This article was taken from the July 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.
Need more sleep, but don't have the time to bag the requisite amount? The NeuroOn sleep mask will help you achieve the ultimate power nap. "The most effective way to sleep is for eight hours a night, but if you're working nights or long hours, polyphasic sleep can help," says Polish medical student and entrepreneur Kamil Adamczyk, whose startup Intelclinic makes the NeuroOn. "This means you sleep for a few hours at night and then divide your day into a series of naps."
The NeuroOn contains four sensors that measure brainwaves, eye movements, muscle tension and blood-oxygen levels; two blue LED lights; and a built-in vibrate mechanism that acts as a silent alarm. Your brainwave frequency reveals depth of sleep, while eye movement indicates REM sleep, which means the brain is resting. The NeuroOn detects these, and will wake the wearer when an REM phase is complete. The NeuroOn app can then sync the wearer's calendar to the mask and plan a napping schedule around it. The mask transmits data to the app once the mask has been taken off.
The £120 device reached its £260,000 Kickstarter target in January and has since shipped 2,000 units. "The mask doesn't just document your data, it can also give you feedback on how to improve your quality of sleep," says Adamczyk. At last - data that you actually want to make you sleepy.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
