Dreem 2, Sleep Tech

The full picture

Samuel Maddock

Leading Healthcare Professional and Health Technology Researcher

Editor - Well Professor?

In this review...

• Introduction
• Seven Reasons For Good Sleep
• The Future Of Your Sleep Starts With Dreem 2
• How Does Dreem 2 Work?
• The User Lab Test
• What The Experts Say
• The Verdict...Well Professor?

Sleep is a problem for us all. A gigantic problem. We don’t get enough of it and it is severely damaging our health. Your bank balance may be in the black but if you are in sleep debt you are heading for much greater trouble ahead. Sound a bit strong?

The research suggests it isn’t and you should be very concerned if you are lacking sleep. But there is hope, and it can bring you out of the red and towards a far healthier future. Why Sleep? Here are seven reasons to put a good nights sleep at the top of your to do list:

1. Sleep is essential for body-wide healing.
2. Sleep can help prevent disease.
3. Sleep can help you lose weight.
4. Sleep improves your memory and makes you smarter.
5. Sleep combats inflammation.
6. Sleep reduces stress.
7. Sleep can lower your risk of depression

During his recent talk to TED 2019, sleep expert and best selling author of Why We Sleep, Matthew Walker (Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley), summed this up in no uncertain terms:

The decimation of sleep throughout industrialized nations is having a catastrophic impact on our health, our wellness, even the safety and education of our children. It’s fast becoming one of the greatest challenges we face in the 21st century.”

Dreem 2 headband and case

The future of your sleep starts with Dreem 2

The creators of Dreem 2 have been working on an answer to the sleep epidemic for some time, and what they have created is impressive; the first in a new breed of non-invasive sleep technology that doesn’t just measure, it can help you solve your sleep problems and ultimately transform the way you sleep. Our independent academic expert, Dr David Broome, was fascinated by Dreem 2. You can read his Lab report below.

Watch our Dreem 2 Introduction Video

How does Dreem 2 work?

Dreem 2 is based on proven scientific research and offers a complete sleep package; Dreem Band, Dreem Techniques, and Dreem Coach. These work together to transform your sleep via a three step Dreem journey:

At Night: The Dreem headband monitors your sleep by measuring your brain activity. It plays precise sound stimuli to make falling asleep easier, deep sleep enhanced, and waking up effortless.

During the Day: The Dreem app uses the night data to provide you with a comprehensive sleep report. It then uses this to coach you towards your optimum nights sleep by recommending a tailored programme and helping you change your sleep habits. This program is inspired by Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy for insomnia (CBT-i), the first line of treatment recommended by the worldwide scientific and medical community.

Step 1 - Assessment

Dreem 2 begins with seven nights of analysing you and your sleep patterns.

During the night, the Dreem Band collects all of your sleep data to assesses your sleep. During the day, the Dreem Coach builds on this information by asking you a specific range of questions.

At the end of step one, the Dreem Coach gives you a detailed sleep report with a summary of your week’s sleep and its structure, plus information on different types of sleep-related problems and their causes.

The Dreem Coach now suggests a unique action plan to improve your sleep.

Step 2 - Restructuring

If the Dreem 2 detects any structural or behavioral sleep irregularities during the assessment week, it recommends personalised programs to restructure your sleep. The duration of these programs can vary from a few weeks to up to two months.

Step 3 - Optimisation

Once your main sleep issues have been addressed and your sleep structure is normalised, Dreem 2 further optimises your sleep in three ways:

• It uses precise sound stimuli to improve the quality of your crucially important deep sleep.
• It features a smart alarm that ensures you always wake up fresh and raring to go.
• It teaches you relaxation techniques to better prepare your brain for your best ever sleep.

Dreem 2 Headband sensors

The User Lab Test

Set up. We had no problems with the set up - the app needs to be downloaded and then connected to your phone and this process is very easy, phones recognised and connected easily. You then connect the headband to your home wifi and the app walks you through this process. Everything about the process is made as simple as possible. A point to note at this stage is that Dreem 2 should not be used by individuals who are suffering from neurological conditions such as epilepsy, or psychological disorders.

Ease of use. A great deal of work has gone into making dreem as easy to use as possible. The set up is straightforward and operating the headband is also not a problem. Initially you have to use the app to connect the headband via Bluetooth. After the first 7 days of sleep analysis you can then activate the sleep mode by pressing the on/off button on the headband.

App. Looks very good and well laid out. There are multiple layers to the information on the app, which begins with prompting you to set up a dreem account.

Once you are in the app there is a lot of information for you to look at; during the first 7 days in the mornings, there are a series of question that the app will ask you about your sleep and sleep habits. It asks you to be honest when answering these questions as dreem builds your subjective view of your sleep and uses this as a comparison with the objective information gathered by the headband.

