My Zeo A Report

[Jay Aitchsee]

Hello,

Back in late June, I bought a Zeo. I've used it now for a couple of months so I thought a report in order.

First, a Zeo ( for those that don't know) is a non-medical device (no Rx required) designed to monitor sleep stages and therefore quality of sleep at home. It works by monitoring brainwaves with a three electrode device worn as a headband to the forehead. The device transmits to a bedside receiver which contains software, SD card writer, clock, alarm, and display screen. Data is collected on a non-proprietary SD card and uploaded by the user to the Zeo site for display in charts, graphs, tables and the like. The user may also download the info on the card for personal use as desired (i.e., make your own charts and graphs). Additionally, real time data is available by connecting directly to the bedside device.

The Zeo system records time to sleep, time in wake, time in light, time in deep, and time in REM as data and presents it in various forms so that individual night results and trends can be seen. Additionally, the site provides "coaching" designed to improve sleep hygiene and a wealth of information on the subject of sleep. It is quite well done.

Now, the big question is - is it accurate? I have no reason to think it is not accurate enough to use as an aid to understanding individual sleep patterns. It uses algorithms to determine sleep stages and so sometimes must "guess" the stage of sleep an individual is in. Sometimes it guesses wrong. For example, it might think you're asleep when you are relaxed and have been lying quietly for several moments. The results I've obtained mimic very closely my previous PSG's and individual nights seem to correlate very nicely with my ResScan and time lapse video; although, I think the strength of the machine lies not in an individual night's results, but in trends that might be uncovered through longer term use, say two weeks, a month, or longer. For example, last month I did a three week trial of a new drug. What the machine told me, objectively, was the longer I used the drug the more fragmented my sleep was becoming. That, coupled with the fact that I wasn't feeling any better, was enough for my doctor and I to discontinue the trial. (Yes, I'm lucky to have one of those doctors that encourages my use of Zeo, ResScan, etc.)

I've included a few screenshots to give a feel of what's available, but there's lots more including a diary. If you're looking for another tool in the box that might help you better understand your sleep-this might be it. I was looking for a device that would give me a repeatable and objective assessment of my sleep. I feel the Zeo does that.

If you want to post questions, I'll try to answer them.
Jay


A poor night's sleep 0n 8/31. Zeo Report. Note the number of wakenings


Overlay of Zeo graph above onto ResScan Chart AI=0.6, HI=2.9


A much better night's sleep on 9/05.


ResScan with overlay. AI=0.6, HI=1.7


Zeo trend line of wakefulness while modifying mask to incorporate Zeo head band.

[Lizistired]

OK, now you made me want one.
Interesting that it shows you rarely having deep sleep.
Have you compared with video to verify the postition results?
All your REM seems to be on your left side.
Can you post a comparison to the flow and flow limitation graphs?

Is the software on your computer, or do you still have to use their site?
Nice to see the price has come down.

[DocWeezy]

I'll add another voice in praise of the Zeo, for all the reasons stated above.

I've been using mine since the beginning of March and it is an invaluable tool for being able to see trends and understand my sleep patterns. It showed me very clearly what happens to my sleep while on various medications so I can stop them quickly and try something else. It's truly amazing how many meds really mess up sleep architecture over time!

For me, it has turned out that things that are supposed to help my sleep really mess it up. While I've improved my sleep patterns and insomnia a HUGE amount in the past several months, I still have a ways to go and continue to try new things my doc prescribes. Fortunately, because of my Zeo, I can tell within a few nights if it's going to work or not, so at least I'm not spending months taking something and wondering why I don't feel any better. With some drugs, the negative impact is so profound that I've only taken it for two nights.

The Zeo isn't that expensive, and while I don't pretend that it takes the place of a PSG (it in NO way does that!), it is a great tool. I've also found that it seems to correlate well with what I see on my ResScan reports, so I think it's pretty accurate overall for the major sleep stages that it tracks.

Weezy

[Jay Aitchsee]

OK, now you made me want one.
Interesting that it shows you rarely having deep sleep.
Have you compared with video to verify the postition results?
All your REM seems to be on your left side.
Can you post a comparison to the flow and flow limitation graphs?

Is the software on your computer, or do you still have to use their site?
Nice to see the price has come down.

Hi Liz, nice to hear from you.
Yes, the lack of deep sleep was my primary motivation in getting the Zeo. My official PSG's showed my deep sleep at 0 to 3%, exactly the same as the Zeo which gives me confidence in it. I'm hoping I will find a treatment which will increase deep sleep and provide me with more restorative or restfull sleep.
The position reports come from the video. Nice point on the REM. This is a new thing for me. Until recently, I rarely slept on my left side and nearly all REM was while on my back. Total REM has remained fairly constant with the change in position. I'm not sure, yet, what this means, but it has given me some ideas to try.
Sorry, stuck with the S8 for another year or so, so no Flow graphs. However, it would be simple to do if I had them.
The software is on their site. Kind of like sleepyhead? I don't find it a bother at all. As I mentioned, the data is available if your want to build your own charts and graphs. Download it as CSV file into a spreadsheet.
The one drawback to the Zeo is that it does not show arousals. Only awake. The site sleep graph is in 5 minute units, but the data reported is in 30 second intervals. Downloaded data is in 30 sec intervals. So, if you had a sleep stage lasting less than 2.5 minutes, the overall nightly sleep graph wouldn't show it, but it would be reported and it would be included in the downloaded data if you wanted to see where it was. I don't know if that's clear, or not. It's really not a hassle. It's harder to explain than deal with.
Yes, I see Amazon has them now for $149. Not bad for such a great toy.
Jay

