JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Insufficient sleep is a problem affecting millions. Poor sleep can instigate or worsen anxiety and, conversely, anxiety can lead to or exacerbate poor sleep. Advances in innovative consumer products designed to promote relaxation and support healthy sleep are emerging and their effectiveness can be evaluated accurately using sleep measurement technologies in the home environment.

Objective:

This study examined the effects of smart goggles used before bed to deliver gentle, slow vibration to the eyes and temples. Objective sleep, perceived sleep, and self-reported stress, anxiety, and relaxation were measured at home by adults with subclinical threshold sleep problems.

Methods:

A within-subjects, pre-post design was implemented. Healthy adults reporting suboptimal sleep (N=20) tracked their sleep nightly using a PSG-validated non-contact biomotion device and completed questionnaires daily and nightly for 6 weeks (3 weeks baseline, 3 weeks intervention). During the baseline period, participants slept at home as usual. During the intervention period, participants used Therabody SmartGoggles in Sleep mode before bed. This mode delivers gentle eye and temple massage through vibrating motors for relaxation.

Results:

Multilevel regression analysis of 676 nights of objective data showed improvements during nights when using the goggles, relative to baseline, in sleep duration (+12 minutes, P=.014); deep sleep, measured in duration (+6 minutes, P=.002), proportion of the night (7% relative increase, P=.020), and BodyScore (4% increase, P=.002); number of nighttime awakenings (7% decrease, P=.021); total time awake at night after sleep onset (-6 minutes, P=.047); and SleepScore, a measure of overall sleep quality (3% increase, P=.020). Questionnaire data showed that, compared to baseline, participants felt they had better sleep quality (P<.001) and felt more well-rested upon waking (P<.001). Furthermore, immediately after using the goggles each night, compared to immediately before, participants reported feeling sleepier, less stressed, less anxious, and more relaxed (all Ps<.05). A standardized inventory administered before and after the 3-week intervention period indicated reduced anxiety, confirming the nightly analysis (P=.03).

Conclusions:

Objectively measured sleep quality and duration, as well as perceived sleep, improved when using the goggles before bed compared to baseline. Participants also reported increased feelings of relaxation along with reduced stress and anxiety. Future research expanding on this pilot study is warranted to confirm the preliminary evidence presented in this brief report.