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If you're like me, you know the struggles of getting enough quality sleep. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, roughly 30% of adults in the US have symptoms of insomnia, and 50 to 70 million Americans have chronic sleep disorders. Let's face it: We're all tired, and many of us are looking for solutions to help us sleep better at night.
I've tried countless sleep-related hacks and products, from melatonin gummies to sleep masks and headphones to temperature-controlled mattress covers -- and most recently, personalized neurostimulation.
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The Somnee Smart Sleep Headband is an impressive sleep accessory, and it’s the first time this sort of technology has entered people's bedrooms. If you’re looking for a way to get through those restless nights sans sleeping pills, you’re in the right place.
I sat down with a few key members of Somnee’s Dream Team -- Tim Rosa, chief executive officer, Dennis Miloseski, chief product officer and Ram Gurumoorthy, Ph.D., chief technology officer -- to get the inside scoop.
What is Somnee?
Even if you haven't heard of Somnee, you may be familiar with its chief science advisor. Matthew Walker, Ph.D., author of the bestseller Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, is part of Somnee's founding research team. That team drove its published study on the device's technology: "Personalized transcranial alternating current stimulation improves sleep quality."
What does that mean? Somnee is a headband you wear for 15 minutes before bed with two electrodes connecting to your forehead. It uses EEG (electroencephalogram), the gold standard for measuring the brain's electrical activity, and proprietary brain mapping algorithms to measure and alter your brain waves.
Somnee provides non-invasive electrical stimulation during its 15-minute session (specifically, tACS or transcranial alternating current stimulation). The stimulation provided is personalized based on the real-time, individualized rhythms of your brain, gently nudging it into a sleepier state.
You wear the Somnee headband only during its 15-minute stimulation session before bed, not all night. You take it off before falling asleep -- unless you fall asleep during the session, which happened to me a few times.
What is the overall goal? These nightly stimulation sessions aim to cut the time it takes you to fall asleep in half. They also aim to help you stay asleep throughout the night and increase your total sleep time by 30-plus minutes.
How does Somnee alter your brain waves?
During the first part of the session, Somnee’s EEG sensors “listen” and map your brain waves. The second part is the stimulation, and this is where it gets a little complicated. Since I’m no scientist, Dennis Miloseski, Somnee’s chief product officer, broke it down into simpler terms.
“In that mapping phase, we detect where your sleep detractors are and where your sleep enhancers are. So, for instance, your brain may have needed to move its sleep enhancements to a certain rhythm and move your sleep detractors down to quiet that noise. That is what's waking you up in the middle of the night -- those detractors that are still active. When we send that little electrical pulse to your temple, your brain recognizes that pulse and begins to mimic the pulse, nudging your brain waves into the states that they need to be in to be better set for sleep,” Miloseski explained.
The last part of the session (which only lasts 30 seconds) is post-brain mapping, which is essentially an assessment of how the stimulation went.
Read more: Somnee's Clinical Sleep Studies and Research
My personal experience with the Somnee
Unboxing and setup process
I was excited to start using Somnee. I opened the package, immediately plugged in the headband to charge it and downloaded the Somnee Sleep app onto my phone.
The product comes in three main pieces: the charging base and cord, the headband and the electrode component, called the flex clip, with a pack of extra electrodes.
I immediately noticed the headband's silky, soft and durable material. It's easily adjustable to fit your head, and I appreciate that the band is also washable by hand (as long as you remove the electronics first).
At first, the setup seemed complicated. Once I logged into the Somnee Sleep app and began following the prompts, I realized that wasn't the case. I was impressed by how thorough and straightforward the instructions were.
I watched the app's video tutorial and followed its step-by-step instructions for setting up my Somnee and connecting to Bluetooth. The app demonstrates how to properly fit and wear the band. It should be snug yet comfortable, with the electrodes in the proper place at the center of your forehead. It explains how to snap the electrodes into each side of the flex clip and how to begin your stimulation session. I was ready for my first night.
