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Testing Out the Zeo Personal Sleep Coach

GeekSugar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:50:45 -0700

In my opinion, achieving a sense of general well-being includes three vital components: incorporating a balanced and nutritious diet into your lifestyle, getting regular exercise, and getting enough sleep. Not surprisingly, most people are lacking in one or all of these areas, which is why I am thrilled to tell you about this new device that acts as your personal sleep coach - because we all know if we don't get enough sleep, diet and exercise tend to be the last things on our minds.

Based on academic articles within sleep science and designed in conjunction with sleep scientists, the Zeo Personal Sleep Coach is a four-part system which includes a headband, a bedside display, an interactive website, and a seven-step sleep fitness program. Its purpose is to measure your sleep patterns and give you tools to help improve your sleep by educating you on how you're actually sleeping. It's not some magical sleep doctor in a box, but it is pretty cool.

To keep reading about my first few experiences with Zeo and to see some more photos of the device, just read more.

If you're already thinking, "Huh?" let me explain. The way it works is you wear the wireless headband to bed, and with its sensor technology, your sleep patterns will be tracked and transmitted to your bedside Zeo clock. You can see me wearing the headband below - it's really not that bad once you get used to it, just make sure on your first night you're really tired and it's the weekend so you can slowly adjust!

After a night of wearing the headband (it fell off my first night, although I learned I could pull my ponytail right through the back strap), you can read the bedside display to see a sleep graph which summarizes your pattern of sleep phases each night (like total amount of REM, and light, and deep sleep, which is broken down into hours, minutes, and percentages), and your ZQ score. I think the best part of this entire trial run was the excitement of waking up to read the graph - and check out my ZQ score, naturally! It's funny because my highest score (usually around 110) would be on the weekends (they say your ZQ can range from 0-120). The fact that I was completely tuckered out from the week before, and relaxed because it was the weekend, made for some ideal sleeping conditions.

Zeo also comes with a SD memory card that will load all of the info from your headband onto it (when you dock your headband), which you can then upload onto your computer to your web-based personal sleep account. The Zeo's seven-step fitness program will then analyze your sleep patterns and lifestyle (like exercise, diet, stress, and environment), and recommend techniques, tools, and tips to address the issues that may be affecting your sleep. The program is intended to be completed within eight to 12 weeks.

The Zeo also includes a neat feature called the SmartWake Alarm which will look for a moment when you transition into and out of REM sleep when the brain is highly active. Therefore Zeo may wake you as early as half an hour before your set wake-up time, but it will never wake you up later than your actual alarm time. Because the Zeo costs $399, you'll be happy to know that this is one fancy schmancy alarm clock. Even if you're not using the headband, the alarm clock itself includes settings to adjust its brightness, and it offers relaxing alarm sounds to make the wake-up process a little less startling.

Overall, I give the Zeo a nice four out of five stars. As I said, it's not some magical sleep doctor that's going to cure insomniacs or people with major snoring issues, but it is going to educate you on your sleep style and give you some helpful suggestions for improving your sleep. Note to self: no more gadgets in the bedroom!

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Does Your Internet Use Affect Your Sleep?

GeekSugar — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:30:45 -0700

Your late night Sugar Network visits and Conan O'Brien obsession might be the reason why you feel like you don't get enough sleep. According to a new study, people who spend time at the computer or watching TV before they count sheep may feel sleepier than those who don't.

The study, which was conducted by Dr. Nakamori Suganuma, of Osaka University, Japan, found that even though the tested subjects slept almost as long as people who spend fewer pre-bedtime hours in front of a computer or television screen, they still felt tired. Up to 38 percent of the respondents of the study listed accessing the Internet far into the night as a possible cause for their sleep disturbance, while about 25 percent said watching television far into the night caused their sleep problems. Do you think late night media consumption is messing with your Zzzs?
Source

Download Of The Day: Dream Recorder

GeekSugar — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 08:28:43 -0800

Ever wonder if you're getting enough rest, or if you're waking up during prime deep sleep? Dream Recorder, which is being marketed as the "first software dream catcher," monitors your sleep states by detecting your motions with an enhanced night vision mode for iSight cameras.

Dream Recorder wakes you up at the best moment of your morning sleep cycle, and provides dream feed-back and voice recording capabilities. Apparently, body motions are related to the sleep phases. They occur before and after dreams and are almost absent during deep sleep phases. You awaken for very short instants during the night, without even noticing. Dream recorder uses this motion profile to reconstruct the sleep cycles.

For more about it, just read more

Dream recorder includes full voice control, automatic camera settings, an alarm-clock, snooze by voice, quicktime movie creation (who doesn't want a movie of themselves sleeping?) and an anti-snoring whistle.

Works for Mac OS X 10.4.7 or later. You must also have Quicktime 7. Get a Dream Recorder trial, which lasts for 15 days, free of charge.

Geeky Bed: Sleeping Pod With LED Lights And Speakers

GeekSugar — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 08:01:08 -0700

Known as the "Transport," and described as the perceptual pod bed, this beauty has sprung to popularity this week following a NYT article and the realization for millions of geeks like myself that by not sleeping in a large illuminated pod I've really been missing out. The pod was designed by Alberto Frias when he was working on his thesis project and combines a luxuriant sleeping pod with satellite speakers and light-emitting diodes synchronized to music, a waterbed pad and a cushion to provide you a cozy spa-like atmosphere to relax. The base model goes for about $10,000, so this is probably only great for those born rich geeks.