[Jay Aitchsee]

...
I've been using mine since the beginning of March and it is an invaluable tool for being able to see trends and understand my sleep patterns. It showed me very clearly what happens to my sleep while on various medications so I can stop them quickly and try something else. It's truly amazing how many meds really mess up sleep architecture over time!...Weezy

Hear, Hear, Doc! No more, "try this and come back in 90 days".

jay

[Lizistired]

Glad it's working for you Jay. Maybe we will hear more reviews on this thread. I'm sure others are using it.
I found a review that said you could download the software now, but it was vague, maybe just the data.That seems to be one of the major complaints.
The other being, users who laid awake watching it say they were in REM. It may work well for some and not others. Since we have multiple data sources to compare to, it shoudn't be difficult tell.
Doc, I'm glad you get valuable data from it. I would like the same results for sleep hygiene as you are getting for meds. For me sleep hygiene is easier said than done in the long run.
I think that's great, since there really isn't any way to know with meds. They knock you out and you don't know how you slept. I would be interested in trying it with something as simple as tylenol(liver killer) PM or ibuprofen.

[Jay Aitchsee]

Liz, I really don't find the software an issue. Maybe it's the privacy thing people object to, but one could always register with a pseudonym like Jay Aitchsee
I have no doubt that it doesn't always get your sleep stage accurately. But then, neither do they at the PSG. Some of it is judgement, just like with the Zeo. I think the more important thing is that it is consistent. I can tell you that during my last drug trial, like Doc, the longer I took the drug, the worse I felt, and the worse my reported sleep was by the Zeo. On the two nights I forgot to take the drug, the Zeo results showed dramatic improvemement, even though I didn't feel much different.
You might like the "coaching" program. The folks at Zeo are really big on sleep hygiene. I haven't used it that much, since I feel I've pretty much got that licked, but it seems pretty thorough.
Jay

[Uncle_Bob]

Jay

Why are your sleep stealers scores rated so poorly? (assuming 1 = poor, 5 = good)

[Jay Aitchsee]

Just the opposite, Uncle Bob. 0 = no theft, 5 a lot. There's a description given for each number when it's chosen. The easy one to see is "how many times did you get up". 5 would be bad.

Jay

[DocWeezy]

I would like the same results for sleep hygiene as you are getting for meds. For me sleep hygiene is easier said than done in the long run.
I think that's great, since there really isn't any way to know with meds. They knock you out and you don't know how you slept. I would be interested in trying it with something as simple as tylenol(liver killer) PM or ibuprofen.

I hear you about sleep hygiene. It's a long road. Actually, I'm only trying some meds these days because we (my doctor and I) have decided that sleep hygiene only goes so far in my case. However, that being said, I think that overall sleep hygiene is truly helpful and invaluable and it got me quite a ways down the road to better sleep.

Funny thing about the Zeo though....it does reflect different REM and deep sleep patterns when I've had caffeine later in the day, or a bit too much wine, or exercised vigorously too late in the evening. And my REM sleep really goes wonky if I play computer games late in the evening! Only did that twice...fortunately, I quickly get very bored with games and once the newness wears off, I quit playing them.

Weezy

[Jay Aitchsee]

/

...I found a review that said you could download the software now, but it was vague, maybe just the data.That seems to be one of the major complaints....

http://blog.myzeo.com/privacy-activists ... -in-alpha/

Liz, here's a link to a Zeo site where they talk about making the software available to home computers as well as an "alpha" version that can be downloaded now. The company seems to invite hacks. There are lots of posts on their forums and blogs relating to the owner's use of data (which is easily downloadable directly from the site), with how to's and such, all seemingly with the approval of Zeo. There is also a lot of fairly indepth technical information in the blogs about how the system works, which brain waves are monitored, what the sample intervals are, etc. The only thing they seem to hold particularly dear is the algorithm itself.

Poke around in the blogs and I know you'll have to have one.

Jay

[Lizistired]

Poke around in the blogs and I know you'll have to have one.
Jay

Thanks Jay, I already do!

[Jay Aitchsee]

Liz, wow that was quick. I'm sure you'll like it.

[Lizistired]

Liz, wow that was quick. I'm sure you'll like it.

No, I meant have to have one. Haven't pulled the trigger yet.
I will say I am not fond of the idea of having a transmitter strapped to my brain. Signals might go the wrong way.
But, I'll get one anyway.

[Jay Aitchsee]

No, I meant have to have one. Haven't pulled the trigger yet.

Yeah, I got that after I posted. Anyway, let me rephrase - I'm sure you will enjoy the Zeo WHEN you get it.
BTW, are you still using video. I upgraded mine to include time stamp, makes it a little easier to correlate. I don't remember if you had that capability or not. If not, you can get the software at nimisis dot com.
The transmitter on the brain thing is a consideration, I'd guess. Of course, they claim it to be safe (like cell phones). Maybe, if it helps me regain restorative sleep that will offset any damage done by the TX - lesser of two evils.

Jay