My first night using the Somnee
I struggled to get my Somnee working on night one. I reset it multiple times, following the troubleshooting prompts through the app, only to finally realize that the gel electrodes weren't facing the correct way in the flex clip. Once I turned them around, they popped into place and the device began working. Whoops -- user error.
Then, I struggled to get the band and electrodes in the right place, realizing I must have a small forehead. For the two electrodes to have complete contact with my skin and no hair in the way, the headband covers my eyebrows completely. I also have two giant moles in the middle of my forehead. The app specifies not to wear or use Somnee if you have a pimple or blemish on your forehead. I didn't want to risk it with my moles, so throughout the testing process, I wore my Somnee slightly to one side to avoid it altogether. It worked fine this way but did cause some slight discomfort with the band having to be directly on top of my eyebrows, nearing the bridge of my nose.
I began my initial stimulation session, which the app notes: "After you start your session, it's safe to feel tingling, pulsing, warmth, or visual flashes. If it feels like too much, you can always stop the session."
I was intrigued but didn't expect much from this disclaimer, but I was quickly surprised by how intense it was. I felt a sizzling, burning sensation. It wasn't necessarily painful, but it was uncomfortable. I didn't want to experience that for the next 15 minutes. I ended the session and changed the intensity from maximum to medium.
Afterward, I realized the overly sizzling sensation was likely caused by the face lotion on my forehead, where the electrodes connected to my skin. The app had warned about this when I first set up my Somnee, but I forgot. It's a valid warning -- oil or lotion will make a huge difference. Your skin should be completely dry. This could be a potential downside if lathering up your face with oil or lotion before bed is part of your nighttime regime (like it is for me), but you'll just have to wait to apply your product until after your Somnee session.
Once the intensity was turned down, I quickly got used to the tingling sensation. I was pleasantly surprised to see pink flashing lights in my vision, as the app advised might happen.
The flashing lights and tingling sensations are natural, Gurumoorthy explained.
"This kind of stimulation has been tested in several labs in over a thousand studies. It has been shown that those are known, non-harmful sensations you feel during stimulation, and they go away once the session ends," he said.
There are a few soothing soundscape options to choose from that enhance the overall calming experience of the session. I was about halfway through my first stimulation session, reading a book and listening to relaxing ocean wave sounds when I had to put my book down and close my eyes because I was so sleepy. I woke up a few minutes after the session and took off the band, surprised by how tired I was.
Read more: 4 Best Noise Colors to Boost Your Sleep Quality
According to my Whoop band, I didn't sleep long that night (7:12 hours) but spent a lot of time in REM and deep sleep (2 hours each). This was a significant improvement as I usually spend much more time in light sleep than REM and deep. Though I had 37 minutes of awake time throughout the night, I felt much more rested than usual the following day.
My month-long trial using the Somnee
The second night was not as successful: I had trouble falling asleep, woke up quite a bit and spent most of the night in light sleep. On the third night, I fell asleep during the session again. This roller coaster happened during the first seven or so nights during Somnee's "brain mapping" or "learning" phase when the headband analyzes and evaluates your brain’s sleep patterns.
After completing the mapping phase, you enter Somnee's 14-day "personalization phase," when it begins personalizing the stimulation for your specific brain waves to improve your sleep performance.
During this phase, I noticed the electrodes' freshness makes a huge difference. The app prompts you to replace the electrodes every four days (whether you used the Somnee or not) as the gel dries out quickly.
My sessions seemed better on the nights when I'd just replaced the electrodes -- the tingling was more intense, and I saw more flashing lights. It was usually on those nights that I started falling asleep during the session. On the third or fourth night of using the same set of electrodes, the tingling was less noticeable, and I had a harder time falling asleep.
On the 12th night, I went to start my nightly session only to realize that my Somnee's battery was dead despite being plugged in. After some finagling with it and trying different outlets and cords, I found that it had to be plugged in just right for it to charge, and I eventually had to replace the charging cable with one of my own because it had stopped working altogether. The port on the charging base is still a little finicky with the cable being plugged in, but I've made it work. I don't love that you have to charge the Somnee after every use, especially when I fall asleep during the session and forget to put the headband back on the charger for the next night.
