Travel Gear: Sleeptracker Monitors Your Sleep Cycles

Sleeptracker

Reseachers have found that people sleep in cycles that are repeated through the night. Each cycle lasts 70 to 90 minutes -- the shorter the cycles, the worse you'll sleep. Each cycle consists of five main stages: drowsiness, light sleep, deep sleep, ‘delta' sleep, and then REM (rapid eye movement) -- the deepest and most restorative stage in which we dream. You'll feel refreshed if your alarm wakes you after stage five, but less so at any other stage.

Makers of a new device claim it will awaken the wearer at the right time in their sleep cycle so they'll feel their best. The SleepTracker wristwatch ($179) has sensors that monitor body movements, temperature and pulse to determine which phase of sleep the wearer is in, and how often they wake up during the night. Once the alarm window is set, the watch continuously looks for your optimal waking times so you'll awaken at just the right moment. The watch has a vibrating alarm to gently arouse you without annoying your partner. 

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