Zeo Personal Sleep Coach
Published 12:01 am Sunday, February 27, 2011
Function: A bedside sleep monitor
Features: A wireless headband detects the brain’s electrical signals, as well as muscle tone and eye movement. It will record how long the user is in deep, light and REM sleep throughout the night, as well as indicate how long it took to get to sleep or any moments during the night when the user woke up. Data shows up on the monitor and can also be uploaded to a sleep tracking diary on myZeo.com.
Price: $199
Ups: The bedside unit is easy to use; scanning through the night’s sleep data and setting or disabling an alarm can be done with easy-to-understand buttons and menu directions. An option called SmartWake will wake the user during a specified window of time (such as within 15 minutes) before the regular alarm goes off if it detects a transition between REM and light sleep. This helps users wake up less groggy than if the alarm sounded in the middle of a dream. The sleep-results graph is very detailed, and also lets users see the percentage and time spent in different sleep cycles. For those in a hurry, the graph offers a sleep score easily compared from day to day.
Downs: Users have to take the memory card out of the bedside display and connect it to a computer (Mac or PC) to be able to get feedback about sleep data. But since the card only saves seven days at a time, it has to be done regularly to avoid losing some days of data. The device would be more useful if it could wirelessly update the website. The headband’s sensors wear out with 90 days of continuous use, which is lousy considering a new one costs $15.
Bottom line: It’s amazing to wake up and see how much you dreamt, or see if anything woke you up during the night. But keep in mind this isn’t a medical device; it won’t help you sleep any better and isn’t covered by any insurance. If you have issues sleeping and want to get a better handle on your sleep cycles, it’s a well-designed product that’s worth the investment.
McClatchy Newspapers