A great feature of the app is that once you have started the sleep session the WiFi and Bluetooth connection to the headband switches off, allowing your phone to be switched off as the headband collects the night’s sleep data.

In the morning you then receive a comprehensive sleep report; there’s a graph that shows how long you were in light REM or deep sleep, and each phase can be highlighted by pressing on the individual categories. You can also scroll across your sleep timeline and discover your sleep has varied during the night. The app provides information on your sleep position at that time and heart rate, so you know how much you moved in the course of the night.

In the morning, the sleep data download process is easy. Simply plug the charger in and the report automatically downloads onto Dreem’s servers and transfers to your phone. There is no wasted time here, and doesn’t disrupt your usual morning routine.

Build Quality. Excellent. There is a high quality feel to Dreem and it is very comfortable to wear at night. Not at all bulky or tight. For something at this price point, the overall quality of the device and accessories is high. It is clear that a great deal of care, time and attention has gone into the production of Dreem.

How to use the Dreem 2 Headset & App

User Experience. The overall experience using of using Dreem is impressive; from the quality of the product to the sheer scale of personalised information you receive about your sleep. Crucially, it then sets about enhancing the quality of your sleep, and it really does deliver on this. Dreem is a great sleep product that does everything you would ever want.

We didn’t quite know what to expect with Dreem and we are not usually fans of wearing a headband when sleeping but this was different. It was comfortable to wear and very user friendly. The seven day assessment period is fascinating and gets you engaged with the product straightaway. In the first 7 days all the sleep aid features are disabled and Dreem 2 just monitors your sleep.

After this period is over you receive a report based on your sleep habits and the information obtained from the headband. The report is extensive and gives you a good idea of where you stand in comparison to others. It also gives you guidance on how to improve your sleep. The information in the app is presented in an attractive stack of cards format, which is satisfying to swipe through.

During our Lab test, Dreem had increased our deep sleep time by 10% on average. The mornings were easier to live with and it didn’t feel like the usual struggle to get out of bed. We generally felt better throughout the day when we used the Dreem during the night. As part of our tests, there were days when we deliberately didn’t use Dreem and we did feel like our sleep suffered as a result. The subsequent days we were more tired and lacking in energy. Dreem 2 is not a miracle headband however, you do have to work with it at actively changing your bad sleep habits.

The overall experience using of using Dreem is impressive. Crucially, it then sets about enhancing the quality of your sleep, and it really does deliver on this. Dreem is a great sleep product that does everything you would ever want."

Steve Harper, Well Professor Tech Guru

Dreem 2 is light and comfortable to wear

Who’s behind Dreem 2?

It all started four years ago when Paris based Dreem co-founders Hugo Mercier and Quentin Soulet de Brugière first heard about an extraordinary scientific discovery; that sound stimulations can improve the quality of deep sleep.

Just one year later and they had developed their first functional prototype, that measured brain activity and analysed sleep in real time, then transmitted sound stimuli to enhance deep sleep.

In October 2018, they launched a new Dreem app called Dreem Coach, featuring a personalised three-step sleep improvement program.

In April 2019, they launched Dreem 2, a completely unique sleep offering capable of monitoring, analysing and solving sleep issues like never before.

So far Dreem has transformed over 800,000 nights of sleep. And they have big plans for many many more...

Dreem 2 is first device that genuinely measures sleep...in the home environment, over a long period of time."

Professor Russell Foster, University of Oxford.

What the experts say?

We collaborate with some of the greatest minds in the industry, to provide you with a truly independent view of the products we test. The Lab is the heartbeat of Well Professor, where we do all the hard work so you don't have to. Inside you can find the academic reports of the sceince behind the product technology and see which claims are backed by real evidence.

Read The lab report

I was fascinated by the ability to view minute by minute and was able to use the data to enable me to understand my sleep and consider my bad habits to improve my sleep hygiene.

Dr David Broom, Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, Sheffield Hallam University.

The Verdict...Well Professor?

Pros:

• Sets The Sleep Technology Bar Very High
• Unrivalled, Lab Quality Sleep Analysis
• Fundamentally Improves The Way You Sleep
• Backed By Solid Research

Cons:

• Dreem 2 Is Not Cheap

Dreem 2 has set the sleep improvement bar very high. In fact, it has set the standard for the entire health and well-being technology industry to follow.

Sleep is precious and research has shown it is far more important to our health than we once thought. Far too important to neglect. Yet, for most of us, poor sleep is still the norm and this is seriously harming our health.

Dreem 2 can put an end to this.

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