On the 17th night, I cranked the Somnee back to full intensity and found it wasn't as uncomfortable as the first time I had tried it. On the 18th night, I wrote in my notes, "Is it weird that I kind of like that tingling sensation and seeing those flashing lights now?"
The final phase is the "adaptive" phase. At this point, the Somnee had studied how my brain falls asleep for 21 sessions and learned what it needs to do to help me fall asleep. It was also getting easier to incorporate the Somnee into my nightly bedtime routine. Rather than scroll on my phone in bed, I'd simply close my eyes or read during the session, listening to those calming ocean waves.
How the Somnee affected my sleep quality
Not every nightly session sent me immediately into a deep slumber, but generally, I seemed to fall asleep faster and wake up less on the nights I went to bed with the Somnee.
I used my Whoop Band to track my sleep throughout the month, comparing the data on nights I used the Somnee with those I didn't. This is what I found:
This graph shows my sleep averages for 33 nights of using my Somnee headband and 15 nights of not using it. The nights I didn't use it include a few nights before starting my Somnee trial and nights throughout the testing process when I didn't wear it (either I was out of town or the battery was dead when I went to bed).
The data shows some interesting information. On nights when I used the Somnee:
- I slept about 15 minutes longer on average
- I spent 37 minutes more in light or core sleep
- My REM sleep decreased by 37 minutes
- I averaged 22 minutes more of deep sleep
- My awake time decreased by 10 minutes
The results show that the amount of time I spent in light and REM sleep phases essentially flipped around, which is fascinating, and I’m not sure how to explain that.
Overall, when I used the Somnee, I slept longer and spent more time in deep sleep and less time awake.
I fully acknowledge that my Whoop Band (and current sleep tracker technology in general) is not always 100% accurate, but these results demonstrate an overarching pattern with my Somnee usage. As Rosa, formerly the chief marketing officer at Fitbit, emphasized, it's important not to get too hung up on the numbers and sleep scores our wearables provide.
"[Wearables] are good at trends, so you can look at the changes in your sleep patterns, but they're not always giving you the complete accuracy of your specific sleep phases. We [at Somnee] have our EEG data sets, but what matters most, as Dr. Walker said, is how you actually feel. Over time, you're going to see a correlation between the improvements in the different stages of your sleep and how you feel, how focused you are and how energized you are to take on the day," Rosa said.
Read more: Obsessing Over Your Sleep Data Is Keeping You Up. Here's How to Stop
App features: Sleep Journal and Sleep Readiness Score
Tracking how you feel after your sessions is easy with Somnee's Sleep Journal feature. If you need reminders to complete tasks, as I do, I highly recommend going into your settings and turning the Sleep Journal reminders on. This will send you a text reminder at a time of your choosing. Gurumoorthy recommends filling out your Sleep Journal less than thirty minutes after waking up.
"One measure that I notice is how I feel about a half hour after I wake up. I actually have more energy, even though I may have had less sleep. I may have slept 6 hours and 30 minutes, but I still feel better because of the sessions," Miloseski said.
You can customize the Sleep Journal's daily questions to reflect your individual habits and the information you'd prefer to track. The app compiles this information and shows trends based on your answers, so it's easy to see Somnee's effects on how you feel over time.
Another feature of the app is your Sleep Readiness Score. It details your onset (how prepared you are to fall asleep quickly), your maintenance (how prepared your brain is for fewer sleep interruptions) and depth (how prepared you are for deeper sleep).
Like the sentiment about not obsessing over the actual sleep data numbers, I tried not to focus too much on my Sleep Readiness Score. Instead, I paid more attention to how I felt before my Somnee session, throughout the night and in the morning, as I didn't want this number to sway my mindset or experience. Of course, that's just personal preference, and this information might be extremely helpful for you.
A few mornings after completing a Somnee session the night before, I noticed that the app didn’t track or record the session. This wasn’t a big deal for me but something to keep in mind if you’re closely monitoring your phase completions, Sleep Readiness Score or the Sleep Journal trends.
Is neurostimulation safe?
