Do you have trouble falling asleep? Or worse, do you keep waking up in the middle of the night? If yes, then Neuroon sleep mask is all that you need! While it looks like a traditional sleep mask, the Neuroon sleep mask is actually a wireless device that connects to your smartphone through an app and monitors your brain waves, analyses your sleep patterns and makes use of bright light therapy to improve the quality of your sleep – not your regular sleep mask after all.
Image: © Neuroon
According to research studies, light therapy actually helps improve sleep quality, and therefore sleep clinics have been offering this remedy since a couple of a years now. Built on the same principles, the Neuroon sleep mask helps people fall asleep easily and on time. By now, you are probably wondering what this light therapy actually is. Well, this therapy includes the use of lamps that generate faux sunlight directly onto the body at regular intervals depending on the patient/individual’s specific sleep scenario. In this case, the light is not generated by lamps but instead it comes from the mask itself as it has a series of white and colored LEDs incorporated within it.
Image: © Neuroon
Image: © Neuroon
This light therapy is dependent on the data fetched from electrodes that are in contact with the user’s forehead. While many sleep masks only have the ability to measure the user’s body movement and pulse, the Neuroon can also measure body temperature, eye movement and brain waves! There are no ‘fixed’ timings for the implementation of the light therapy as it can be applied before going to bed for improved quality of sleep, in the middle of the night to reduce the frequency of waking up, or during the day to mitigate the effects of jet lag or to simply enhance energy levels. Sounds ironic, doesn’t it? Using bright lights to fall asleep – well it has been tried and tested so guess we can’t question it.
Image: © Neuroon
Image: © Neuroon
Coming back to the mask itself, the Neuroon has three major components: the mask composed of hypoallergic material, a detachable sensor pack that can be charged through a microUSB, and lastly, the LED lights and other electronics enclosed in the mask coupled with the mobile app. The app displays various parameters such as the time it took for the user to fall asleep, sleep patterns and duration. Based on this data, a ‘sleep score’ is calculated which also includes the user’s reported experience. Using this data, the light therapy can be altered as per the needs of the user. The app offers various modes such as:
- Personal Pause: enabling the user to set ideal nap times based on his/her historical data
- Jet Lag Blocker: allowing the user to fight sleep disorders caused by drastic changes in time zones
- Sunrise: using bright light therapy to wake up the user when he/she is sleeping lightly rather than deeply
- Biorhythm Adjuster: utilizing the light therapy to adjust the user’s circadian clock to nonuniform wake up times and lifestyles (mostly due to work shifts)
While modes that are in sync with normal sleep times seem useful, others that require the user to wear the mask during the day for a better sleep at night seems a bit unreasonable and inconvenient. As for the cost, the Neuroon retails at $299 and can be ordered online.
h/t: New Atlas