Sleep monitors

While effective in treating sleep apnea, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines are intrusive and disruptive, which is why 50% of patients give up on using the life-saving devices. A new study shows why they might be worth the discomfort.

Scientists have speculated about the cognitive and dreaming abilities of the octopus. This study is a step closer in understanding their complex behavior. As does a study on cuttlefish from the same team, showing their color shifting like never before.

In order to get tested for sleep apnea, patients have to spend a night sleeping at a clinic with numerous hard-wired sensors stuck to their skin. A new facial patch system however, could soon allow those people to spend the night in their own bed.

The REM stage of sleep plays an important role in learning, memory and brain development. Currently, lab-based tests are required to gauge how much REM sleep a person is getting. The SomaSleep mask, however, is claimed to let users do so at home.

Where most of Polar's smartwatches are aimed at outdoor enthusiasts, the Ignite 3 is heading to the wrists of a more casual fitness crowd, and can tap into an individual's circadian rhythm to predict when wearers will be most alert and ready to focus.

While there are already a number of sleep-tracking systems to choose between, many are made by small startups without much of a track record. Electronics giant Amazon has now thrown its hat in the ring, however, with the unveiling of the Halo Rise.

Sleeping while wired up with an EEG cap would be hard enough here on Earth, but can you imagine trying to do so in the zero-gravity environment of outer space? It could be quite awkward, which is why an earbud has been designed to do the same job.

Scientists in China have developed a smart pillow designed to offer an accessible and accurate sleep-tracking solution, monitoring the quality of rest through head movements, which work to power the system at the same time.

The assessment of sleep apnea typically involves spending a night at a clinic, wired up to sensors that may actually keep the patient from sleeping normally. According to recent research, though, a Fitbit-like device could serve the same purpose.

These earbuds look a bit weird, sure. But they're expressly designed to shepherd you off to sleep, counteracting runaway thoughts and snoring lumps in your bed. And unlike the original Kokoon headphones, they're targeted at side sleepers too.

In order to track how someone's body position changes as they sleep, they typically have to be rigged up with sensors, or filmed by a video camera. MIT's new BodyCompass system, however, offers a third alternative that many people may prefer.

When tracking a sleeping person's eye movements, you typically have to stick hard-wired electrodes onto their face. Soon, however, an unobtrusive flexible mask could do the job – while also measuring their heart rate.