EarlySense is an Israeli-based company and a market leader in the field of real-time, contact-free health monitoring systems. We at Medgadget have been following the company for more than a decade, starting with the company’s flagship product, EverOn. EarlySense systems were initially developed for use in hospitals and rehabilitation centers. These systems wirelessly and continuously monitor patient vital signs while also providing information that maximizes patient safety by helping prevent falls and the formation of pressure ulcers.
Last year EarlySense broke into the consumer market with their debut of EarlySense Live, a non-wearable sleep and health tracker specifically designed for personal use at home. EarlySense Live is placed underneath the user’s mattress to monitor and track heart rate, respiratory rate, and motion in order to provide real-time information about sleep quality and overall well-being.
We at Medgadget had the opportunity to trial EarlySense Live for the last few weeks, and here is what we found.
Packaging and Set-Up
EarlySense Live is packaged in a simple, white box, reminiscent of Apple products. The box includes a thin contact-free sensor, its charger, and a quick set-up guide. You simply download the EarlySense Live app on your smartphone, plug the charger into an outlet, and slip the sensor under your side of the mattress. You then connect the device via Bluetooth to your Smartphone, making sure your phone is within Bluetooth range.
EarlySense Live conveniently remains in stand-by mode at all times, so you are not required to turn the device on or reconnect it to your phone when you are ready to go to bed. One drawback I experienced during my trial period is that the device occasionally began tracking my wife’s vitals and sleep information, which obviously led to some inaccuracies in my results. She tends to go to bed well before me, so I had a couple of nights where EarlySense Live informed me that I had slept for more than 10 hours when in reality I probably only had 6 hours of sleep. Of note, we share a queen-sized mattress, so I am not sure if this would be an issue for those sharing a larger king bed. However, EarlySense Live does an excellent job of recognizing and filtering out data from any pet that may share your bed.
Smartphone App
The EarlySense Live app is compatible with iOS and Android devices. It is user-friendly, simple to install and easy to navigate. EarlySense Live automatically begins tracking your sleep whenever you get into bed. Upon waking up you are provided with a sleep summary that includes a numeric sleep score determined by various factors, such as the time it took you to fall asleep, your total sleep time and the time you spent in each sleep stage (i.e. light, deep and REM sleep). The app manages to present all of the overnight data in a series of clean, color-coded graphs that help you easily understand your sleep and waking patterns. EarlySense Live does offer a smart alarm functionality, which aims to wake you up when you are in the lightest stage of sleep to help decrease grogginess. Also, the app provides tips on how to improve your overall sleep quality, but they appear to be generalized comments not necessarily correlated to your personal sleep data and daily habits.
Special Features
EarlySense Live is discrete since the sensor is placed under the mattress and you do not see it. The thickness of the mattress does not affect the accuracy or sensitivity of EarlySense Live, and the device may be used on all types of mattresses, except waterbeds. EarlySense Live is a highly accurate product since it was designed using the same highly validated, medical-grade technology EarlySense has developed and fine-tuned over the years. In addition to being a sleep tracker, EarlySense Live also can be used to monitor certain aspects of your health. You are able to set specific ranges for your vitals, with an alarm that goes off if your vitals ever fall outside of these pre-selected ranges. Furthermore, you have the option to allow caregivers and family members to remotely monitor your sleep and health information and to receive real-time alert notifications in the event of a health emergency through a subscription model called SmartShare ($4.99/month).
It is worth mentioning that EarlySense Live is focused on tracking your sleep, but it does not provide information about your sleeping environment or help optimize it, in comparison to some other products on the market. For example, Withings Aura Smart Sleep System monitors your sleep and sleeping environment and also comes equipped with a set of tools (i.e. light and sound effects) designed to help you sleep better.
Pros
• Highly accurate
• Easy to use
• Non-wearable and discreet
• Alarm feature for vital signs irregularities with SmartShare capability
• Automatically begins collecting data without needing to be turned on/reset
• Remains plugged in – does not need to be recharged
Cons
• A sleep partner may interfere with data collection and results
• No internal memory – the device will cease to work if it loses Bluetooth connection with your smartphone overnight
• High price point compared to some competitors, such as S+ by ResMed
Conclusion
Overall, we found EarlySense Live to be a convenient, accurate, and easy to use sleep and health tracker. We believe the SmartShare add-on is a particularly appealing option that may offer peace of mind to both users and their loved ones if overnight safety is a concern. EarlySense Live retails for $199 on EarlySense’s official website, which appears to be slightly above the price point of other comparable products. Nevertheless, EarlySense Live utilizes clinically proven technology.
Flashbacks: Medgadget Interview: EarlySense CEO on Company’s Non-Contact Patient Monitoring…; EarlySense Chair Sensor Monitors Vitals Through The Butt…; EverOn Central Display Station for Contact Free Monitoring of Multiple Patients…; EarlySense Gets FDA Clearance for EverOn Touch Patient Monitoring System…
Link: EarlySense Live…