After a long work day, self-care is crucial, but sometimes, curling up with a book or sinking into a warm bath just doesn't cut it.
Melomind, a new pair of $250 headphones by biotech company MyBrain, promises to train your brain to cope with stress naturally.
In a process known as neurofeedback, sensors in the headphones supposedly track your brainwaves in real-time, though there’s scant evidence that this works as claimed.
The Bluetooth headphones connect to an app, which features 10 levels that range from beginner to advanced. You're guided through sessions lasting anywhere from three to 15 minutes that play soothing sounds and, depending on how relaxed you are, the sounds crescendo or quiet down.
It's basically like a game where you try to control your mind, which MyBrain says controls the frequency of the sounds.
MyBrain has raised over $148,000 on its Kickstarter at the time of this post with 29 days left to go, surpassing its $56,000 goal in a day. You can pre-order a pair on the Kickstarter page for $250, but they will eventually retail for $400. The headphones will ship to backers in October 2016, according to the company.
I recently tried MyBrain's prototype, hoping the headphones would help me get to the optimal state of chill. Here's what happened.
Unlike many other electroencephalography (EEG) headphones that only have sensors in the earmuffs, Melomind has two additional ones in the back, which it says helps increase the accuracy of the reading.
You can also unfasten the prods if you just want to listen to music like normal headphones.
Data constantly runs between the sensors and the app's program, neuroscientist and MyBrain's co-founder, Yohan Attal, tells me.
However, many researchers are skeptical about whether EEG feedback has any effect. Much of the research that seems to show beneficial effects of neurofeedback can be attributed to a placebo effect, and there's still no consensus on what frequencies to feed into the headphones to train the brain effectively.
Most research is also in people targeting specific problems, like ADHD, not general complaints like stress. For a deep dive into EEG research, head over here.
Still I had to try it. When I slipped on the headphones, the prods were a little uncomfortable on the back of my head. The app told me when all four sensors were connected.
Note: Melomind's app may feature a different interface when it retails.
I pulled up the app, and a slightly ominous female voice welcomed me: "Hello. How are you feeling? I'm here to help you relax."
You can hear the robotic voice in the company's Kickstarter video below.
It then told me to focus on my breath.
I heard a bunch of nature sounds, from someone stepping on leaves to a flowing river. About midway through the three-minute session, the Bluetooth connection weakened, causing the sounds to break up a few times. Here's a sample of the sounds:
I tried my best to fully relax, but I also knew the app was monitoring me. The music got louder any time the app thought my brain was sending "stress signals," which made me a bit less chill.
When the session ended, it rang a deep bell and showed me this screen. I had apparently racked up 590 points on the relaxation scale, but I was a little unsure what that number meant or corresponded to. It also told me I was calm only 36% percent of the session.
The app then showed me a graph that said when I was "calm," "peaceful," or had reached "bliss." When you rise to bliss, that means you've hit peak chill. I barely broke into calm.
It's a little tough for me to say if I felt any calmer than normal since I only tried the headphones for one afternoon. To see real results, I would likely need to use them for a few weeks.
Although Attal says Melomind offers more accurate readings than its EEG predecessors, I'm not sure I would spend my money on these — Meditation is a whole lot cheaper.
If you do want to spend up to $400 on Melomind, you can check out the Kickstarter page here.
Read the original article on Tech Insider. Copyright 2016.Follow Tech Insider on Facebook and Twitter.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyuxcGrmKKmXaKyrbvMoqWdZaKauaLEwK2gqKZdnbKisM%2Bhpqedo2K%2FpsLInq5mamBmg26B