Customer Reviews

StressEraser Portable Biofeedback Device

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I have a long time, twice-a-day meditation practice which includes breathing techniques, but was curious about this device anyway. So, I bought it on impulse. It is impressive, but simple and easy to use. I'd recommend it to anyone who doesn't have some sort of regular (2-3 times daily) stress-relief practice in place. It's function is simple - you simply breath in, then exhale when the device prompts you to. The tool sort of "teaches" you how to breath based on feedback on the screen, and as you learn to focus on the breath...poof, you stop worrying about other stuff.

After you learn the "how to" part and get regular with your breathing sessions, the additional personal benefit may be more limited. Since I'm already very familiar with using the breath to center myself, this item could become a glorified "breath counter": The ancillary good stuff is that it records a history of how many sessions of breathing I've done and details about same, and the device will always give me feedback on my current state of mind (am I taking slow, well spaced breaths or short jerky ones, etc.)...I'm just not sure that those functions are quite worth the asking price.

Back to YOU, however. I'd absolutely recommend this device for anyone who doesn't do meditation and/or Pranayama regularly. For those folk who want a scientific approach to stress relief and might feel uncomfortable with the spirtual trappings of Yoga / meditation / etc, this thing is also perfect.

The device itself is very solid feeling, and I'm sure would survive multiple..."drop tests" (although I haven't been clumsy enough to try it yet!). You'll also be able to get started with it very quickly without spending tons of time with the instructions.

I bought this thing because I was curious about it, thought I'd try it out and intended on sending it back once I convinced myself that it was a glorified breathing machine. Well, the thing works for me so I won't be sending it back.
You can read about the theory behind it at their website, but basically it measures your heart rate variability which in turn is supposed to reflect your emotional state. The device prompts you to breath out at a certain time to bring your HRV to an optimum level, which it measures by giving you a rating of 1-3 cubes at the bottom of the screen, 1 being bad and 3 being good.
The first thing that I wanted to know was whether it accurately reflected my mental state, which I doubted it would. So I've tried thinking about something stressful at random times during periods when I was otherwise relaxed (3 cubes) and it gives me 1 cube pretty much every time. 1 cube definitely feels worse than 3 cubes. I've repeated this many times over and I don't doubt now that it can tell if I've gone from a relaxing state of mind to a stressful one. I can also tell now, based on how I feel, when I will get 1 cube vs. 3. This has turned out to be useful information because I can make myself feel relaxed without having to use the device, so I think the biofeedback component is really useful - it has helped me train myself to relax. It's a bit like a relaxation coach. I still can't get as relaxed on my own as I can using it, but maybe in time I'll be able to.
The next thing I was interested in is whether this thing is any better than just sitting there and breathing calmly. Having convinced myself that it accurately predicts whether I'm stressed, I've tried to test this by ignoring the breathing prompts and just breathing in a nice calm manner and recording how many 3 cubes vs. 1 cubes I got in 15 minutes and comparing that number with the one obtained from breathing based on prompts for 15 minutes. Generally I get about 30-40% more using the prompts. The difference seems to be decreasing, but I think that's because I have learned to breath the way it wants me to w/out the prompts. Basically I'm getting better at using breathing to decrease stress so I don't need to rely on the device as much. At the beginning though, I wasn't too good at using breathing to calm myself.
Obviously I can't tell if this works for everyone, and I bet some people are good at using deep breathing to calm themselves so that they wouldn't benefit so much from this, but I've been pleasantly surprised in that it's not a scam and it has helped me to de-stress without drinking a bottle of wine every night like I used to do (kidding). I'd like to see the price come down though.

This might seem to be a gimmick along the lines of the thigh-master or the ronco fish-a-matic.

Surprisingly, it works fabulously - I started using it when I had a couple of business deals that were having problems out of my control. I found myself relaxed and able to make decisions and able to let go of the things out of my control, and able to enjoy my time when I wasn't working w/o worrying about the deals. I was able to compartamentalize things much better than in the past.

I think this device can be called "mediation reminder for non-new-age types." By having the box, which is about the size of a deck of cards, sitting on my desk, I remember to use it, whereas I've never been able to remember to meditate, despite all the positive press about it. I also like that the product literature describes the process as activing your parasympathetic nervous system (which you can confirm actually does exist) rather than painting it as some sort of spiritual journey. I wish this device had existed when I was in grad school.