The Somnee is the first product of its kind that uses a closed-loop approach with personalized neural stimulation. The idea of a “first of its kind” device directly affecting your brain may make some people hesitant, so I made sure to ask the Somnee team about safety.
"It's a completely safe form of neurostimulation," Rosa said. “There is what’s called generalized stimulation, which has been around for decades. It’s basically using the same current and frequency for everyone. But as you know, everybody’s brain is different. All of our patents are around the personalization of neurostimulation, and that’s what sets us apart from anything else that’s out there,” he added.
In my personal experience with the Somnee, I never felt like it negatively affected my sleep or my brain. The only time I truly felt uncomfortable using the product was the very first time when it was on maximum intensity, and the electrodes were directly on my forehead moles.
Pricing
The Somnee Smart Sleep Headband requires a membership, which comes in two options:
- $299 + $18 a month subscription fee
- $399 all-in (no monthly subscription)
My final thoughts on the Somnee Smart Sleep headband
Though I encountered a few minor hiccups using the product, and you have to constantly keep up with it (electrode replacement, daily charging and so on), I am excited about Somnee and its impact on the current sleep industry. It has enhanced my nightly bedtime routine, and the numbers show it's been slowly improving my sleep over time. My two main takeaways are:
1. It's a groundbreaking approach to improving sleep
When I asked the Dream Team who this product is intended for, Rosa answered, "Everyone who struggles with sleep, which, as you know, is 1 in 3 people."
According to the Philips Global Sleep Survey, up to 67% of adults worldwide don't sleep as well as they'd like, and 8 in 10 adults wish to improve their sleep. Many people turn to melatonin and other supplements for sleep disorders and insomnia, but they don't always work for everyone and can have side effects such as feeling groggy the following day.
Rosa echoed my thoughts: "Our agenda is to completely disrupt the pharmaceutical industry around sleep. … Essentially, we're electric medicine, and we're more effective than sleeping pills. We're right on the frontal cortex, directly focused on helping improve your sleep, and there aren't any side effects."
"Many pharmaceuticals or sleep aids target improving sleep onset, or your ability to fall asleep. But we're seeing a lack of focus on your overall sleep quality. How do we help not just with sleep onset but also with your sleep interruptions in the middle of the night and ensure you're getting the proper deep sleep you need? Somnee focuses on the brain to help deliver across all three of those areas,” Rosa explained.
2. Be patient with the product and your results
Like any product, the Somnee won't fix your sleep issues if you use it once. It takes time for the device to map your brain and learn how to best alter your sleep detractors and enhancers. There's a learning curve with using the product and creating a bedtime routine with the Somnee that works for you. Some nights, you'll fall asleep mid-session; other times, entering dreamland may take longer than usual.
The best advice I can give is to be patient, pay attention to how you feel each morning and look at the bigger picture: the improvements to your sleep trends over time.
Though you have to replace and reorder the electrodes frequently, it's free and easy to do so. The reordering process involves pushing two buttons in the app, and they'll be at your door within a few days.
Somnee's customer support is one of the best I've encountered when testing a sleep product. It's incredibly responsive and helpful. After the first night, when I had issues activating my Somnee, I received an email from Somnee customer support apologizing for the "frustrating experience" and offering additional tips on properly connecting the electrodes in the future. If you have any issues with the product, I have no doubt they'll take care of it and help you along the way.
Pros:
- Innovative and unique solution for insomnia and sleep struggles
- Doesn't involve taking supplements or sleep aids
- Don't have to wear it all night (only for 15 minutes before bed)
- Can enhance your nightly bedtime routine
- Tracks and reports trends over time through the app
Cons:
- Expensive and monthly subscription
- Have to replace electrodes frequently
- Device requires nightly charging
You should consider trying the Somnee if:
- You regularly struggle to sleep or have insomnia
- You're looking for a long-term solution for sleep issues
- You're looking for a solution that doesn't involve sleeping pills
- You can stick to a nightly routine
You should skip the Somnee if:
- You're looking for a quick, short-term solution to your sleep issues
- You have a super strict skin regime that involves face lotions or oils