How did Frias get inspired to make the pod? read more

“I kind of sat down and meditated, and the sun was shining on me, and I was immersed in the light,” Frias told the NYT. “And I had this feeling of expansiveness, of being in the present moment - a trancelike state. I thought of getting a trailer and filling it with lights, but, cost-wise, it was too much for a thesis project. So I thought, why not bring it down to scale?”
Taking his inspiration from the shape of the human eye, Mr. Frias decided that an elliptical vessel would work best. He hired a fiberglass company in Arizona to make three domes - two identically sized, one slightly smaller.

You can check out more of Frias' work online.

Cool Capture: Sleeping Swan Taken With a Nikon D40x

GeekSugar — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 10:10:15 -0700

Another day, another beautiful entry that has been submitted to our Cool Capture group. Have you had the chance to check out some of the other entries? I've already showcased some stunning pieces of work from icecreamsprinkle, turkeyjerky and tarajeans and here is the latest one from reader Jennyfo. She says:

A young swan still with brown feathers sleeping by the lake. Taken in Dublin, Ireland with Nikon D40x.

Do you have a photo or photo collection you love? Join our Cool Capture group and share your image, the model of camera used to take the photo, and a little about the image or moment you captured and it could be featured on GeekSugar. Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

The City Tech Quiz: Episode 1, "Sleeping With the Frenemy"

GeekSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:40:55 -0700

Whitney and crew kicked off a new season of The City last night, featuring an old friend: Roxy, a straight-shooting but slightly undermining brunette and a new rival for Olivia, Erin, the publicist for Elle magazine. This season's cast of characters wastes no time getting the drama started! I'm looking forward to how Olivia handles her new role at Elle while under Erin's watchful eye.

Even though the characters are busy getting acclimated to all of the changes in their lives, there is a fair amount of spotable tech goodies. Check to see how closely you were paying attention with this quiz!

Photos courtesy of MTV

Take the quiz

Tech Dating 101: I Like Him, I Hate His Video-Game Obsession

GeekSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:13:52 -0700

In our Tech Dating 101 series, we've already tackled issues surrounding the nude photos you found on his laptop, his female-dominated address book, and his annoying CrackBerry addiction. But what's a girl to do when he just can't get enough of his video games? OK, I know I'm probably not the best person to answer this, but I can give you a few pointers on how to deal.

There are a few variables to take into consideration here. Find out what they are when you read more.

Variables like how long you've been together, if he still makes you feel loved and appreciated, or if he just wants you to join him in a quick round of Mario Kart on a Saturday night. But if he's blowing you off to stay at home and play World of Warcraft 24/7, or is actually losing sleep or missing work because of his gaming habits, then he may be a video-game addict who needs some professional help. Overall, if he's just a casual gamer, you may just have to give in and befriend the Xbox controller after all.

Do you have a Love 2.0 questioned you want answered? Join the Tech Dating 101 because we understand that love and dating are stressful, and the Internet and social networking sites can just make things worse. You never know, your question could be featured on GeekSugar! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

BB App Helps You Ignore Calls and SMS's the Person Calling

GeekSugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:05:55 -0700

I have a new favorite BlackBerry app that I definitely would have included in my 12 Free Must Have Apps For the BlackBerry roundup if I hadn't just discovered it until now!

We've all been there - meetings, during work, dinner dates - you know, those times when you can't always answer your phone and you need to silence a call immediately? With the Call You Back App for the BlackBerry, you can ignore your calls and it will send a text message to the person calling to let them know that you're at work, sleeping, watching a movie, etc.

It's completely free and you can add any custom SMS that will be sent to the caller whenever you're busy.

Teens Not Sleeping Enough Because of Their Gadgets

GeekSugar — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:45:06 -0700

This is definitely one of those studies that doesn't surprise me. An Australian study has shown that over 50 percent of third- and fourth-year high-school students aren't getting enough sleep because they are too busy playing games, watching TV, listening to their iPod, or chatting on the phone.

It was the males who were found glued to their video games, TVs, or media players, while the females couldn't get enough gab time in on their telephones. What's happening is the teens can't seem to pull themselves away from gadgets before bedtime, which is causing them to lose large amounts of sleep.

Dr. Kurt Lushington, a professor within the School of Psychology at the University of South Australia, who lead the study had this to say about it: "Sleep is very important for learning and memory, particularly in year 12 when pressure is on to perform. A lot of kids are reporting that they're tired when they wake up and there are quite a few reporting they're sleepy during the day."

It'd be interesting if they conducted a similar study for adults. I may not be chatting on my cell before bed, but I am trying to catch up on my TiVo taped shows!

Source

Homedics Alarm Clock Is iPod Friendly and Keeps You Calm

GeekSugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:58:51 -0700

Alarm clocks have sure come a long way over the years. Instead of being forced to wake-up by the shrill sound of an old school alarm clock, we now have the choice to be serenaded by nature sounds or gradual light exposure.

The Homedics SoundSpa Fusion Alarm Clock($60) could easily belong with the rest of my sleek alarm clocks selections with its large LCD display and five interchangeable face plates. It also gives you the option of waking up to six different nature sounds, or the radio, or your iPod. And how much do I love the fact that the auto-off sleep timer can be set to 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes? Yay to sleeping in!