at once. And not just on your TV. You can stream shows on your iPad or iPhone, and take them to go. Holding up to 450 HD hours of recordings, you’ll both get your way — and your favorite shows — anytime, anywhere. (Starting at $199, TiVo, for a list of specifications by model, click here)

2. He Lost His Keys… Again
He's constantly misplacing those great sunglasses you got him for his birthday, but that doesn't stop him from getting annoyed with you when the keys disappear in the abyss that is your purse. Now you can both get over your anger quickly with the Stick-n-Find Bluetooth Location Tracker. Simply stick a quarter-sized tracker on any item you are likely to misplace, and you can find it using an app on your smartphone (just make sure you don't lose that!). The app can track up to 20 items within a 100-foot range, and will alert you when an object moves outside of (or into) tracking range. The stickers buzz and glow in the dark to make finding easy in any conditions (from $49.99, brookstone.com).

3. It’s Gotten Boring in the Bedroom
You need to spice things up, and sometimes a few extra candles or a slinky negligee won’t do the trick. If you’re nervous to suggest your deepest sexual fantasies, let Kindu do it for you. Inspired by a sexual health course, the app aids intimacy by making communication easy and embarrassment-free. It suggests ideas to try in the bedroom (or not), ranging from new positions to exhibition to activities that will make you feel the love, and you can rate them “definitely,” “no thanks,” or “maybe.” Your partner does the same, and then Kindu records. But don’t worry, you can rank that fetish a “definitely,” and you’ll never know if they ranked it a “no.” All that’s left is the good stuff ($1.99, kindu.us).

4. I Can’t Take Your Snoring Anymore
Before you pack up and move to the second bedroom, consider a fix for the chainsaw that interrupts your restful sleep. Snoring is a medical issue, and can often be treated with a mouth guard or other medical device. If your partner is resistant to that, you can start with AntiSnore. The “snore-killing” app analyzes noises and vibrates to alert the snorer to change positions without waking them (or you) up. Plus, each night it produces a snore graph, so that when he or she refuses to believe they snore, you’ve got proof ($.99, itunes.apple.com).

5. If You Would Only Turn Down the TV!
It’s a classic chicken-egg cycle. His TV show is too loud, and you’re talking on the phone. You talk louder, he turns the volume up. Who started this not-so-fun game? Why don’t you go in the other room? None of this matters when the heat is on and the noise is up. Enter the Sennheiser RS220 wireless headphones to save the day. Comfy for them, quiet for you, these babies deliver supreme sound quality to his ears only ($499.98, amazon.com). Keep reading...

More from YourTango:

• YourTango's Best Marriage Advice
• The Top 7 "Clicker Bickers" That Plague Real Couples
• Top 10 Family Friendly Gifts

6. Seriously? Again with the Toilet Seat?
His mother claims she enforced the toilet seat rule, but you’ve had too many close calls to believe her. With the Touchless Sensor Toilet Seat, it doesn’t matter. The seat automatically closes 15 seconds after anyone steps away, so the lid and seat are always down. Simply wave a hand to lift the lid when you want to use it. It not only eases your irritation, but helps prevent the spread of germs ($159.99, skymall.com).

7. When I’m Hot and You’re Cold
Sure, opposites attract, but when one of you is cold-blooded all those other endearing quirks are forgotten. The Dual-Zone Nap Heated Blanket allows you to each set your own temperature so you’ll sleep easy without one of you sweating and the other shivering ($59.99, overstock.com).

8. When He’s Bright-Eyed And You’re Sleepy Tailed
He’s up before the sun, and you just climbed into bed. Lark lets you both sleep (and wake) better. The gadget is worn on the wrist and produces a silent, vibrating alarm, making waking up more comfortable for him and allowing you to sleep soundly or vice versa. Bonus: It also aids in overall sleep improvement with a tracker that records your movements. ($99, lark.com).

9. It Would Be Nice If You Cleaned The Floor This Time
Whose turn is it to mop the floors? “Not it” is no longer the necessary response. iRobot is on it. The gadget moseys around the house, keeping things orderly so neither of you have to. Three different models cover every kind of home: There’s the Roomba vacuum robot for carpet, while the Braava or Scooba handle hard surfaces (from $279.99, store.irobot.com).

10. It’s Time To Reconnect
Remember when you first started dating and would surprise each other with little notes on the windshield, lived for date nights, and were sappy beyond belief? Now it’s an angry text reminder to pick up the dry cleaning (for three days in a row) or a quick kiss as you whisk kids off to assorted activities. Avocado is an app that lets you reconnect on all levels. For practical (and fight stopping) purposes, you can sync calendars and to-do lists, assign each other things, remember important anniversaries, and maybe even schedule that elusive date night here and there. But the app also has a number of other features that allow you to rekindle some of that initial fire, no matter how busy you are. In addition to private messaging, you can send each other custom photo-emoticons, virtual hugs and kisses, sounds, and more. You can also save photos, and, on the premium version, make 30-second video clips. Basically, your tech-world version of the windshield note. (Free for Basic, $19.99/year for Premium, avocado.io).