Thanks to EarlySense Live for partnering with me on this sponsored post. Opinions are my own.
Sleep. I didn't realize how important it is to a good marriage until my husband stopped sleeping. He had always worked various night shift jobs, including 12 years where he supervised disabled adults overnight. This habit continued even after he became a work-at-home dad. That left us confused as to when he should sleep and why the sleep he was getting seemed so inadequate.
Fortunately, I had the opportunity to review EarlySense LIVE. I had seen and used quite a few sleep trackers and monitors over the past year, but this one seemed truly unique in design and functionality. We opened the box and were relieved to find that it was a very simple set up:
You simply connect power to the device, connect it to your smartphone with a free app and the phone's Bluetooth functionality, set it in the correct position under any mattress, and wait for the data to start rolling in. Set up took me less than 5 minutes!
The magic of the sensor and the app is that it is so sensitive and accurate. It sensed when my husband was in bed, not in bed, sleeping, not sleeping, in deep slight or light sleep. It even sensed his heartbeat and breathing, as well as when he was in REM mode! Because of everything I have researched about sleep, I knew that all stages of sleep are important, but the deep sleep was what was needed to restore his body after working hard every day. I was hoping to find out just how much (or little) he was truly getting.
Since my husband generally comes to bed sometime between 3 and 5 am, I set the EarlySense LIVE software on my phone to wake him up between 12 and 1pm. This would give him a chance at getting 10 hours in bed, and hopefully at least 8 hours sleep. The app would alert my phone's alarm clock to wake him up at the ideal point in a typical sleep cycle to reduce the chance of him getting up and being groggy.
The first night (or rather day) that we looked at his sleep results, I was astonished. My poor husband was getting 8 hours in bed, and less than 5 hours of actual sleep. Only 3% of his sleep was deep and he was getting around 4% REM. This meant that he was in bed a lot and not really resting. It also showed that he was having medium to high levels of stress in bed. I made it a point to switch around our sleep area a bit, reduce noise, and limit my time coming in and out of the room during his time there.
The next sleep session was much better. By just being mindful of his sleep patterns, I was able to get him to 12% deep sleep and 21% REM. He was still spending almost 30% of his time in bed awake, however, so I continued to make adjustments to his sleep environment.
I'm happy to report that it has been a few weeks since first started the EarlySense LIVE use, and it may have been one of the best things I've done for our marriage. I have a new respect for my husband's sleep patterns, and -- armed with the knowledge of how much sleep he is really getting -- am able to adjust my expectations of when he should wake.
No longer do I assume that 8 hours in bed is enough. His insomnia has gotten much better, but I'm also able to help him get the best sleep possible when he finds himself awake a lot.
I don't have any complaints about this gadget, but I do have some tips. Things that may cause the sensor to pick up bad data include allowing a little one or a pet sleep too close or even on the sensor. Also, when I get out of bed in the morning, my husband has a tendency to move all the way over on my side and off the sensor. I have resolved this by putting a long body pillow in my "place" to keep him in his.
EarlySense LIVE works best when your phone is charged and plugged in to power during the sleep session. It may not send data if it's low on battery. You also need to have access to wi-fi, unless you want to be using up data on your phone plan.
One other small complication we experienced was that we have a foam mattress on a wire frame bed. The EarlySense LIVE unit couldn't lay directly under the mattress without stress to the unit, so I placed a flat piece of cardboard under the unit to protect it from the frame. Most people with two mattresses (a box frame and a top mattress) can just put the unit between them.
I would recommend this device to everyone. You do not have to have sleep issues or health issues to find it beneficial. In fact, I plan on getting a second unit for my side of the bed! Parents and caregivers, spouses, and health-conscious singles can find this a very easy and effective way to get health data that you can track over time. I look forward to seeing how my husband's health continues to improve with regular use and adjustments to his sleep environment!
(I also really like the extra little tips that the app gives. The daily bits of advice are clever and beneficial!)
This is a life-changing device that is economically priced at $149 and works with both iOS and Android phone platforms. For a small extra fee, you can get monthly service to the Plus technology, which gives you remote access to the data to be used to check on a loved one not in the home. I could see this revolutionizing elder care in the future!
Like this? Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get more of the goodness, plus exclusive giveaway offers!
