The EverSleep isn’t for everyone, and at $ 200 is pricer than many other wearables. But if you’re having trouble sleeping, can you really put a price on sleep?
If you’ve ever had issues trying to sleep, you’ll know how frustrating and distressing it can be. Even if you manage to get to sleep, sometimes you wake up feeling tired and unrefreshed, with no discernible reason why. You may have found yourself wishing for a way to pin down precisely what is going on, and importantly, what you can do about it. That’s where Somno Health’s EverSleep comes in.
Read on to find out more about EverSleep, and at the end of this review we’ve got one to giveaway to one lucky reader!
Note: In the U.S., EverSleep is not an FDA 510(k) cleared device, and does not claim to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. No Somno Health Incorporated employee is a clinician, and they do not give medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting any health improvement program, including using EverSleep.
What Is EverSleep?
EverSleep is a sleep tracking wearable that’ll monitor your sleep and help guide you towards data and correlations. While many fitness wearables track sleep as part of a more extensive feature-set, EverSleep exists solely to monitor your slumber. The device is designed to be worn on the wrist and is created in similar proportions to a watch. The removable strap slides through the body of the device so it can be attached comfortably to your wrist.
The lightweight strap that comes with the device is one size. This means that if you have smaller wrists, you’ll find that there is a lot of excess strap. As you can theoretically use any strap that fits through the device, if you plan to use the EverSleep in the long term, it may be worth investing in a size-appropriate one.
Attached to the main tracker via a flexible cable is a blood oxygen sensor that should be placed over your finger. As the sensor is only placed over the finger, you need to use the enclosed tape to secure the position of the sensor before you sleep. The tracker unit comes equipped with flashing LEDs to alert you to its status. Flashing red indicates the EverSleep is charging, solid green for a full charge, and flashing green to show the device is ready to wear.
The device is powered by a rechargeable battery inside the tracker and is replenished via the micro USB port and accompanying cable. There are no specifications available for the battery size, so it’s best to get into the habit of putting it on charge after every use. That way, there is minimal risk of it suddenly running out of juice in the middle of the night.
Setup & The EverSleep 2.0 App
As the EverSleep is only intended to track your sleep, you only need to put it on just before you go to bed. Before tracking begins, you need to go through a bit of setup with the EverSleep 2.0 app, available for Android and iOS. Once you’ve installed the app, you’ll be prompted to complete some profile information.
It’s important to note that the data is stored locally on your device, and not shared or sent to the cloud. This means that you are in control of your data, but that you are also exposed to the risk data loss should your device fail. However, this is an export function that allows you to export each night’s record as a separate PDF to be shared, presumably, with a healthcare professional.
The app is relatively sparse, but given its function, this is not a significant concern. The main focus should be on ease of use, and it succeeds here. The app doesn’t follow the design language of Android or iOS, but the interface is large and easy to navigate. There are just six, individually colored buttons; Record, Results, Trends, Profile, Export, and Settings.
Record is placed predominately at the top of the screen, easily located for when you are ready to sleep. Results is a scrollable list of your sleep arranged by date. Tapping on any one of the records allows you to see the results in more detail. The Profile section is where you’ll find the information you entered on setup. This isn’t likely to change all that often, so you shouldn’t need to visit Profile regularly.
Usage & Sleep Tracking
For most people, strapping a bit of technology to their wrist before bed will likely feel quite alien. I’ve used a Fitbit for years, so have been accustomed to the sensation. However, the addition of the oxygen monitor was unusual. Attaching the EverSleep was relatively easy. But having to use medical tape every night to connect the finger sensor is a little cumbersome, and I could see this being an obstacle to regular use.
Once you have the EverSleep securely attached to your wrist, it’s time to fire up the app and answer the pre-sleep survey. This asks you some questions related to how your day was. This includes questions about your nasal health, whether you had a nap, were using screens before bed, and the types of food you ate.
Survey completed, you can now tap Start to begin tracking. The EverSleep connects to your phone wirelessly using Bluetooth. However, as it is always recording and uses a significant amount of battery, you must have your phone plugged into a charger before the Start button will appear. Once the tracking begins, the EverSleep’s LEDs will turn off, allowing you to drift off to sleep. The only light emitted is from the blood oxygen sensor, which has a light red glow from the LEDs used in the process.
EverSleep & Sleep Apnea
One of the most disruptive conditions is Sleep Apnea. This is where the airways are temporarily closed, preventing breathing, and causing your body to deprive itself of oxygen. These apneas can happen hundreds of times per night, and, for some, may be at the root of their poor sleep. This is where EverSleep sets itself apart from main consumer-oriented sleep tracking apps and devices.
Because EverSleep monitors blood oxygen levels, it can suggest if it may be worth investigating sleep apnea further with a health professional. This is cost-effective, as the diagnostic tests require overnight stays at a sleep lab and can cost thousands of dollars. Using the EverSleep can prevent you from making those unnecessary trips to the sleep lab, or alert you to the fact that you may need to visit them.
Insights & Coaching
Each night’s sleep is recorded alongside many metrics like the number of breathing, pulse, and motion events. There is also a metric titled Insomnia, but it’s not clear what this is tracking. On one night it claimed I had over two hours of insomnia, in a total five and a half hours of sleep. I suspect this would be more commonly called restless sleep.
Notably, there were two nights where the sleep tracking was incomplete. On one night, I must have removed the finger attachment in my sleep. The other though remains unexplained. When I awoke in the morning, the last reading was captured almost two hours before.
Switching to the Details view displays graphs tracking oxygen levels, heart rate, and motion. A color-graded bar is shown at the bottom representing the quality of your sleep. One of the key selling points of the EverSleep is that it offers actionable coaching to help you get a better night’s sleep.
Navigating to the Coaching area brings up a range of insight boxes that offer you some guidance on why your sleep was the way it was. For instance, for one night, I was told that my “pulse rate was in the normal range for most of the night” and that I should “talk to [my] doctor about [my] mild to moderate breathing interruptions.”
Many of my insights were related to my caffeine intake, something the app only knew about after I filled in the pre-sleep questionnaire. I’ve been monitoring my sleep for many years, and so am well acquainted with caffeine’s effect. However, I appreciate that this may not be the case for everyone, so initially, it may be helpful. I’m not convinced that after three months of use, being reminded of your caffeine intake will provide you much benefit.
A Device For The Sleepless
The EverSleep is a device specifically designed to help you monitor your sleep and identify any problem areas. The blood oxygen sensor sets it apart from the rest of the fitness tracker market; for now. And therein lies the problem. The EverSleep retails for $ 200, far more than an entry-level Fitbit, and yet only provides marginal benefit to most people.
However, if you are experiencing sleep issues, or have already exhausted the limits of a conventional fitness tracker or sleep app, then this might be the perfect next step.
Enter the Competition!
Read the full article: Trouble Sleeping? The EverSleep May Be The Wearable You Need
