Zeo 'sleep coach' tracks your ZZZs, wakes you up
The Zeo bedside display shows you personal sleep information such as how long you really sleep each night, and how long it takes you to doze off.
(Credit: Zeo)It seems like the market for alarm clocks and smart wake-you-up gadgets is getting more competitive than cell phones, MP3 players, and autos. But here's a new entry worth noting for those who already tried starting the day with the obnoxious Clocky, the Shocking Alarm Clock, the Philips Wake-Up Light, or even the Wake n' Bacon.
It's called Zeo, and it's a "personal sleep coach" that can give you data on the quantity, quality, and depth of your slumber. The product is being released now by Newton, Mass.-based Zeo, formerly known as Axon Labs, a Rhode Island start-up.
When the gadget first captured our attention in 2005, it was called SleepSmart and was essentially one of those devices that would make awakening less startling by choosing a moment when you are already sleeping lightly, like Sleeptracker or aXbo do.
The headband sends personal sleep data wirelessly to the bedside display.
(Credit: Zeo)Zeo is based on a headband that tracks your sleep patterns via a sensor that monitors electrical signals from your brain.
But the people at Axon probably realized how cruel the alarm clock market is and turned it into a lifestyle product by adding a whole sleep clinic concept, somewhat akin to the Snoremonitor for iPhone.
The headband transmits data wirelessly to a bedside display, where it's stored on an SD card.
The sleep information can then be uploaded to the "myZeo Personal Coaching" Web site, where the beauty begins with concepts such as a personal sleep score or "ZQ;" information on the "7 Sleep Stealers;" and a full "7 Step Sleep Fitness Program." The site notes that sleeplessness "is now the third biggest health complaint in the world after headache and cold, and there are currently over 80 known kinds of chronic sleep disorders."
We admit that this sleep fitness concept attracts the lazy part of us more than a gadget that forces us to head to the gym. Maybe that's just what could make Zeo survive in the wild, wild jungle of alarm clocks.
MONITORING IS NOT AS PRECISE as one might infer. You can wake up constantly through the night, but if those events are less than a few minutes each, Zeo doesn't notice, e.g., I get brilliant sleep scores after such extremely disruptive nights.
SLEEP-SCORING ALGORITHM IS LAME, e.g., one night I couldn't sleep, got up for 3.5 hours (which was accurately recorded in the device because I kept the monitor on), ended up getting up about 10 a.m. (it was Saturday), and the Zeo gave me an above-average score for a terrible night's sleep (seemingly because I netted 7 hours albeit over 10.5 hours time)!
SO WHAT IS IT ? A TOY? The company pointed says the Zeo is ?not a medical device or intended for diagnosis or treatment of sleep disorders.? So why is all the product talk about producing better sleep for people?
PRICE. Geez, you can buy a real computer for $400. Just read some good articles about sleep. As NYT's David Pogue concludes: having spent $400, you might be more motivated to use good sleep practices, but you could have done that without parting with four Benjies.
BOTTOM-LINE: Zeo is not wowee technology. At best, its stunning price motivates you to get more serious about your pre-sleep habits.
I was most interested in the monitoring technology, since I tend to wake up for a minute or two many times throughout the night. Glad to see from your review that Zeo probably won't catch those crucial sleep disruptions.
If anyone else has suggestions on another device that does a good job of monitoring sleep patterns, please reply here.
Thanks!
You can use it to produce more efficient sleep, how is the fact that it dosent diagnose sleep disorders at all relevant? All it takes to be diagnosed with insomnia is to walk into any doctors office and say "it takes me hours to fall asleep" something the zeo can tell you with far more accuracy and data to prove it. Just because it dosent have its own PHD and dosent want to deal with legal issues dosent mean it cant significantly improve your sleep.
- by Wez October 5, 2009 4:07 PM PDT
- Amounts to only a very expensive alarm clock. As mentioned above, it is very inaccurate therefore useless for analyzing your actual sleep. After getting dubious recordings, I videotaped myself sleeping a couple of nights with the Zeo in the corner of frame so I can match up the graph time.
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- by benn686 November 25, 2009 12:06 PM PST
- Thanks Wez/ DPinDC for doing proper reviews!
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(10 Comments)The Zeo reported I was in REM or even 'Light sleep' when I was clearly wide awake on the video, and even while going to the bathroom. It would also show me awake for periods of 30 to 45 minutes each night, when I sure didnt recall it, and the video showed me asleep with mouth hanging open and lightly snoring.
The transmitter apparently transmits only intermittently so it misses microarousals that could be very crucial to detecting problems like apnea.
Support has been very slow to respond about the issue. They suggested I try the other scanner that comes with it which made no difference, and have offered to replace the unit but I can tell this just plain does not work well.
Love the 'smartwake' alarm clock though.... hardly worth $400.
I don't mind spending $400 if it's accurate... as a matter of fact, I don't really need the coaching info either, I just would like something that accurately and thoroughly tracks the duration and depth of sleep all during the night.
There is another device that came out recently the WakeMate ( http://www.wakemate.com/ ).. it uses the power of the iPhone, which I unfortunately don't have (I'm kinda partial to the Android side of things).. but if anyone has it, please post a review here!
Thanks!