Novel technology builds on scientific evidence that shows sleep deprivation actually helps improve sleep
October. 6, 2016 – A new wearable technology has been launched to revolutionize sleep for poor sleepers. Called Thim, the novel device – which is worn on any finger – trains poor sleepers to fall asleep sooner, providing relief for half a billion poor sleepers around the world.
Invented by Leon Lack, Emeritus Professor at Flinders University in Australia, Thim was launched through a Kickstarter crowd funding campaign on September 21, 2016.
Research has shown that depriving someone of sleep for one night will improve his or her sleep in the nights that follow. This counter-intuitive research finding has been tested in two separate university trials (Harris et al. 2007, 2012) by scientists at Flinders University. This technique is known as sleep re-training and involves waking participants soon after they fall asleep.
Lack and his colleagues found that a person could learn to fall asleep sooner if he or she experiences the sensation of falling asleep over and over again. This discovery paved the way for Thim.
As part of the study, participants repeatedly fell asleep and were woken up each time after three minutes. The researchers found that falling asleep again and again conditions one’s body to fall asleep sooner. Sleeping well becomes “learned” and can then be done with ease for a longer night’s rest.
One week after their night of sleep re-training, participants were falling asleep 30 minutes sooner and sleeping more than one-hour longer (Harris et al. 2007).
Patrick Skerrett wrote on Harvard Health “Let’s hope that the Australian study stimulates the creation of such home (sleep re-training) programs” (Skerrett, 2012).
Preliminary evidence suggested significant benefits from the sleep re-training procedure if used for as little as 60 minutes per night, across five consecutive evenings. This would provide the benefits of sleep re-training without the need for a full night of sleep deprivation.
“Thim is based on 10 years of university research which has shown a better way of improving sleep,” said Professor Leon Lack. “For the first time, our research is being transferred into the home environment through Thim.”
The Thim device
Placing the device on any finger as you go to bed, Thim works by gently waking you three minutes after you fall asleep. This awakening is a mild sleep interruption, no more intrusive than being woken by tree leaves rustling in the breeze.
You then fall asleep again and Thim will wake you after your next three-minute period of sleep. This process continues for 60 minutes, after which you are free to enjoy a deep sleep for the remainder of the night.
In addition to sleep re-training, Thim can also be used to:
- take the perfect power nap
- measure sleep onset with accuracy
- track sleep quality, as Thim provides a sleep score
“We’ve re-invented the wearable for sleep,” Professor Lack said. “This device has the potential to benefit so many people around the world and from our own research, we know that it works.”
Power nap module
The perfect power nap lasts 10 minutes. Too little or too much napping will leave you feeling groggy. Exactly 10 minutes ensures you wake up refreshed and reinvigorated.
Shift workers, elite athletes, executives and students use power naps to increase energy, concentration and performance.
Alarms can only countdown time. They are unable to know when you have entered stage 1 sleep to begin counting down from 10 minutes. Thim knows when you’ve fallen asleep – to the minute. Providing you the perfect nap for the first time.
One popular sleep-tracking device was cited for misjudging sleep duration by 67 minutes. With such inaccuracy, the current crop of wearable sleep devices are simply unable to facilitate a power nap or sleep retraining. These applications demand accuracy, which Thim delivers.
“Sleep re-training and power napping demand an accurate wearable. We’ve achieved this and in doing so re-invented the wearable for sleep.” – Ben Olsen, Thim Founder
Visit thim.io for more information.
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