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[[File:Zeo mobile box image.jpg|right|thumb|500px|The Zeo sleep monitor.]]
The Zeo Sleep Monitor can measure your sleep patterns and enable you to improve your sleep quality. Sleep is a critical part of life, especially for an athlete and many of us do not get enough<ref name="SleepCDC"/>. I've found the Zeo to be an effective tool for improving my sleep, and though there are some caveatsthe best of the sleep monitors, I highly recommend it. The but sadly [http://gowww.fellrnrwired.com?id=35454X937677&xs=1&xcust=ZeoPro&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FZeo/business/2013/03/lights-ZEO301out-Sleepfor-Manager-Pro%2Fdp%2FB008I20LJ2 zeo/ Zeo Prois out of business] works with an Android/iPhone/iTouch/iPad or there is the . However, you can still [http://go.fellrnr.com?id=35454X937677&xs=1&xcust=ZeoMgr&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwwwwww.amazon.com%2FZeo/Zeo-ZEOBP01-PersonalZEO301-Sleep-Manager%2Fdp%2FB002IY65V4 -Pro/dp/B008I20LJ2 buy the Zeo Bedside] that is standalone, though it's not clear for how long. I think The best alternative to the Zeo Pro at the moment is the better choice if you have a compatible device[[Basis Activity Tracker]].
=The importance of sleep=
* Recovery immediately following exercise is impaired by poor sleep<ref name="SleepDepRecovery"/>.
* A lack of sleep is linked to [[Sleep and Obesity|Obesity]].
* Even mild sleep deprivation produces similar impairment to alcohol. After 17–19 hours without sleep, which is being awake from 0800 to 2230 and 0100, a study showed test performance was similar or worse than that at a blood alcohol level of 0.05%, and response speeds were up to 50% slower for some tests<ref name="Williamson2000"/>.
=How the Zeo Works=
The Zeo uses a headband to monitor brain waves and transmits to the information to a base station, or to supported phones or tablets. The Zeo determines what sleep stage you are in with reasonable accuracy. From this, the Zeo gives an overall score to your sleep (ZQ), as well as recording how long you sleep in each sleep stage. The app provides reports on your sleep history and can automatically upload the results to the web for more detailed analysis.
=Accuracy=
Zeo has been compared with polysomnography (PSG) to verify its accuracy. (PSG monitors brain activity (EEG), eye movement, [[Muscle|muscle ]] activity and heart rhythm, and is the gold standard of sleep analysis.) The study stated that "Our results demonstrate that the [Zeo] accuracy is similar to but not quite as good as the two human scorers from different sleep centers compared to each other"<ref name="SleepZeoPSG"/>.
=Zeo Caveats=
* Getting slightly chilly before bed helps me fall asleep faster and the room temperature is critical for quality sleep.
* A brief nap does not impact my night's sleep, but a longer nap can be remarkably disruptive.
* I wake up briefly virtually every night at about 1am, so I now make a [[Protein|protein ]] drink to take at that time. This protein drink helps me sleep deeper in the second half of the night.
* Having a protein shake before bed may help increase the amount of time I'm deeply asleep.
* The amount of deep sleep seems to be critical for how I feel and how well I run, but other sleep stages are not so important.
* Waking up in the night does not affect my sleep quality as much as I'd expect, and I wake up far more often than I realized.
* Even slight levels of pain degrade my sleep quality dramatically. That shouldn't be a surprise, but I thought that once I'd gone to sleep, the pain wouldn't be a problem.
* I fall asleep quite quickly, and I can use a [[Pulse Oximeter]] as part of my relaxation routine. The [[Pulse Oximeter]] shows my [[Heart Rate|heart rate]], which gives me an idea of my stress levels, and acts as a biofeedback mechanism to show how well I'm relaxing. The CMS-50E has a graph of the heart rate, and I find this almost hypnotic.
=Other Tips for Improving Sleep =
=Alternatives to Zeo=
There are a number of alternatives to the Zeo, but none of them have been evaluated against the gold standard of sleep studies, polysomnography (PSG) and none of them look at brain activity directly in the way the Zeo does. Most of the alternatives use movement to detect if you're awake or asleep. This approach, called Actigraphy, can be good at detecting if you're asleep or not<ref name="SleepActigraphy"/>, but it lacks accuracy with disrupted sleep<ref name="SleepAcit2006"/><ref name="SleepAcit2007"/>. A comparison between Zeo, PSG and Actigraphy showed that Zeo was better at differentiating sleep from wakefulness than Actigraphy. In addition, Actigraphy does not tell you if you're in light sleep, deeply asleep, in REM sleep.
* The best alternative to the Zeo at the moment is the [[Basis Activity Tracker]], which combines movement detection, heart rate, skin temperature and perspiration rate to detect sleep state.
* The cheapest are the simple apps that use a smartphone's accelerometer to measure movement and thus evaluate your sleep. It's not clear how well these apps work, and are likely to be dependent on the type of mattress you have, if you sleep alone or not, and the placement of the phone. On the other hand, they are remarkably cheap.
* The LARK uses a movement sensor that straps to your wrist and connects to a smart phone. This gives far more accuracy than simply relying on a smartphone on your mattress. The price is more expensive than the Zeo, with the LARK Pro costing $159. There is a cheaper version at $99 that does not include the ability to track sleep. More at [http://www.lark.com/].
* Gear4 Renew SleepClock has a different approach, using radio waves to detect movement and [[Breathing|breathing]]. It's more expensive than the Zeo at $199 and there is no supporting research about its accuracy. More at [http://uswww.gear4.com/product/_/410426/renew-sleepclock/gear4.com]
=References=
<ref name="SleepCDC">CDC - Sleep Home Page - Sleep and Sleep Disorders http://www.cdc.gov/sleep/ </ref>
<ref name="OTEcssPos">Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the Overtraining Syndrome http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/tandf/tejs/2006/00000006/00000001/art00001 </ref>
<ref name="Williamson2000">A M Williamson, Moderate sleep deprivation produces impairments in cognitive and motor performance equivalent to legally prescribed levels of alcohol intoxication, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volume 57, issue 10, 2000, pages 649–655, ISSN [http://www.worldcat.org/issn/13510711 13510711], doi [http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/oem.57.10.649 10.1136/oem.57.10.649]</ref>
</references>
