Insomnia is one of those hard conditions to get away from, and if getting to sleep is a problem for you (and you can count the writer of this article in that category), Philips have a new gadget aimed to lull you into a gentle sleep.
The device is called SleepWave and is based on stimulating your vestibular system. That might sound like some medical mumbo jumbo – and it is – but because your vestibular nerve deals with balance, the SleepWave can nudge it a little bit and make you feel as if you’re rocking to sleep while you’re lying back in bed.
The SleepWave comes with what seems like behind-the-ear-phones, but they’re actually “ear spirals” designed to stimulate that nerve that gets you snoring more quickly. These are connected to a small control roughly the size of an iPod Nano.
Philips say that in a trial of 100 people, 68% fell asleep faster while using the SleepWave, a number that would likely make anyone with the disorder have a bit of hope that help was available without drugs.
Currently available at Philips Respironics centres in New South Wales and Victoria for under $500, the SleepWave should be available in other parts of the country later this year.
