It was initially developed to help children with Autism... Stallone has a child on the spectrum and wanted to check it out... it's a pretty neat story.
I recall reading a paper that found that compared to clinical sleep study equipment (you know, electrodes all over your head) that most devices were random at best in terms of measuring REM sleep. I did a lot of research when a friend went all in on sleep monitoring and wound up worse than when he started (worrying over data).
I didn't exhaustively research but based on un-biased available science I found at the time, any investment (in devices/apps) was not worth time and money. Maybe that has changed.
""From EBE analysis, ŌURA ring had a 96% sensitivity to detect sleep, and agreement of 65%, 51%, and 61%, in detecting "light sleep" (N1), "deep sleep" (N2 + N3), and REM sleep, respectively. Specificity in detecting wake was 48%."
Specificity in detecting wake was 48%! If this was a medical test, it would never be approved by FDA."
The NYT article summed up reality for most nicely:
"Dr. Vallat told me that if I really wanted to get better sleep, I should simply try to sleep and wake up at the same time every day — that would help my brain learn how to build a structure for optimal sleep. He also advised making the bedroom a cool environment (about 68 degrees) and as dark as possible; avoiding alcohol in the evening; not checking email or social media right before bed; and asking myself each morning when I woke up, "Do I feel refreshed?""
Stop drinking and watching tv/screens and go to bed on time... don't need an expensive ring or watch to tell you this...
I have pretty big doubts about the usefulness of clinical sleep tests after having had one a few years ago. Perhaps they work well for very deep and immediate sleepers. But with the electrodes, a strange location, multiple interruptions, a sleep position I never sleep in, etc, it was probably one of the worst nights of sleep in my life. The doctor seemed to disregard all of that and treat it as my typical night sleep and based the treatment recommendations on it, which is when I realized I needed to seek help elsewhere. I've found other methods like Fitbit come closer to reality since they record the data under normal sleep conditions.
Much of the test interpretation has to do with the correlation of sleep structure to changes in your vitals, I.e., I don’t care if it was the worst night of your sleeping life, if you had X number of apnic events per unit time sleeping, that data is unchanged by the fact that you had trouble sleeping.
She recommended the standard CPAP route. Instead, I chose to lose weight, improve my fitness, and switch to side sleeping. Fortunately that resolved my issues.
Unfortunately, it does seem true that most of sleep monitoring devices are not very good (I'm hopeful for the head-mounted ones, but I don't have any data).
But the advice at the end of your post... I'm trying to put it politely - it's insulting rubbish for anyone with moderate to severe sleep issues.
Correct advice, in the absence of actual REM tracking devices, is to go to the doctor - sleep specialist and possibly also a psychiatrist.
Sorry... it did sound snarky. I actually am familiar with few of the apps and devices and they do just make those recommendations. They throw fancy charts and nice UI at you and then make similar recommendations. I honestly don't think the data collected factors in much. They try and get you to normalize your routine and eliminate distractions and known sleep disruptors. I truly mean that you do not need the devices in order to get that advice. If you have a medical condition then by all means seek medical attention.
A large percentage of the population has sleep issues, suggesting they try the basics is actually very good advice. Much like tech support asking you to restart the device, which verifies it’s plugged in and a host of other issues.
If that’s not working then get a full on sleep study, otherwise save your time and money.
I tried the dark trick, it was marginal at best. compared to social factors (job that suits you, regular schedule etc) it was 0.1%. At that time I could sleep very (if not more) well even with some light and some noise.
since then stopped focusing on this kind of variables
So looks like my randomised sleep times, working until bed, too warm a room, light seeping through, and glass of scotch in the evening 'routine' is not the most ideal.
This is a neat project. And based on your appreciation for things like Funny Mapguy (who I checked out after seeing your video) I think we have very similar taste in online culture. Good luck dude!
Hey thanks. Yeah I have followed Funny Mapguy for years and the amazing part is that he has not once mentioned maps or been funny in any of his videos. It's insane.
So I was reminded on YT homepage to check him out again... I went through about 15-20 last drink reviews (descriptions). They are all 7-8s. I am super curious if he has ever not liked one now.
Anyone know if this is anyway related to PANDAS condition (RE: inflammation -> cognitive changes)? We were recently introduced to the condition and my understanding is the theory is inflammation is caused by the bodies immunity response to strep virus (I might be off on that explanation). The idea inflammation could give rise to cognitive impairments/changes would appear to lend some credence (or maybe that is just already established??). We have a daughter who checks some of the boxes on what people describe as the condition and are just getting an understanding.
My daughter was diagnosed with Autism at 16 months. Just this year (she is 6 now) we found a genetic cause (SCN2A, the one mentioned here). We have invested a ton of time and energy into therapies and she is doing very well... I wonder how receiving the diagnosis in reverse would have affected us mentally. I have met others who got genetic results and pushed more into finding a cure. I always felt like any potential "cure" wouldn't be in her lifetime... now I wonder.
CRISPR could ameliorate almost all genetic disease in 1-2 generations (~40-60 years). We're so close in so many ways, now we're just trying to make sure the procedures are safe.
We did a genetic test for small number of well known genetic disabilities when she was younger that did not yield a result. Our neurologist then recommended a "whole exome sequencing" a few years later. This is where we found a result.
Insurance is often reluctant to cover this but it's SOMEWHAT affordable (want to say 2-3k with some hospital magic discounts). I can't say it has affected our course of treatment but we were concerned about what other health related issues may be associated with the diagnosis. And it is somewhat promising that a treatment may someday be available.
I would highly recommend pushing for testing. I am told they continually with run your results against know mutations as they find more. So even if you don't get a result today you may someday.
I wouldn't lump this in with the recent mini NES or SNES. Nintendo has a loyal fan base and a proven track record. They made something simple and well built for fans of their IP. Atari isn't even a thing anymore. Someone bought the name and attempted to cash in on it. They used crowdfunding and scammed consumers out fo 3M+ dollars.
Basically I can see why people might want something more official than an rPi if it's done well and by original company. But Atari thing is not that.
Atari definitely isn't the same caliber as Nintendo/Sony, but I think it's the same market which is why they were able to get $3M in funding. All the other mini remakes sold gangbusters from what I recall.
I blame the journalists covering this stuff. There was so many PR release articles touting this thing based on renders... nobody looked into the people who were responsible on executing it.
These guys have no skills in building a gaming console. They bought a brand and scammed people out of 3M+.
Anyone going to dealerships in 2019 is already losing. I made that mistake recently with my wife's car. We went into dealer and I talked to manager. We knew exact model and color we wanted and told him we were there to see it in person and then would get quotes from area dealers... Because he was nice I told him to just give me his absolute best price then and we'd consider it... it was few grand more than I knew I could get so I went the email/quote route. 2 weeks later he won the pricing quote and was 6 grand lower than what he said was his lowest in the showroom. Only shop via email. Ever.
Reminds me when I bought my second car. I wanted to test drive 2 different cars at a couple dealerships. I called ahead to the first one and asked if the model I wanted was available. They said yes, and asked what I wanted to pay for it. I totally low-balled them because I didn't care at this point. When I got there they gave me the price I offered. Never test drove the second car...
I did some measurements on stills and it appears to be well within the reason of lining up. Using a ruler and stills taken from same vantage point... the distance is very close.
An angled razor makes more sense (think about how you shave)... less of a chance that it gets jammed if the paper is sliding over an angled razor rather than vertical.
EDIT: A deli slicer also a good example... it works on an angle... not like a chopsaw
It was initially developed to help children with Autism... Stallone has a child on the spectrum and wanted to check it out... it's a pretty neat story.