Our latest hands-on review is the Dodow Metronome Sleep Aid Device, which fights insomnia and helps you unwind before going to bed. Dodow Sleep Aid might just be the answer to your insomnia problems if you sometimes (or often) have and don’t want to depend on pills or other medications to help you fall asleep.
In recent weeks, I have been evaluating this device in my own home and have developed a few opinions about it. Please read on to find out my thoughts on how this sleep aid device functions!
What is the Dodow Metronome Sleep Aid Device?
It teaches insomniacs (and anyone who has difficulty falling asleep) how to fall asleep naturally by using a simple, battery-operated device.
The lamp creates this effect by projecting a soft, blue light onto the ceiling of your bedroom when you first enter it. Relaxing while you watch the soothing light reduces your breathing rate from 11 breaths per minute down to just 6, thus facilitating sleep.
After eight or twenty minutes (depending on how long you think you might need), the pulsing light automatically turns itself off. As a natural insomnia remedy, this ingredient can also be used to treat issues such as anxiety and jet lag that result in sleep difficulties.
Metronomes are basic devices used to maintain regular time by means of a consistently paced action, much like the second hand ticking on a clock. They train their ears to keep time by using metronomes.
This regular pulsing action of the metronome is what drives the Dodow, which uses pulsing blue light to tick along, and this helps users (unconsciously) slow down their breathing and sleep better.
It is small and unobtrusive in size (not much bigger in circumference than a hockey puck and thinner still), so you can easily take it with you on vacation. There are also 3 x AAA batteries included, which are just the right quantity for it to function.
Who Should Buy This?
For example, the Dodow aims to reduce sleep latency by using timed breathing, relaxation, and meditation.
- People who wake up frequently at night.
- People who are kept awake by stress.
- If you have a racing mind at night.
- The chronically sleep deprived people.
- Those who can’t sleep because they worry too much.
- During pregnancy.
- Noise-sensitive sleepers.
How Does the Dodow Work?
With the Dodow, users can fall fast asleep within 20 minutes with a natural method that is non-habit forming. The device has two settings that can be controlled via a tap on its top.
- For an eight minute session, tap once. For sleepers who have difficulty falling asleep, the breathing rhythm is gradually reduced from eight breaths per minute to six for eight minutes.
- A 20 minute session requires two taps. Chronic insomniacs who have trouble falling asleep may benefit from the longer Dodow sessions. As the breathing rhythm slows down, it continues for 20 minutes.
Breathing Techniques to Promote Better Sleep
The body’s nervous system responds to slowed, regulated breathing. As a result of a cardiac coherence exercise, such as breathing along with the Dodow, the body relaxes and the metabolism slows down. Inhaling more carbon dioxide and reducing blood pressure are two important effects of slow breathing. Exhaling more carbon dioxide results in a smaller blood vessel size, making us feel tired.
Similarly, concentrating on breathing rhythms is more effective as a distraction than stress, anxiety and racey thoughts. Sleep problems or insomnia sufferers can benefit from this technique. Since the Dodow auto-switches off before sleep, the user doesn’t need to remember to do it.
Metronomes to Promote Better Sleep
Studies have found that metronomes and rhythms can help people fall asleep and store more memories. Using a metronome light, the Dodow helps you fall asleep. As with synchronized rocking, it works similarly. According to this study, rocking motions can promote the slow oscillations required for deep sleep.
In addition to promoting the onset of sleep, motion metronomes can also enable deeper uninterrupted sleep.
What’s Included with the Dodow?
Among the elements of a Dodow box are:
- You can select a session of eight minutes or a session of twenty minutes using the touchpad on one Dodow device.
- With normal use, the battery will last 100 nights.
- Detailed instructions on how to place the battery and use the device.
In order to insert batteries into the Dodow, the customer will need a flat blade screwdriver or a coin.
How Much Does a Dodow Cost?
Currently, the Dodow costs $59 per device. When ordering multiple devices, the company will also offer a discount. There is a 16 percent discount off the individual price when buying two Dodows. The cost of buying three Dodows separately is $117, a savings of 33 percent.
My Experience with the Sleep Aid Device ( Dodow Review)
A sleep aid device as easy to use as the Dodow Metronome. All that’s required to turn the unit on is a simple touch of its upper surface after you’ve inserted the 3 x AAA batteries. It is also easy to switch between its 8 and 20 minute settings, and if you want to turn it off early, give it a longer touch (about 2-3 seconds).
When I tested the Dodow for myself, I got no visits from insomnia, my frequent enemy. Therefore, it is quite difficult for me to determine whether I actually fell asleep due to the device, or whether I fell asleep due to fatigue.
However, I found that watching videos on the device was very soothing, even with this issue. There was definitely something about it that I liked, regardless of whether it helped me sleep or not.
I enjoyed watching the slowly pulsing blue light, and it did keep me from the typical distracting thoughts that keep me awake. Focusing on Dodow’s light helped me shut off my brain from all that crazy noise, for instance.
Getting used to this device may take some time. I found myself trying too hard to allow it to help me when I first used it. Because the Dodow created the distraction, it couldn’t remove my distractions from my mind.
But I didn’t know how to use it yet. It was more important for me to determine whether it would help me sleep than to focus on sleep itself.
The pulsing light also made my wife try to match her breathing initially. Similarly, allowing the light to relax you naturally is a mistake. You are not falling asleep if you match your breath to the pulsating light! With the Dodow Metronome Sleep Aid Device, only falling asleep should be your goal.
It’s actually a bit of a warning about this in the Dodow’s instruction booklet, where it says it’ll take most people three or four tries to get used to. They tend to focus on what the device is going to do and if it will help them during the first couple of nights, rather than falling asleep.
Simply keeping a positive attitude and understanding that such problems can occur is the key here. In my opinion, you could perhaps benefit from the Dodow if you take the proper approach (even though I failed to put it up against a severe case of insomnia during my testing).
Pros and Cons
Final Thoughts
As a natural sleeping aid, I actually quite like this product, even if I never experienced insomnia while testing it. Its size means that you can carry it around while traveling, and it’s soothing blue light makes it an excellent companion for travel.
Even though I wasn’t having any trouble sleeping at the time, I believe that the Dodow may have helped me. It’s worth a shot if you have trouble sleeping sometimes, as well. After all, it’s much better to try something that may change your life than to lay awake the next day feeling like a zombie.