Wakemate App and HandBand Promises to Make You Wake Up Refreshed

Monday, January 4, 2010

A new app is on the horizon promising you better sleep and easier waking. Wakemate is set to launch at the end of January and many people are plunking down their $50 and pre-ordering, hoping this will be the solution to their sleep problems. According to Wakemate , “after multiple nights’ data have been collected, we can identify trends in your sleeping patterns and give personalized instruction on how to improve your sleep. Based on your body’s natural sleeping patterns we can tell you when and how long to sleep to get the most efficient and restful sleep possible”. Wow that sounds wonderful, but will it work?

This app is unusual in that it runs using a separate device, a wrist cuff, to detect information about your sleeping patterns. The WakeMate is a smart alarm clock that will analyze your sleep to find the optimal time for you to wake up, so you will feel refreshed and energized every time you wake. TechCrunch got the lowdown from the developers on how it works:

“The WakeMate wristband collects data throughout the night and stores it on internal Flash storage. When it’s time to wake you up WakeMate doesn’t necessarily sound an alarm at exactly the time you set. Instead, it monitors your sleep patterns for the 20 minute window prior to that and sounds your alarm when you’re in the lightest sleep mode, which can help eliminate that groggy feeling you sometimes wake up with. The alarm doesn’t come from the wristband though – instead, the wristband uses Bluetooth to trigger your cell phone’s alarm. It then transmits your sleep data to your phone, which in turn uses its cellular data connection to upload it to the WakeMate servers. You can then browse through your sleep history from the WakeMate website.”

Definitely sounds promising. However the whole concept is based on actigraphy, which is the measurement of the motions you make while you sleep, to determine your sleep stages. Actigraphy has long been used in the study of sleep patterns but there is some conjecture about it’s overall effectiveness.

For $50 this is an app that better deliver! Before you try this you should definitely check out SleepCycle, a much cheaper and already available app which is getting good reviews from customers for helping you get a better sleep!