I have struggled with insomnia for as long as I can remember. I’ve tried basically every sleep aid on the market, plus I need a sound machine, sleep mask, blackout curtain, and weighted blanket to even begin the process of trying to fall asleep. So I decided to try something new.
Before bed, on and off for the past several months, I’ve been wearing Somnee, a wearable sleep tech headband that aims to map the brain using EEG (electroencephalogram) sensors to deliver individualized therapeutic stimulation to help promote sleep.
The rechargeable headband charges nightly on a dock, featuring sticky hydrogel electrodes for the band that need to be replaced every few nights. Nightly, I wore the Somnee for 15 minutes, where my brain was “mapped” using those EEG sensors and Somnee’s algorithms to give a 15-minute personalized therapeutic stimulation (specifically, tACs, or transcranial alternating current stimulation) session at bedtime.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Basically, constant, very low electrical currents (1 milliampere at 5 to 10 hertz) deliver stimulations to the brain via hydrogel electrodes on my forehead to evoke sleepiness and promote healthier sleep at night. Somnee claims the stimulation is personalized in real time, responding and shifting based on my own brain’s rhythms, in order to make the brain optimal for a restful night’s sleep. The wearable tech is connected to an app (subscription required, see below), where you can monitor the “phase” of the session you’re in and view session reports, log your sleep journal, and track sleep trends over time.
Generally, I found myself falling asleep sooner on nights I used the device, but not necessarily staying soundly asleep all night. I’m skeptical of just how personalized the electrical stimulation sessions are, but Somnee was successful in getting me to fall asleep. Although maybe not in the way the company intended. Most of all, I found that Somnee was a great way to improve my sleep hygiene—meaning, staying consistent with a pre-bedtime routine and enacting wind-down practices to regulate the body to be ready for sleep.
“Neural Synchrony”
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Somnee uses sensors and algorithms to get a general map of your brain and delivers a 15-minute, personalized electrical stimulation session. The same noninvasive electrical stimulation technique is used for everything from targeted muscle recovery to more general disorders like anxiety. The device’s stimulation reacts in real time to each individual’s brain rhythms to optimally balance “sleep inertia, duration, and depth,” according to Somnee’s website.
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