Recently, the American market has seen the emergence of various electronic devices and applications, advertised as tools to help users achieve better sleep.
For Lisa Hanson, a homemaker in San Francisco, her “alarm clock” is her newly babbling child. Every morning, the child wakes up at 5:30 AM and makes noise, forcing her to wake up. “As a result, I spend the entire morning feeling dazed because I was woken up during the best part of my sleep,” she shared.
However, last month, Hanson began using the Renew SleepClock application on her iPhone to track her sleep. The manufacturer, GEAR4, claims that this application uses wireless sensors to measure the user’s breathing and movements during the night, and then uses this information to wake them when they are in the lightest sleep stage. According to a study, waking someone during this phase helps avoid the grogginess that often makes them want to return to bed. Manufacturers suggest that this application also acts as a sleep “consultant,” advising users on how long they should sleep and how to fall asleep quickly.
“Since I started using it, I wake up at the right time, and as a result, I have a very alert day,” Hanson revealed. Currently, the Renew SleepClock, priced at around $199, is the latest application in a series of smartphone apps designed to help users improve their sleep.
Following the Renew SleepClock, two other notable products are WakeMate – a wristband capable of transmitting data to a phone – and Zeo Sleep Manager Mobile – a headband with sensors that collect data about users’ sleeping habits.
What these devices have in common is that they require users to select a time period, lasting 20-40 minutes, in the morning when they wish to be awakened. The device then determines the optimal moment when they are in the lightest sleep phase during this timeframe to wake them up. Each morning, these devices provide a “score” of the user’s sleep based on factors such as total sleep hours, number of times awakened, time spent in deep sleep, and recovery sleep stages.
However, while these devices have positive aspects, they also have limitations. Dr. David M. Rapoport, a sleep expert at the NYU School of Medicine, believes that these tools provide accurate and honest information about sleep, which can be beneficial for monitoring and adjusting sleep patterns. However, they do not offer useful and appropriate advice for users. For example, the programs often assume that all users need to sleep 8 hours a night, while individual sleep needs can vary significantly. Moreover, Dr. Rapoport points out that the theory of waking someone during their lightest sleep phase to avoid fatigue has not been consistently supported by various studies.