The benefits of meditation have been scientifically proven, but too often the messengers are the crystal channeling/aromatherapy/past lives types, who while usually sweet people, aren't as believable as say an article in a medical journal. This device is for those who want the physical effects w/o the new-agey story attached. Try it.

I do own this machine and I think it is a cool tool to have, but I would not necessarily recommend this for someone on a budget who is looking for bona fide relaxation solution.

Some meditation traditions focus on almost exclusively attending to your breath. This means focusing on your breath without really trying change it. Other traditions focus on changing your breathing. Either way, these methods are free and can be more rewarding in my opinion.

Yes, this is a biofeedback machine, but it works under the loosely woven premise that it will stimulate your vagus nerve and make you more relaxed. Another way to stimulate this nerve is by exercising. Try spending 30 minutes a day walking. If you do buy this machine, try a few sessions with the machine. After that, try some cardio and then using the machine to see where you are. You will be astonished that simply exercising may produce the same effects your just paid >$250 for.

Good luck.

If you think this is some gizmo that relaxes you without fuss or effort, you better stick with your Valium or Xanax. This product makes you work at relaxing: You will only get out of it what you put in to it.

Upside: Yes, it works once you learn to work with it. You will relax and even fall asleep if you want to. It encourages you to discipline your body to relax itself. If you can't or won't do that, it will be utterly useless to you.

Downside: I agree, it's expensive. It doesn't have features I would expect such as cumulitive analysis features combining all of your previous sessions. All it does is allow you to set the date so it can keep a running tab on how much you use it. The menus to the options are confusing and not very interesting. The "BREATHE" button I found to actually be useless once I got the hang of it. To be honest, I didn't think the "BREATHE" feature was very useful at all. All it does is tell you what your best exhale count is. Woo-hoo.

Overall, I think this is promising technology with promising benefits. I'm definitely not as stressed as I used to be. But this unit would be like what the Apple II is compared to today's home computers. The next generations of the StressEraser will definitely need improvements.

I'm a generally stressed out medical student who has been on and off antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications for almost a decade. After using the stress eraser for less than five minutes I immediately feel calm and have an overwhelming sense of calm and a desire to sleep. Honestly, I can't imagine getting back on the meds, mainly because they just weren't as effective as using this device and their side-effects are undesirable. As a result of using the stress eraser (10-15 minutes before bedtime) I no longer have trouble sleeping and the sleep I get is always restful, and not ridden with stressful dreams like before.

As a student of medicine I understand that when I'm stressed I am in "fight or flight" mode. This so called "sympathetic" response is amazingly strong and in most people reaches its height during exceptional events, when we need to run quickly, think fast, and flee from danger (we've all heard of the grandmother who lifted a car to save her grandchild. Her sympathetic system activation helped make that possible). As someone prone to anxiety and stress, this "fight or flight" reaction almost seems like the normal baseline state for me. Countering the sympathetic responses are the "parasympathetic" or "rest and digest" state. These turn our body's focus to a lowered heart rate and a restful state.

It makes sense that if our sympathetic responses can be amazingly strong (grandmother lifting car), it reasons that our parasympathetic responses should be at least as potent in a reciprocal way. This device has helped me hone in on the strength of parasympathetic response. This biofeedback stress eraser has shown me that an overwhelming parasympathetic response does exist!

Because the device gives you immediate, positive feedback on your heart rate and how appropriate your breathing is, I can learn how best to breathe to counter stress. Because I'm focusing on the graphical images and striving for a good breathing pattern, I'm engaged as though meditating. Even though I've been practicing yoga for the last 4 years, I've still had trouble controlling my mind and relaxing during meditation without a lot of time and effort. This device has relaxed me more than a yoga session, but in a fraction of the time. Of course I'm still sticking with the yoga because it definitely helps and it's good physical exercise, but I can't go to yoga class every time I'm stressed! What I can do, however, is whip out this little guy and take five minutes out of my day to relax.

THIS IS AN INVALUABLE DEVICE!

I love my Stress Eraser. I have always been one of those people who was into the idea of relaxation techniques and meditation but would always lose focus after a few minutes. My mind would move on to other things.