Sleep. I didn't realize how important it is to a good marriage until my husband stopped sleeping. He had always worked various night shift jobs, including 12 years where he supervised disabled adults overnight. This habit continued even after he became a work-at-home dad. That left us confused as to when he should sleep and why the sleep he was getting seemed so inadequate.
Fortunately, I had the opportunity to review EarlySense LIVE. I had seen and used quite a few sleep trackers and monitors over the past year, but this one seemed truly unique in design and functionality. We opened the box and were relieved to find that it was a very simple set up:
You simply connect power to the device, connect it to your smartphone with a free app and the phone's Bluetooth functionality, set it in the correct position under any mattress, and wait for the data to start rolling in. Set up took me less than 5 minutes!
The magic of the sensor and the app is that it is so sensitive and accurate. It sensed when my husband was in bed, not in bed, sleeping, not sleeping, in deep slight or light sleep. It even sensed his heartbeat and breathing, as well as when he was in REM mode! Because of everything I have researched about sleep, I knew that all stages of sleep are important, but the deep sleep was what was needed to restore his body after working hard every day. I was hoping to find out just how much (or little) he was truly getting.
Since my husband generally comes to bed sometime between 3 and 5 am, I set the EarlySense LIVE software on my phone to wake him up between 12 and 1pm. This would give him a chance at getting 10 hours in bed, and hopefully at least 8 hours sleep. The app would alert my phone's alarm clock to wake him up at the ideal point in a typical sleep cycle to reduce the chance of him getting up and being groggy.
The first night (or rather day) that we looked at his sleep results, I was astonished. My poor husband was getting 8 hours in bed, and less than 5 hours of actual sleep. Only 3% of his sleep was deep and he was getting around 4% REM. This meant that he was in bed a lot and not really resting. It also showed that he was having medium to high levels of stress in bed. I made it a point to switch around our sleep area a bit, reduce noise, and limit my time coming in and out of the room during his time there.
The next sleep session was much better. By just being mindful of his sleep patterns, I was able to get him to 12% deep sleep and 21% REM. He was still spending almost 30% of his time in bed awake, however, so I continued to make adjustments to his sleep environment.
I'm happy to report that it has been a few weeks since first started the EarlySense LIVE use, and it may have been one of the best things I've done for our marriage. I have a new respect for my husband's sleep patterns, and -- armed with the knowledge of how much sleep he is really getting -- am able to adjust my expectations of when he should wake.
No longer do I assume that 8 hours in bed is enough. His insomnia has gotten much better, but I'm also able to help him get the best sleep possible when he finds himself awake a lot.
I don't have any complaints about this gadget, but I do have some tips. Things that may cause the sensor to pick up bad data include allowing a little one or a pet sleep too close or even on the sensor. Also, when I get out of bed in the morning, my husband has a tendency to move all the way over on my side and off the sensor. I have resolved this by putting a long body pillow in my "place" to keep him in his.
EarlySense LIVE works best when your phone is charged and plugged in to power during the sleep session. It may not send data if it's low on battery. You also need to have access to wi-fi, unless you want to be using up data on your phone plan.
One other small complication we experienced was that we have a foam mattress on a wire frame bed. The EarlySense LIVE unit couldn't lay directly under the mattress without stress to the unit, so I placed a flat piece of cardboard under the unit to protect it from the frame. Most people with two mattresses (a box frame and a top mattress) can just put the unit between them.
I would recommend this device to everyone. You do not have to have sleep issues or health issues to find it beneficial. In fact, I plan on getting a second unit for my side of the bed! Parents and caregivers, spouses, and health-conscious singles can find this a very easy and effective way to get health data that you can track over time. I look forward to seeing how my husband's health continues to improve with regular use and adjustments to his sleep environment!
(I also really like the extra little tips that the app gives. The daily bits of advice are clever and beneficial!)
This is a life-changing device that is economically priced at $149 and works with both iOS and Android phone platforms. For a small extra fee, you can get monthly service to the Plus technology, which gives you remote access to the data to be used to check on a loved one not in the home. I could see this revolutionizing elder care in the future!
Like this? Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get more of the goodness, plus exclusive giveaway offers!
Comments
Post a Comment