Saturday 25 February 2017

Review - ResMed S+

Since the introduction of Smart watches and activity trackers we have kind of become a little obsessed with monitoring everything to do with our health from activity levels, stress levels and sleep quality and it is a good thing, when you could potentially identify an area that you need to focus on to improve your overall health. the only issue is the need to wear a device to do so. That is where the S+ from ResMed is different, it is a contact free way tracks your sleep.



The S+ by ResMed was 2-million sleeps in the making and is the world's first, non-contact, sleep tracking system that helps you improve your sleep from the very first night. In fact, below-average sleepers have found they can get an extra 45-minutes sleep per night after their first week of use. Simple to use, the S+ by ResMed monitors your breathing, movement and room conditions then syncs with your iOS or Android smartphone to provide you with tailored feedback and suggestions on how to get better sleep. Please note that the smartphone app which is required for the S+ by ResMed is only available to download in UK app stores.


I was sent the ResMed to test out and review and have been using the device for over a week now, it is really good to not have to wear a watch or similar to be able to track my sleep pattern. It links really easily to the app once installed which is simple enough through the app store. The app is easy to use, you are prompted to complete a profile after instalation which helps to understand your lifestyle which influences sleep patterns. 

As it is not intrusive you are able to forget the fact your sleep is being monitored, and relax, i was impressed with the accuracy of the breathing monitor it really was in line with my breathing pattern so i was confident the machine would pick up accurate readings throughout the night. Pre-sleep you are given the opportunity to answer a few questions on your day like alcohol consumption, caffeinated drinks, exercise taken, and stress all to help assess sleep quality and make recommendations. I also liked the option of relax to sleep mode, you can choose some soothing relaxing sounds that fall in line with your breathing pattern to help you relax and fall asleep easier. there is the option of the smart alarm too that will choose the best time in your sleep cycle to wake you, after being given a rough time of needing to wake. 



Using the relax to sleep mode i saw an immediate difference in the time i took to fall asleep, and experienced better quality sleep those nights. On a couple of occasions i woke feeling lousy and like i had hardly slept although i didn't feel i had had a bad nights sleep, when checking the sleep history i could see i had very little deep sleep and showed wake periods i hadn't remembered, i think this is quite interesting as often i question why i feel i have not slept but know i have, quite possibly i am not getting good enough quality sleep. The S+ gives advice such as taking more exercise to help reduce encourage deeper sleep which did show a difference in the quality of sleep the following night too. Towards the end of the trial i had a bad cold and you could see a real difference in sleep quality as i was disturbing myself by coughing, hot flushes, and generally restless. Just seeing though helps you make sense of how you feel during the day too, and make those changes to improve such as relaxation mode or getting a little exercise. 

I am really happy to be able to continue using the ResMed S+ as i think i t will really help me improve my sleep further by understanding what is causing poor sleep for me. It is portable, lightweight and so easy to link up and use, it will travel with me whenever i need to go visiting family or on holidays. Here's to better sleep, because let's face it as parents we need all the help we can get!!