Zeo Personal Sleep Coach - if you like data about your sleep

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D4
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Zeo Personal Sleep Coach - if you like data about your sleep

Post by D4 »

I've posted here before about how much I love the Sleeptracker watch.

I bought the Zeo Personal Sleep Coach right before Christmas and I love it. I've been intending to post about it, but hadn't taken the time to do it yet.

I saw it is Amazon.com's deal of the day today so I thought I'd write a post.

It looks like an alarm clock, but it has a headband that goes with it. You wear the headband and it transmits data about your sleep (how much time in each sleep cycle and you can even see the graph on the machine which is super cool.) It also writes the data to a SD memory card, so you can upload your data to their website. Then you receive emails with interesting advice. Most of us know all the standard dos and don'ts, but I've gotten some great new tips from it. You can also journal about your day on their site so you can learn if anything helps/hinders the quality of your sleep.

My neurologist won't let me have another sleep study, so for me, this is like having a mini-sleep study every night. I still wear my Sleeptracker watch when I sleep in addition to the Zeo. (I want all the data I can get about my sleep.)

They sell this in two formats. The device and headband are the same, but the super package has lifetime sleep coaching and comes with replacement headband sensors. I bought that package. The less expensive version is $50 off on Amazon.com today only.

If you want to read more, look on amazon.com or google Zeo. I saw it demonstrated on the Today show in December and that's how I found out about it.

I look forward to discussing my findings about my sleep from Zeo with my Mayo Clinic neurologist when I go for my annual recheck.

I am not affiliated with Zeo or Sleeptracker; I just love all the data I can get about my sleep. You'll see this is true if you read my prior posts. From those posts, you'll also see that I'm willing to spend a lot of money to try a lot of things to help improve my sleep. Most of the time those things don't help, but I have found enough gems to keep experimenting.

Has anybody else here tried the Zeo?

SquirmingSusan
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Post by SquirmingSusan »

I have one and have found it helpful. I had a very hard time getting it to me as anything but awake when I first got it. But that was when I was taking Effexor and it made me a total insomniac, and I really do think it prevented me from sleeping well, ever. (Including on my MSLT.) When I switched to Lexapro, things changed dramatically. Now it reads my sleep stages about half of the nights I use it. I've had to play with different facial moisturizers and putting it in different positions on my head. I find that if I wear it slightly off center to the left, and right up at my hairline, I usually get good readings.

It's interesting to see that I don't really have sleep cycles at all. I alternate between light sleep and deep sleep for a bit, going for 5 minutes each back and forth. Then once in a while I get a good, solid chunk of REM. SSRIs really suppress and delay REM and that shows up on the Zeo.

I don't like that it will only let you record one sleep period a day, but I have gotten around that by just keeping it on my head if I'm going to be home in the morning. Then I can see the effect (or non effect) of various alerting meds I've tried. And I can see how quickly I fall asleep if I lie down, if I record the time that I lie down. I took a screen shot and sent it to Dr. B one day - I had taken 300mg. of Nuvigil, had a large iced tea, and stuck on a nicotine patch because some people have said that nicotine helps them. After about 3 hours of fighting to stay awake, I fell into 1-1/2 hours of REM sleep. :roll:

I do have to say that I've had my husband has used it and my son has used it and it reads their sleep perfectly. I must have a thick skull or something. When I talked to customer service about my problems with it, they said that some people just can't get it to read them.

I have a Sleeptracker watch and don't find it useful at all. Just not enough information and the alarm is way too quiet. But I really do like the Zeo. It's interesting to see how exercise affects my sleep, or meds, or just having the kids and dogs around making noise. (Look at this, kids: Deep sleep, awake because of kids being loud, deep sleep, awake because of kids being loud...) Oh, and I sleep so much better with one of those nose strips on. Who knew.
Susan

D4
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Post by D4 »

Interesting. I don't have any problem with the Zeo's sensors. It reads my sleep every night.

Even though the SleepTracker doesn't give as much data as the Zeo, I still like it and use it every night. I try to predict my average time between almost awake states BEFORE I look at the watch. I can make a pretty accurate guess based on how hard it was for my family to wake me

I agree that I wish both devices could handle naps. Since I take at least a 3 hour nap every day, I'd like to have data for it too. There are ways with each device to do that, but it would take resetting settings twice a day and I wouldn't be able to upload the nap data for either device.

If I were to only purchase one of them, it would definitely be the Zeo because it provides so much data in a very useful format.

badnights
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Post by badnights »

well I took the plunge and ordered one. Impulsively as usual. I don't think I'll regret it though. After I figure out my RLS meds and the hypopnea thing, I will have to learn how to sleep again. Reset my battered old circadian clock.

SquirmingSusan
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Post by SquirmingSusan »

Beth, did you get the 30 day trial? I don't know if they're still offering that. But if you don't like it or it doesn't work well for you, you can return it. Their customer service is very helpful.

