NeuroOn Mask Review

NeuroOn Lucid Dreaming Mask Review

NeuroOn is the world’s first brainwave - monitoring SLEEP MASK that allows you to switch from monophasic to polyphasic sleep. That means you can sleep less and more efficiently.

Like the Remee mask, it all started with a Kickstarter project by a Polish company raising $438,000 from an initial request for $100,000.

While the mask was marketed as your 'Personal Sleep Architect', later their creators launched a 'lucid dreaming function' claiming that 'NeuroOn has technology that helps you induce lucid dreaming, whenever you want'.

1. Design and Comfort

Memory foam is the main material used for the mask. While the choice could seem a good one, the consequence of this is that the smart pack, which is where all electronics are stored, cannot be secured into the mask, as pointed out by Sleeptrackers.io:

It’s a simple, effective solution, however I feel the designers might have missed a trick because there’s no way to secure the smart pack into the mask – if not kept upright it just keeps falling out. A simple Velcro fastener would have been sufficient in this case.

All materials used are hypoallergenic. The strap is elastic and adjustable. However, adjusting it might not be very straightforward at first. Again from the words of Sleeptracker.io:

If you do need to change the strap length you have to peel back the fabric exterior via a Velcro fastener and move the strap accordingly. This arrangement seems a little clunky to me. It’s certainly not intuitive and feels a little ‘cheap’ for a premium product like Neuroon.

2. Customization

In the case of the NeuroOn mask, rather than customization I would rather talk about the number of metrics relating to your sleep and general well-being, which in fairness is impressive.

Through the app, you can track all of the following:

Biological Signals:

• Brain waves (EEG - electroencephalography)
• Muscle tension (EMG - electromyography)
• Eye movements (EOG - electrooculography)

Sleep Duration

• Sleep score
• Sleep duration
• Time awake
• Sleep time span (start/end of your sleep)
• Time to fall asleep
• Number of awakenings

 Heart Rate

• Average awake time heart rate
• Average sleep time heart rate
• Highest heart rate
• Lowest heart rate
• Time of lowest/highest heart rate

Perhaps the most interesting metrics are those related to your sleep phases, which include:

• Wake
• REM
• Light
• Deep

All the tracked data are then sent to the NeuroOn app, originally available for both Android and iOS, via bluetooth.

It's worth noting that while all these metrics are indeed impressive, the accuracy might not always be as good as we would like. This is what Sleeptrackers.io has to say about it:

Using the Beddit Smart as my reference device, the Neuroon matched pretty favourably in many of the main sleep metrics. [...] Other measurements from the Neuroon however seemed a little off. [...]

Measuring sleep stages is even more difficult. Even in clinical conditions, accurately measuring electrical activity in the brain is notoriously tricky, so for a consumer device like Neuroon the challenge is considerable.

3. Technology

The NeuroOn mask was also branded as the 'world's first mask for polyphasic sleep. To understand what this means, let's first go through the definitions of monophasic and polyphasic sleep.

What is Monophasic Sleep?

Monophasic sleep is a pattern of sleep concerning an individual sleeping once a day, typically at night and generally for a prolonged period of time 6-8 hours on average.

What is Polyphasic Sleep?

Polyphasic sleep is a pattern of sleep where you break up your sleep into smaller parts throughout the day.

Basically, it's a series of power naps that, on paper, promise to make you help you perform at optimum levels and feel refreshed as if you slept 8 hours or longer.

One of the most well-known adopters of polyphasic sleep is footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. Other adopters from the past include Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Nicola Tesla.

In brief, the mask adapts you your sleep pattern, whether monophasic or polyphasic. It does so by adjusting to your lifestyle and controlling light and, by extensions, your levels of melatonin (the hormone regulating your body clock).

As mentioned, the collected data are then sent to the corresponding app, which supposedly works when you are asleep to learn your sleeping patterns.

In terms of battery, the original one lasted only one day. Later versions of the battery lasted up to 10 days and could be recharged via USB cable.

4. User-Friendly Experience

In terms of user experience, the NeuroOn mask is far from perfect. One of the main reasons, along with the lacking in design, is probably the many features available. In the words of Sleeptrackers.io:

On the flipside to all this innovation, NeuroOn feels like an unfinished product. The product design, whilst adequate, doesn’t reflect the sophistication of the technical wizardry behind the product. NeuroOn should be a premium, luxury product but instead it feels like a Ferrari engine in a Ford chassis.

In my opinion, the makers have also tried to over-reach in adding more and more features in order to appeal to a wider market. Sadly instead of making the product more attractive, it has the effect of diluting the appeal, and becoming a gadget for geeks, instead of product with a clear vision.

5. Cost and Value

The cost of the mask ranged between $165 (pre-order) and $250. There also used to be a developer version of the mask available for $750.

As you can see, the price falls on the upper end of lucid dreaming masks. In a way, this is understandable because of the many features available and metrics tracked.

At the same time, the accuracy of some metrics put a big question mark on the overall value of the purchase.

Note from the author

As of May 2024, it seems the NeuroOn Smart mask has been discontinued and is not available to be purchased anymore. 

The Verdict

On the one hand, the NeuroOn mask is lacking when it comes to design and comfort, user-experience and cost and value.

On the other hand, the NeuroOn excels in terms of technology and customization.

If you are looking for a mask detecting REM sleep and especially if you want to give polyphasic sleep a go, and don't mind wearing a not-so-comfortable device, then the NeuroOn mask is a good choice for you.

References

Are you looking for a comfortable, easy to use lucid dreaming mask? Why don't you give Remee a try!