Zeo Sleep Manager Pro

Fitness tracking is a fast growing category these days, with devices like the Fitbit One and the Nike+ FuelBand logging your every step. But while these activity trackers can sometimes be used at night for sleep tracking, the distance and altitude tracking they provide offers a rather shallow view of your nightly rest. The Zeo Sleep Manager Pro ($99, direct), on the other hand, tracks an impressive amount of data, functioning as a simple EEG, and tracking everything from sleep phase to how long it takes you to drop off to slumber after snuggling into bed. It's a powerful tool in developing better sleep habits.

Simple Gadget
The Zeo Sleep Manager Pro hardware comes in two parts, the Softwave sensor, a small electronics module encased in glossy black plastic, and a headband with three forehead sensors. The Softwave sensor attaches to the headband through three conductive snaps, and communicates all collected data to your Android or iOS device via Bluetooth.

Unlike the $150 Zeo Bedside Sleep Manager, there is no base system to deal with, and no memory card for collecting and transferring data. Instead, the Zeo Sleep Manager Pro connects via Bluetooth to your Android or iOS device, collecting and displaying all of your data automatically through the free Zeo Mobile Pro App. You will also need to set up a free online account through Zeo. With the combination of the app and your online Zeo account, you will be able to track your sleep history, parse and analyze the data in detail using online tools, and access the many informational articles available in Zeo's Knowledge Center. You also have the option of sharing your data with Zeo and the greater Zeo Community, which allows you to contribute to sleep research.

During your initial setup of the device, you'll pair the headband to your phone or tablet, open the Zeo app, and then connect the two by pressing the single button found on the Zeo. Once you're paired, all you need to do is put on the headband before you lay down to sleep.

Also in the package is an A/C power adapter and detachable USB cable. When you get the Zeo Sleep Manager Pro, you'll want to plug it in to charge first?it takes two hours of charging before the headband is ready to use through the night. You'll also want to find a convenient place to plug it in, because you will need to recharge the headband every day before the next night's sleep.

In my experience, this was one of the few weak points in the entire Zeo experience. Forgetting to charge the headband during one busy day would then lead to a night without using it, without tracking my sleep quality, and without reinforcing any of the sleep patterns and habits I was trying to establish. Worse still, I found it even easier to forget to charge the headband if I failed to wear it to sleep. Ideally, the Zeo would be more like my Kindle, which is capable of running for several days on a single charge.

Sophisticated Data Tracking
Other sleep monitors available now, like the Fitbit One and the Jawbone Up, are primarily fitness trackers that adapt movement tracking to measure how much you toss and turn at night. The Zeo family of products take a very different approach, measuring the electrical signals given off by the brain and muscles of the face. It's really a simple EEG, which collects these electrical signals periodically?some are polled as frequently as 128 times per second, while others are tracked at 30 second and 5 minute intervals. Prior to the Zeo and similar self-tracking technologies, this was data that could only be gathered and recorded by participating in a professional sleep study. While the Zeo may not offer the same level of detailed data collection available in a professional or academic setting, it provides a roughly accurate picture of your sleep quality.

The accompanying app then tracks you through the four phases of sleep: Wake, REM (where dreaming occurs), Light, and Deep (where the most restorative sleep occurs). As it tracks you through the night, it records this data into an easy to read bar-graph. After recording a night's sleep, you'll also be given a ZQ score, a rough index the takes into account the duration of sleep, the balance of the various sleep stages, and how often and frequently your sleep was disrupted during the night.

Sleeping With the Zeo
My own experiences with the Zeo and accompanying tools were enlightening. The mere act of tracking my sleep and wake times showed me what common sense should have led me to realize on my own?if I'm waking up at 7 every morning, going to sleep at 2 a.m. only gives five hours of sleep time. In fact, when you account for the time it takes to fall asleep and the occasional late night bathroom break, it's closer to 4 and a half hours?nowhere near enough.

The more detailed data also helped me sort out a more unique wrinkle in my sleep environment. Living less than a block from the elevated 7 train in Queens, my sleep is interrupted several times a night by the passing of a clamoring, clattering train. A pair of earplugs easily fixed this problem, but until the data was available to examine, I had no idea it was disrupting my sleep.

One data-driven tool that I found quite helpful was Zeo's SmartWake Alarm, which uses the data collected to find the optimal point near your desired wake time to wake you up. At first I was skeptical that waking me up at 6:53 would be better than waking me at 7:00 based on fluctuations in my sleep stage, but in fact, by waking me up when I was nearest to wakefulness already, I have had fewer mornings where I felt like I was rising from a coma.

As mentioned earlier, the daily ritual of remebering to charge the battery took some getting used to. Also, while the headband is lightweight and breathable enough to wear and still fall asleep easily, I found myself occasionally pulling it off of my head during sleep. It didn't happen often, but when I did, it skewed my sleep data to show me getting even less sleep than I really do.

The numbers don't lie. Using the Zeo, I began to establish better sleeping habits, resting more soundly and getting something closer to a healthy night's sleep. I also have found myself feeling far more alert and productive most days, a result that is well worth the $99 price of the Zeo. If using the limited sleep-tracking tools on the FitBit One, FitbBit Ultra, or the BodyMedia Fit Core helps you get a better night's sleep, that's great. As for me, I'll take my Zeo sleep data any day.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/zSCcDofC18s/0,2817,2413445,00.asp

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