New Sleep Support Gadgets

Today's New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/pages/arts/index.html?th&emc=th reports on a couple of new items related to our common quest for a better night's sleep.

]A new tabletop machine from Adaptive Sound Technologies uses its algorithms to create soothing bedside sounds. Sound machines have existed for years, but the machine, called Ecotones ($299), adds a new, responsive twist: when the soundtrack is running and it senses a disruption to bedroom quiet, it responds immediately with additional cloaking sounds.

Set the dial to ocean sounds, for example, and it produces the sounds of continuous rolling waves, fog horns and the calls of sea gulls. But if a truck suddenly rumbles by outside the bedroom, the machine detects the racket and masks it by producing an extra crashing wave or two.

Ecotones has a library of sounds with which to do its spontaneous camouflaging, from babbling brooks to cricket chirps to fireside crackling, said Sam Nicolino Jr., chief executive of the company, based in Campbell, Calif. The mike built into the unit detects ambient sound in the room; within a tenth of a second the software has selected an appropriate masking noise, and possibly raised the soundtrack, to attenuate the effects of disrupting sounds.

“We trick the ear into thinking it is listening to something pleasant,” said Mr. Nicolino, an electrical engineer, amateur musician and audio bug, who created the device when a freeway was built near his home and he realized that he could mask its roar with the sounds of ocean waves.

That sounds like a handy device for those who hate the sound of their CPAP machines or for those suffering bed partners who have had to put up with our snoring. And for those who are unsure if their CPAP therapy is truly providing a restful sleep there's also a new gadget that helps determine how much sleep you're really getting:

ANOTHER technology that may find itself at home in the bedroom is found in a small wireless device, the Fitbit Tracker, designed in part to help people find out whether they are getting too much sleep, or not enough. The Fitbit will cost $99 when it is released in early summer, said James Park, the chief executive of Fitbit Inc. in San Francisco. This small device is also a pedometer that tracks calories burned during the day.

The Fitbit uses a motion sensor called an accelerometer, also employed in the iPhone and Wii controllers, to track movement and, in that way, sleep. “You slide the Tracker onto a wristband” provided with the device, Mr. Park said, and press a button to start recording sleep behavior.

“When you wake up and sync it to your computer, it will tell you how many minutes you were asleep as opposed to awake while you were in bed,” he said.

The device can collect up to seven days’ of data. A wireless base station collects the information and uploads it to the Fitbit Web site.

Respironics has a similar device that costs between $1000 and $1500 but needs a prescription.

Paul

I'm going to keep an eye out for that Fitbit. That costs a whole lot less than that watch thing that is also a motion detector. Check out their website:

http://www.fitbit.com/

It does more than record your sleep motions.

OutaSync wrote:I'm going to keep an eye out for that Fitbit. That costs a whole lot less than that watch thing that is also a motion detector. Check out their website:

http://www.fitbit.com/

It does more than record your sleep motions.

Would be nicer if it was stand alone software package. I try to limit personel information uploaded to the internet.

OutaSync wrote:I'm going to keep an eye out for that Fitbit. That costs a whole lot less than that watch thing that is also a motion detector.

I broke down and got one of the watches off of Ebay. The only difference is the watch will buzz and beep to wake you up, but if you're not worried about waking during a "movement moment", then that motion censor is the way to go.

So far I haven't used the alarm function on the watch because it's been spring break and I don't really have to get up unless I'm picking the kids up to take to school. So it shows how long I go while sleeping between movements. Kind of an "okay, whatever" deal for me personally. Starting tomorrow I'll see if i like being awakened with the watch or not and certainly will have my regular clock radio set as a backup...

The software and the watch are pretty low budget for retailing for $179. The software looks like my kid might have written it. The data has to be downloaded EVERY day, which at the price of storage media is a complete joke. Also you have to put the watch in "data" mode before hooking it up to the computer. I don't know, just seems pretty unsophisticated... Also you plod thru buttons on the watch which is also insane seeing how you have a USB connection to the watch, but they obviously don't care enough to write an interface to let you make the settings on your computer for the watch.

The whole thing seems to me to be in alpha phase, yet is being sold as a "pro" version. But I guess the bottom line is to get awakened during an "almost awake" moment, so I guess I'll see what that does for me. And also, all criticisms aside, whoever came up with this is I'm sure living in a mansion on a golf course, so I guess he knew what he was doing putting a $20 half-assed product out on the market for $179.

The watch software sucks: Yes. It is Ugly looking: Yes.

Is it effective in waking you up at the right time: Yes.

That is what I use it for. I agree on your points about the watch, but at least it is effective.

SharkBait wrote: ........
The whole thing seems to me to be in alpha phase, yet is being sold as a "pro" version. But I guess the bottom line is to get awakened during an "almost awake" moment, so I guess I'll see what that does for me. And also, all criticisms aside, whoever came up with this is I'm sure living in a mansion on a golf course, so I guess he knew what he was doing putting a $20 half-assed product out on the market for $179.

For me personally, $179 would have been a very cheap way to avoid being wakened by an alarm while you are in slow-wave sleep.

I took a little more expensive route: retirement (no alarms at all). Cost about $200 grand per year.

FitBit seems interesting....I'll add it to the list.

I have the Ecotones unit....I dislike the fact that most of the sound settings incorporate a high frequency element or some other sharp noise. That I find disturbing when I'm trying to sleep....

Also it doesn't fill in the sound of my CPAP machine, and when its loud enough to mask it completely...its too loud for me to sleep.

I had pre-ordered the Ecotones unit before I got my diagnosis of sleep apnea....it arrived around the same time as I was starting CPAP....

Considering its high cost....and all the other bits I've been buying related to CPAP....I probably wouldn't have gotten it now that I'm on CPAP.

There was also the part where the specific noise I was hoping it would adaptively screen out is ceased to be a problem by the time the machine did show up. It doesn't do anything for the new noises that the new neighbor inflicts on me.

Also it is a hassle to work the controls on it...so I hardly use it anymore.

The Dreamer.

Are there any other gadgets out there that measure the time you are asleep? I always kind of remember waking up but i am never sure, the memory is foggy when i wake up in the morning. Thanks

I also am not impressed with the Ecotunes unit. Fog horns, crying gull (a gull is a flying rat), crashing waves, and chirping crickets (nasty bugs) are not conducive to my sleep. I have a sound machine that play about eight backgrounds. The simple white noise background is the best for masking extraneous noises and helping with sleep.

Now the FitBit I am quite impressed with and likely will order one of the first ones. Some more data to fret over!

Paul, Thanks for posting this.

TheDreamer wrote:
I have the Ecotones unit.... Considering its high cost....I probably wouldn't have gotten it now that I'm on CPAP.... so I hardly use it anymore.

The Dreamer.

Thanks Dreamer, that's just the sort of informed opinion that will probably save a few of us from wasting our money.

Paul