Of course, the idea of sleeping with a robot is pretty strange. However, the SOMNOX 2 is based on solid sleep science, and the tech here is first class. While expensive, the SOMNOX 2 can provide huge benefits for those with sleep or anxiety issues.
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SOMNOX 2 review video
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What is the SOMNOX 2?
To really understand what the SOMNOX 2 is and who it’s for, I think it’s important to understand why it was created in the first place.
Breath, and the practice of controlling one’s breathing, has long been used to help people feel calm, alleviate anxiety, and lower the perception of stress. These are key factors for many when solving sleep problems, especially trouble falling asleep or, in some cases, insomnia.
Traditionally, there have been two sorts of primary solutions people have sought out for help with this: medication or meditation. Medication can sometimes be necessary, but as most of us would only use medication as a last resort, many seek out meditation. Practicing meditation, or similar types of programs, focuses largely on slowing down your breathing, to help ease anxiety and get you asleep more quickly.
By slowing down our breath, we dial down any stress we may be feeling. The research on this is pretty solid. But using an app to guide you through this is just one more thing you have to remember to do. When you’re busy and stressed, sometimes having to do one more thing is the last thing you need.
SOMNOX, at its core, is a sleep aide device that relies on the concept that we, as humans, are deeply ingrained to pick up and copy signals from those around us. You know, like when someone yawns, you might also suddenly feel like yawning. So instead of actively having to start up something to help you sleep, SOMNOX will lead you to passively follow it toward relaxation and, ultimately, sleep.
How SOMNOX 2 works
When you hold onto SOMNOX 2, you’re positioned like you’re spooning someone, holding onto their belly. What you’ll feel is the SOMNOX 2 mimicking human breathing. And soon, without any effort from you, your body will start to copy that same breathing pattern.
SOMNOX has the ability to start out mimicking your current breathing pattern, and then over the course of an hour, very slowly lower that breathing rate. Your body, in return, slows its breathing rate, to stay synced up with the device. This is all able to happen completely unconsciously. This is a huge advantage over having to listen or follow along to an app.
Ideally, you go to bed, turn the SOMNOX on, and as your breathing rate naturally slows down, so will your anxiety. This allows you to more easily and quickly fall asleep.
When to use SOMNOX 2
Beyond bedtime, SOMNOX can be a relaxation aide at any time. If you’re feeling stressed out or something is bothering you, you can hold it while you sit back and watch TV, listen to music or a podcast, whatever you like to do, and get ahold of your breathing to calm yourself.
On the app, which connects to the SOMNOX, there are a lot of available settings. Users can create sleep or relaxation programs with their own custom breathing start and end points, enable SOMNOX to sense and match their breathing, adjust intensity, etc. There are some audio options of relaxation sounds on the SOMNOX, but you can also stream your own audio on it via Bluetooth.
Final thoughts
I’m a person who’s naturally quick to fall asleep at bedtime, so after over a month of using the SOMNOX 2, I couldn’t really see a difference in that area. But during the times I am woken up a few hours before my alarm, (daughter needs water or a blanket or whatever) I sometimes have trouble going back to sleep. The SOMNOX 2 made it much easier at these times for me to get back to sleep.
Personally, I flat-out found the SOMNOX 2 really enjoyable to use. I don’t think I could suggest it for someone like me, who doesn’t typically have difficulty falling asleep or managing stress, with its $600 price tag. But for someone who really has a hard time falling alseep or suffers from insomnia, or for someone who feels stressed out frequently and needs a way to calm down before bed, I could definitely see SOMNOX being well worth it.
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