Missing Out on Sleep? Maybe the Zeo Sleep Monitor Can Help

We all know the feeling. You get up from your evening rest, and feel worse than you did when you put your head down. You drag yourself through the day, sucking down numerous cups of Starbucks, just to do it all over again that evening.

We don't need a battery of tests to tell us that our sleep is lousy, but the question ends up being, WHY aren't we getting a good night's rest? The answer can be complicated. Our eating habits, stress, environment, schedule, even a restless spouse can play a part in our sleep quality and quantity. Keeping track of all these variables, and determining which ones are affecting us the most, can be even more complicated than the answer itself.

That's where the $250 Zeo Personal Sleep Coach comes in. This two-part device, made up of a headband that you wear while sleeping, and a special alarm clock type unit that rests on your nightstand, performs the task of monitoring your sleep patterns (how much Light, Deep, REM sleep you received), and then creates a ZQ (or sleep score) based on the data. The Bedside Unit also compares your sleep score from night to night, letting you know how well you slept from one day to the next. You get even more detailed reports by removing the included SD Card from the Bedtime Display, and plugging it into your PC using a USB card reader (also included).

The additional reports generated when you upload your sleep data into the myZeo personal coaching website, is where the true benefit of the device is revealed. On the site, you have a Sleep Journal, where you can fill in information regarding what you were doing before you went to bed, the amount of caffeine and alcohol you ingested that day, along with other several other factors (called "Sleep Stealers") that affect how you sleep. By taking that information, and combining it with the sleep pattern info uploaded from the memory card, you are "Coached" on what actions are needed to improve your sleep quality and quantity. This is done via assignments and exercises that are tailored to your online profile.

In the end, there is a high investment, both financially and time wise, needed to make this system work. But if you feel that your sleep (or lack thereof) is causing a disruption in your lifestyle, the ability to monitor how you sleep without checking into a sleep center and hooking up electrodes to your head, could make this product just the answer you were looking for.

The Zeo Personal Sleep Coach is available for $250 (includes one year of coaching) on MyZeo.com