Customer Reviews

NightWave Sleep Assistant - Travel Version with Bundled Carrying Case

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you have an iOS device, there is actually an App that does the same thing for 99 cents. It's called "Sleep Beat" and works great. Just search for it.

The instructions are pretty lacking. There's five different modes. You only care about two of them: 2 clicks is the 7 minute sleep pattern, 4 clicks is the 25 minutes sleep pattern. Hold for 3 seconds to turn off.

So what do you do with this light that shines softly on your ceiling going light and dark in waves? You pace your breathing to it. I usually inhale as the light gets brighter, then it crests and I exhale as the light gets dimmer, but doing it the other way is fine as well. Follow the rhythm and you're following the breathing pattern of someone falling asleep.

The first couple of uses I got concerned with "wait, my eyelids are getting heavy. How will I follow the light with my eyes closed?" The light's not very bright, but in a dark enough room you'll become sensitive enough to follow the light through your closed eyes. You're just trying to pace your breathing with the waves of light as it gets bright and then dark. You're not watching the light for details or anything.

The blue light is a good choice. When one of us wakes up at 2am and is having difficulty getting back to sleep, using it doesn't wake up the other person.

There is the assumption that you fall asleep on your back or on your side. Those of you who fall asleep on your belly may want to point it instead at the wall over your headboard.

Also you can control the size of the circle and how bright it is by changing it's distance from the surface you're reflecting it off of.

The box itself is small and sturdy, making it easy to pack when traveling and facing jet lag. This version of the Nightwave has a travel pouch for further protection. There's a cheaper version of the same thing without the travel bag.

It seems gimmicky, breathing in time with a light to fall asleep, but it actually works. And unlike the surf sound generators, rain sound generators, or other noise making wave machines, it doesn't wake up everyone else when you use it in the middle of the night.

The main complaint I've had with earlier attempts of this idea is they never changed speed. They just blinked back and forth at the same pace, never getting longer or slower. With the Nightwave the waves actually get gradually slower and longer just like the breathing of a real person falling asleep. Follow the breathing pattern and you should too.

People that are frequently facing jetlag as part of travel team the Sleepwave for falling asleep with the Philips goLITE BLU Light Therapy Device for waking up (also available here on amazon). Of the two, this is the easier to use and smaller.

Individuals with sleep disorders are candidates for any solution that seems plausible. This is one such product. Receipt of the Nightwave was followed by its use in many different sleep environments over a period of several nights. It proved to be unsuccessful on all of the attempts. This in itself is reason to rate the product with no stars, but the Amazon review software will not allow a 'no stars' review -- hence this review shows one star. The product may work for some others, but I was not one to be so fortunate. Additionally, it is worth noting that the product consists of a simple plastic case, a light, and a chip that allows the light to have 4 different settings. The total cost of manufacturing it must be but a few percentage points of the price that purchasers pay.