Customer Reviews

Sleeptracker Wake Up Monitor

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

When I first got this watch in 2005, I was very excited to try it out. I thought it was some sort of a magical electronic tap-into-your-brain kind of thing. Turns out it's not, but it is a useful and functional gadget.
The watch uses a built-in motion sensor to sense light sleep stages. Turns out most people can only move during light sleep; people who move during deep sleep end up acting out their dreams, or sleepwalking. This watch is not for them.
The watch beeps its rather quiet alarm when it senses a light sleep stage a few minutes before your set alarm time. Since you're almost awake, the alarm is easy to hear, unless you sleep with your hand under a pillow or under a thick blanket, or if you went to bed late and end up sleeping deep later into the morning. It wakes me up only about 70% of the time - I always set my regular radio alarm as a backup.
The motion sensor also keeps count of the number of motion (light sleep) cycles during the night. The more cycles - the more tired you'll feel, as you won't have slept deeply enough for long enough.
I personally really do wake up feeling slightly more refreshed when woken by the watch. I also tend to get out of bed soon after the watch goes off, rather than use the snooze button. With the radio alarm, I always snooze at least once.
Unfortunately, this watch is quite the opposite of stylish. I wouldn't get caught wearing it in public, and only wear it at night.
The durability of this watch turned out poor in my experience. My watch developed a multiple stuck button problem after 3 months. Even though i'm not pushing any buttons, and all the buttons seem to be in a fully raised position, the watch keeps cycling through functions and trying to reset itself every few seconds, beeping each time. Until I figure out the warranty, the watch lives in the depths of my armoir drawer to keep it quiet.
Stay tuned for information on the warranty and manufacturer's responsiveness.

UPDATE: The warranty service was a send-in, with a $10 fee. The replacement refurbished watch arrived in about 3 weeks. The replacement also developed a stuck button problem after a few months, but this time the buttons "unstick" after a few shakes and smacks.
The currently available watch is the second generation, and may not suffer from the button issue. But that would be for someone else to write up.

The most amazing thing about this watch is that it actually seems to work. I received the newer model which doesn't have any button issue or such and is mechanically very well built. The overall design is not vary stylish, but I don't think that's the point. It looks fine so you might wear it all day or just at night. When I use the watch it may wake me up to 30 minutes earlier than the normal alarm is set, occasionally if sleeping very soundly it just goes off at the set time, which means it never found a better time to wake me up within the window I set. It also logs any major movements I have at night so I look forward to checking the next day especially if I feel extra good or bad or once my dog woke me up and I could see that point too. I never seem to get enough sleep so waking up at a good point in the morning is important to me and this watch tells me exactly when. I'm very happy with it.

I got one of these watches when they first came out, they have improved the cosmetics and it's a lot louder than my old one. It does record your active periods through the night not just motion. It logs them and you can scroll through them the next day and also computes an average. Of course it can't help you if you drink to much coffee or never get enough sleep, but when you need to wake up at a certain time it will look for a mentally active period near to your set time. If it finds one it will got off early and if not it will go off at your default time. Even if it's helpful just some of the time that's a big deal to me and recommend it to anyone.

This gadget seemed like a great idea, but I've sampled two different watches and the wake-up beep is so quiet that I can barely hear it when wide awake.

This review is coming from a guy who can sleep through alarms that are turned all the way up. I'm talking about waking up with a slight ringing in one of my ears--the one next to the alarm--all day long. I find it impressive that the watch's alarm (just beeping sounds that aren't all that loud) always wakes me up, as long as I have more than 5 hours of sleep. Below 5 hours, I couldn't care if the world was ending--I just can't hear anything. Here's the caveat: You can hear the alarm go off. You will be mentally aware of the alarm but you must still have the will to get out of bed. If you have the mindset of "screw it, I want another 5 minutes" and you "choose" to stay in bed, then...you know the rest.
One are of improvement I would like to see in a future model is the snooze feature. Currently, if you want snooze, you have to physically find the light button and press it during the 20-30 seconds while the alarm's going off. I think it should just be and automatic snooze within, say 7 minutes, or something.

I have had this watch for 6 months, and I really like it. I usually feel more refreshed when waking up. I love that it reports on how I slept the night before, informing me about my sleep cycles. I found it easy to set. Sometimes it doesn't ring loud enough for me to hear, so I have a backup alarm. I use an alarm with a light that gets brighter closer to the time of the alarm. Used in conjunction with the watch, I have been waking up very refreshed. I rarely snooze my alarms anymore.

I saw this watch on Dr. Phil, he even gave one to each audience member. So, if it's Dr. Phil recommened, I thought I would give it a try. After the 3rd night, I was going to send it back because I had not yet heard the alarm. I tested it with a zero window and set my traditional alarm one minute prior. Well, there really is an alarm on this thing. It is soooo low and gentle that you really have to be awake to hear it--it is almost useless to me because I sleep on my side with my hand under the pillow. I do not hear a thing from it. But, the incidences of "almost awake" periods throughout the night seem to be accurately recorded, and I am able to determine when my soundest sleep periods are occurring. It is good for that, so I decided to keep it. I am now trying to adjust my sleep habits to keeping my hands out from under the pillow and actually did hear the alarm this morning. If they ever come out with a vibrating watch, I think I will upgrade to that model.

The good news is that through some form of voodoo magic, this watch is actually fairly good at waking you up at a good time. Keep in mind that if you haven't gotten a lot of sleep, no time will be a good time, and thus you might sleep through the alarm. I persononally always wear a watch to bed, so it doesn't feel overly clunky. I might add that the wristband isn't really suited for someone of my size, and just barely fits if I make it as small as it will go (105lbs, 5'3"). I have a couple problems with it, and almost wish I didn't spend so much on it. The alarm is puny, and it's easy to sleep through if your arm is under the covers or a pillow. You would have to set another alarm just in case. Also, you have the capability of turning the alarm off right at your fingertips (I've done this, and gone back to sleep). Yes, you will feel better than if you were woken up during deep sleep, but keep in mind that if you're on a regular sleep schedule, your body will have adapted so you wake up during non-deep sleep. Don't expect to feel "jump out of bed" good.

I've had terrific results from this incredibly innovative product. I purchased it as a novelty though though I'm very pleased to report that it actually works. Waking at the end of a REM cycle truly provides me with more energy and generally a better attitude towards taking on the day. I just can't understand the other reviews that claim its not loud enough? I'm of the opinion that its too loud. Perhaps I have the upgaded model?

This is a wonderful idea. I've had the watch now for about a month. It took a while to get used to wearing a watch -- let alone such a BIG watch -- when going to sleep. The watch does work as advertised ...and it's nice to have the large numbers if I'm wearing contacts (I'm a geek, and so am nearsighted ...when wearing contacts for distance, it helps to have a watch with large numbers). But since I sometimes wear earplugs, it would be very helpful if either the alarm were louder, or (better yet) if the watch alarm could vibrate. In fact, a vibrate mode would have the additional benefit that it would wake ME without waking my wife.