Dreamkeeper 400
Can an electronic sleep-aid wristband
cure traveler's insomnia and jet lag?
ABOVE: The Dreamkeeper 400 looks like a fat
wristwatch, or maybe a latter-day Dick Tracy wrist radio.
by Durant Imboden
Jet lag and
insomnia are the bane
of overseas travelers, and frequent trips to or from distant time zones are bad
news for healthy sleep patterns.
At least a dozen times a year, I endure the
discomfort of adjusting to European time or reacclimating to U.S. time after a
transatlantic flight. But that's just for starters: Even when I'm not traveling,
my mind often shifts into overdrive at bedtime. The "I" monogram on my
nightshirt doesn't stand for "Imboden"; it's an alliterative reminder of my chronic insomnia.
Enter the Dreamkeeper 400: When I received an invitation from
RMS Public Relations to try this electronic "sleep-aid wristband," I was
skeptical about claims
from the importer, HBIUSA:
"The
Dreamkeeper is designed to help
improve sleep quality and length. The Parallelized Electrostatic Field and
vibration act specifically on acupoints as suggested by Traditional Eastern
Medicine, known to alleviate stress and improve sleep quality. A study showed
that stimulating the acupressure point P6 may increase deep sleep by up to 14%
and extend the total sleeping time by up to 78 minutes."
My own definition of "Traditional Eastern Medicine" would be a
tonic or a brand of cod liver oil from New England, but it was clear from the
Dreamkeeper's supporting documentation that something more international and
scientific was afoot:
"GuangDong Traditional Chinese
Medical Hospital and the Southern Hospital of First Army Medical University
conducted a study on 60 hard-to-treat insomnia patients (patients had failed
to be treated by medications) by using a filtered electrostatic field to
stimulate P6 (or HT7) wearing DreamKeeper 30 minutes daily before going to
bed. In less then a month, the efficacy rate had reached 70%."
The numbers from the study were impressive, but my doubts
remained intact. At the same time, I was intrigued by the notion of an electronic
"sleep-aid wristband," so I agreed to become an unofficial test subject in the
interests of journalistic curiosity and the public good.
Next page:
Using the Dreamkeeper wristband
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Photo copyright © HBI USA. | 
Durant
& Cheryl Imboden's
