Zeo "Personal Sleep Coach" Gets Reviewed

You might not realize it, but you're probably sleeping wrong.  Thankfully Zeo are around to tell you the error of your ways, and since we won't take anybody seriously unless we're paying them a subscription and they're offering us a wireless-enabled alarm with LCD display, that's part of the deal too.  Measurements are taken via a headband you wear during the night, which sends data to the alarm and rates your quality of sleep as a "ZQ" number.

ZQ is affected by how long you stay in REM phase sleep, deep sleep or light sleep.  Those ZQ readings are stored on an SD card, which you can upload to Zeo's website.  The team there will then give you daily email guidance – or "personal sleep coaching" – suggesting ways in which you can improve your bedtime performance.  Since the measurements are tracked and displayed every day, Zeo suggest you can use them to try out different relaxation techniques and instantly see what impact they have.

The Wall Street Journal's Melinda Beck tried it out, and seemed impressed; however, she points out that Zeo have only apparently trialled the system on around 140 people so far.  That means you're basically paying to be a beta tester, and it doesn't come cheap: the $399 sticker of the Zeo system includes six months of "coaching"; another six months is a further $99.

[via technabob]