I don't know if you've seen any of my posts where I talk about resetting circadian rhythm. There are a couple things that I have done that have been quite successful, and I've managed to shift my circadian rhythm back a few hours. There's a message board called "Talk About Sleep" and they have a section on circadian rhythm disorder. [Which is one of the things I though I had, along with wicked PLMs (or not - it's more like myoclonus, whole body jerking). That's what I went to see Dr. Buchfuhrer about, and he explained why he didn't think those were the problem, and explained why he diagnosed me with narcolepsy, which I had filed away in my head as not being relevant.]

Have fun with the Zeo. It's a very interesting thing. But then I am a total gadget goddess...
Susan

badnights
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Post by badnights »

I'm not sure if I got the 30 day trial or not :? . I will see when it arrives.

I noticed you mentioned blue-blocker sunglasses in one of your posts, so I noted that down to check into. I've looked into lights but not ordered one yet. I'll check more into these things when I'm sure I'm committed to changing my pattern.

I get whole-body jerks too, but not often, only two or three times a year. I bit my tongue a couple times.

I also wake myself up by acting out dreams - my leg will kick if I'm dreaming of kicking a ball, my arm will swing, or I'll shout a word and scare the dogs. That only happened recently, 3-4 times one week, then nothing for a few weeks, then again.

Fascinating how you found out about the narcolepsy. Who knew.

D4
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Post by D4 »

Good luck with the Zeo Beth. By the way, I order stuff from Amazon many times a week and they have an excellent return policy. You should be able to return it within 30 days if you don't love it. Just keep all the packaging, etc.

Please post back to let us know how you like the Zeo. You got a great deal!

I also read your comment about blue lights. I of course have one of those too because I try almost anything to see if it will help. I use it in the morning but I can't tell if it helps. Of course, my root problem is not typical so other people might get great results from it.

D4
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Post by D4 »

Beth, what do you think of the Zeo?

badnights
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Post by badnights »

I think I screwed up and didn't send the order. I checked on it yesterday and it was still in my cart with a little notice saying the price had gone up. Apparently I was so messed up I thought I had ordered it but actually I had decided to wait until I got back from hockey before I pushed the buttom. Then I never pushed it because I thought I had already. lol I missed the sale.

So I think maybe I will wait and see if I really think it will be useful before I order it again (the impulse is gone). (The desire is still there but financial caution is winning.)

The vanishing neurologist phoned me today and is going to try to arrange to switch me from oxycodone to hydromorphone. I think it has a shorter half-life so I'm not sure why it would be better. Oh well. Magic, maybe.

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Post by ViewsAskew »

bethf wrote:I think I screwed up and didn't send the order. I checked on it yesterday and it was still in my cart with a little notice saying the price had gone up. Apparently I was so messed up I thought I had ordered it but actually I had decided to wait until I got back from hockey before I pushed the buttom. Then I never pushed it because I thought I had already. lol I missed the sale.

So I think maybe I will wait and see if I really think it will be useful before I order it again (the impulse is gone). (The desire is still there but financial caution is winning.)

The vanishing neurologist phoned me today and is going to try to arrange to switch me from oxycodone to hydromorphone. I think it has a shorter half-life so I'm not sure why it would be better. Oh well. Magic, maybe.


If it's sustained release oxy then it's supposed to last 12 hours (regular is only 4-6); hydrmorphone is 4-6 hours. Not sure of the half life of either, but I think the half life of regular oxy is very short.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

SquirmingSusan
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Post by SquirmingSusan »

Beth, I don't know what the sale price was at Amazon so I can't say if it was a good deal. When I checked there it was a whole $1 off the regular price. If you got to Zeo.com you can buy a 30 day trial for $20. You can probably find out just about everything you'd ever want to know in thirty days...

Hydromorphone is a stronger opioid, so maybe the neuro is more comfortable with you taking a stronger med than upping the dose of the oxycodone. Who knows. Just hope that it works!
Susan

D4
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Post by D4 »

The Amazon deal was $50 off the lower priced Zeo package ($199 instead of $249), so it was a great deal.

I've kept an eye on the Zeo's prices since I purchased mine. They frequently run a deal on their website where you can get 1 year of the guided sleep coaching for free with the $249 Zeo. That's also a decent deal. As I mentioned before, I purchased the $349 package which included lifetime coaching, 3 sets of replacement headband sensors, and an extra year warranty.

I still love both the Zeo and the Sleeptracker watch. The Zeo gives a ton of data and presents it in multiple ways. I love to look at the graph on the bedside display each morning and then tab through the data. It's so neat that you can do it right there even before you upload the data on your computer. The Sleeptracker watch doesn't give near as much data, but I still find the data it does produce very useful.

badnights
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Post by badnights »

I'll keep an eye on the sales at myzeo.com

mompaisley
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Post by mompaisley »

I bought myself one with Christmas money and really liked it. It confirmed what MAYO had told me, that I wasn't really sleeping (because of the RLS), even though I thought I was.

I thought maybe the sensors weren't good. But my hubby used it and it tracked his great sleep just fine (show off!)

In the end, I returned it before the 30 days was up. No problem returning it at all. I just depressed myself too much knowing how little sleep I was getting. It kind of felt like I was getting graded, and failing! LOL.

But if you are considering getting one, I'd recommend it.

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