Do you have a difficult or bad night’s sleep regularly? Or do you have nightmares frequently? You are definitely not the only one. About 30% of the people are struggling with sleeping problems on a regular basis (slaapinfo.nl, 2016). However, sleep is really important for your physical health, your mental health, the quality of your life, and your safety (nhlbi.nih.gov, 2012). Therefore, sleep deficiency can be really harmful.
Recently, I found a really nice Kickstarter project which can help you sleep and dream. It is called ‘iBand+’. In this blog, I will explain what this device is and how it works, and I will describe some features of the ‘iBand+’.
The ‘iBand+’ is a headband that can help you sleep and dream. You have to wear this headband while you are asleep. It is a wireless Bluetooth EEG headband, which communicates with an iBand+ App on your smartphone. An EEG (electroencephalogram) can measure and record the electrical activity of your brain (webmd.com, 2014). The ‘iBand+’ has an advanced auto-learning software algorithm, which is used to track and analyze information about your brain and body while you are sleeping (kickstarter.com, 2016). Subsequently, these signals are used to regulate audio-visual signals. The interaction between the LEDs on the headband and the pillow speakers delivers effective audio-visual stimuli.
What are the reasons to buy the ‘iBand+’? Well, it has several features. I will highlight a few. First, it helps you experience lucid dreams by playing audio-visual cues. In a lucid dream, you are aware of dreaming, without waking up. Hence, you can create your own dreams. Second, ‘iBand+’ improves your sleep quality by tracking your sleep cycle, body movement, heart rate and body temperature, and adjusts the music and volume based on this information (kickstarter.com, 2016). Third, ‘iBand+’ has a cool smart alarm feature, so you can wake up at the most optimum period of your sleep cycle (kickstarter.com, 2016). If you want to know more features of the ‘iBand+’, you can check out this website: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/arenar/iband-eeg-headband-that-helps-you-sleep-and-dream.
I think this is a really nice device and it can definitely help people with sleeping problems. The recommended retail price is €279, which is quite expensive. However, I think that if you have real sleeping problems, it is worth trying. The only thing I am worried about is the comfort of this device. You have to wear it at night, so I don’t know if you are able to sleep with such a headband. Moreover, it might lead to a sleep obsession. It is possible that you will think too much about sleeping when having the ‘iBand+’.
What do you think about the ‘iBand+’? Will it work? And will it sell?
Sources:
http://www.slaapinfo.nl/slaapstoornissen/slapeloosheid/
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/why
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/arenar/iband-eeg-headband-that-helps-you-sleep-and-dream
http://www.webmd.com/epilepsy/electroencephalogram-eeg-21508
Personally, I am not thinking about buying the iBand+ as I agree with you that it might not be comfortable when sleeping as well as it comes across a just a short-term solution. I always wonder if these devices are actually helping the consumer. In this case, the user will be having troubles sleeping and I assume the user hopes that this will be the solution for a good sleep at night. Whereas, it would be more relevant to focus on what is causing the bad sleeping behavior. Is it stress? Are you worrying? Of course this is more difficult, but it should be a long-term solution. Perhaps data tracked by the iBand+ could be helpful and therefore used, when it is analyzed by specialist or a computer in order to identify users sleeping problems originations.
Hi Kimberly, nice article you wrote.
Just like Bernice, I also doubt about how comfortable this device really is. I furhermore do not see how this device is going to help you get a good sleep. Some other studies show that you actually have to avoid Bluetooth signals and radio/electricity waves during sleep. They can disrupt you even more from your sleep. Afcourse sleep disruption can also accur due to many other factors like stress and eating too much before going to sleep. However, I truly believe that the iband+ is not going to help you fall asleep.
And because of the price, I do not think that this will become a popular device. I am not seeing myself buying a iband+.