The Stress Eraser keeps me focused on my breath and also keeps me from "cheating." It measures every breath I take and rates its depth with 1-3 cubes on the screen. The goal is to consistently get 3 cubes. I also like that it counts my deep breaths for me. If I'm having trouble sleeping at night, feeling restless, mind racing, I'll turn it on and do 30-50 "3-cubers" and feel so much more relaxed. I sleep like a log on the nights I do the Stress Eraser. (By the way, the screen has a back-lit option for night time use which is nice.)

You could make the argument that you can breathe deeply on your own and get the same benefits, but if you are like me you just won't get around to it or stick with it without the help of this great little machine.

I ordered this device and took great care with the packaging expecting to return it within 30 days for the full refund. It was on a whim that I decided to give this device a shot to begin with... I was willing to give anything a shot to see if it could help with work stress.

I've come to the conclusion that this is one of the best investments I've ever made! After ten to fifteen minutes of use I feel extremely relaxed. (I happen to have a portable heart rate monitor and the use of this device drops my blood pressure by 15 to 25 points after a quality 15 minute session!)

Stick with it for a few days... It took about 4 days or so for me to be able to consistently breath at the rate and frequency the machine would recommend, but as soon as I got the hang of it the difference was very much noticeable. I cannot recommend this device enough!

I've had chronic insomnia for the last five years and have tried everything but still need sleep aides. So far the Stress Eraser gets me to sleep faster and I've been able to cut way back on the dosage of sleep medication. Being someone who practices yoga and meditation, I recognize that the device enables you to get the benefits of those things in much less time and with a fairly guaranteed outcome. While it seems like relaxed breathing is something you could do on your own without a device, it works much better with the device because you can't cheat- when your thoughts wander, it catches you. I try to use it for about fifteen minutes each night but I'm usually falling asleep before I can finish the session. I sleep deeper and my jaw is more relaxed in the morning. Most importantly, it's not medication. And stress is really really bad for you and most ways of combatting it are costly and time-consuming. Once you own one of these you can relax quickly and completely any time you need to. I want everyone I know to have one!

Shallow breathing=no good; deep breathing=therapeutic, healing, calming, energizing. So why not get a gadget to help with the motivation? But which of the two main contenders?

1. Cosmetics: The StressEraser has a far lower profile. It may be the larger of the 2 units, but its boxy, traditional look is less attention-getting. And the wavy read-outs are exclusively black and white. The emWave, on the other hand, might be mistaken by someone in your vicinity as the latest kind of high-tech video game. And the loud visuals seem antithetical to the sought-after "mellowing-out" effect.

2. Build quality: The problem may be my cold hands, but the StressEraser is far more likely to fail on me that the EmWave. There are times the former machine simply refuses to pick up the wave patterns that the user must be able to read while breathing. The device also loses, and in within a mere several weeks, any of my settings (time, month, year, hours of usage). In fact, it "feels" a bit like it's built on the cheap. The EmWave, on the other hand, is more of a high-tech, "well-finished" toy that seems made to go the distance. It's never balked on me, and a single charge will provide extended use from the device.

3. Effectiveness: Although the emWave seems more 21st century, I think I prefer the admittedly more temperamental and erratic StressEraser. The flashing bright lights of the emWave can be distracting to a neighbor or perhaps even the user--moreover, their brightness tends to cancel out the desired, relaxing effect. I've used the StressEraser in church (it was a slow sermon) without being observed (impossible with the emWave), and despite the simplicity of the tin box there's genuine satisfaction when you can get into a deep enough aerobics routine to score 30 points in 10 minutes. My only complaint is the lack of consistency: sometimes the device simply refuses to see any finger I give it--the equivalency of being unable to get the attention of a girl after executing 20 different hand-stands. But when it does see my finger, it enables me to fall back to sleep. The emWave, on the other hand, lights up the darkened room like an arcade, signifying it might as well be 7 rather than 3 A.M.

Verdict: The StressEraser is closer to "form fitting function." Also, having a visual representation of the breath-stream is arguably of no less importance than doing the breathing exercises (there are no wave patterns on the emWave), since the point of both devices should be to make the user aware of the breath itself, focusing on it and becoming a silent witness to it. The StressEraser feels like it's reflecting my efforts; the emWave seems to be trying to pull them out of me.

[Minor gripe: If you lose the instruction manual for the emWay PSR, finding a replacement can be a bit of a hassle. Be prepared for a lot of "motivational videos" instead. With the SenseEraser, on the other hand, downloading a duplicate of the original manual is no problem at all.]