Sleep Tracking: Halo's Innovative Approach To Sleep Science

Amazon's Halo Rise is a no-contact sleep tracker that helps users analyze and improve their sleep. It is a ring-shaped alarm clock with a built-in sleep tracker that uses motion sensors to study your movement and breathing patterns to assess your sleep. The Halo Rise also comes with a smart alarm and wake-up light that can be programmed to gradually get brighter, simulating the rising sun. The device is powered by low-energy sensor technology and advanced machine learning, providing accurate sleep data. It is designed to be placed on a nightstand and can track the sleep of the person closest to the device. While it offers insights into sleep patterns and stages, it may not be suitable for those with pets or bed partners as it can confuse their movements with those of the primary user.

Halo Rise's sleep tracking technology

Amazon's Halo Rise is a no-contact sleep tracker that uses motion sensors to study your movement and breathing patterns to assess your sleep. It is a ring-shaped alarm clock with a built-in sleep tracker that fits snugly on your nightstand. The Halo Rise is powered by the latest low-energy sensor technology and advanced machine learning. It uses a sleep tracking algorithm trained and validated against polysomnography, the clinical gold standard for sleep analysis, to provide detailed and accurate sleep information.

The Halo Rise monitors the rising and falling of your body during sleep and tracks sleep stages by analyzing how your breathing patterns match up with the different sleep stages. It provides a sleep score between 0-100, which helps you easily track the quantity and quality of your sleep. The device also includes a smart alarm that can be programmed to gradually get brighter, simulating the subtle darkening or brightening of the sun to help you wake up feeling refreshed.

One of the key advantages of the Halo Rise is its primary-user tracking capability. It automatically tracks the primary user, which means it detects and adjusts the sleep results accordingly if the primary user slips into bed after their partner or pet has already gone to sleep. This feature ensures that the device only collects the primary user's data, providing accurate and personalized sleep insights.

The Halo Rise also offers seamless Alexa integration, allowing you to connect to compatible Echo devices and access additional features. You can ask Alexa how well you slept, sync your wake-up music preferences, and control other smart lights in your home. Amazon prioritizes privacy with the Halo Rise, claiming that they will never sell health data tied directly to the user, and providing options to download or delete your health data from the Halo app.

Halo's sleep score

Amazon's Halo Rise is a sleep-tracking device that uses motion sensors to study your movement and breathing patterns to assess your sleep. It is a ring-shaped alarm clock that sits on your nightstand and tracks your sleep without any contact with your body. The Halo Rise uses low-energy sensor technology and a sleep-tracking algorithm to provide detailed and accurate sleep information. The device automatically tracks the primary user, which is the person nearest to the device, with no user configuration required.

The Halo device also comes with a smart alarm built to wake you up at the ideal time and a wake-up light that can simulate the subtle darkening or brightening of the sun to help you fall asleep or wake up feeling refreshed. The Halo Rise is also compatible with Alexa, allowing you to ask about your sleep and control other smart features in your home.

The Halo Band, which is worn on the wrist, also plays a role in sleep tracking. It collects heart-rate and motion data, which is used to calculate a sleep score between 0 and 100. This score helps you easily track the quantity and quality of your sleep over time. The sleep score is based on the three stages of sleep: REM, light, and deep sleep. Each stage has a different function in the body's recovery and restoration process.

The Halo sleep score is designed to help you understand your sleep patterns, such as how long you spend in each sleep stage and how many times you wake up during the night. By connecting the data from the Halo Band with the insights from the Halo Rise, users can gain a comprehensive understanding of their sleep habits and make informed choices to improve their rest.

Halo's compatibility with other devices

Amazon's Halo Rise is a no-contact sleep tracker that uses motion sensors to study your movement and breathing patterns to assess your sleep. It is compatible with several other devices, including:

• Amazon Echo devices: The Halo Rise seamlessly integrates with Alexa, allowing for a more personalized sleep experience. It can be used to set smart alarms and wake-up lights, and it also provides sleep tracking data.
• The Halo Band and Halo View: While the Halo Rise can be used independently, pairing it with the Halo Band or Halo View unlocks additional features. The Halo app provides access to sleep features, workouts, recipes, and programs, especially when used alongside these devices.
• Smartphones: The Halo Rise can be used with smartphones through the Halo app, which is available on iOS and Android devices. However, it is important to note that the app has been reported to be basic, and reviewing historical data can be challenging.

It is worth mentioning that the Halo Rise has been found to have some challenges with accuracy, particularly in households with pets or bed partners. This is because the device tracks the nearest body, which can lead to confusion if there is more than one person or pet in the bed.

Halo's subscription plans

Amazon's Halo Rise is a no-contact sleep tracker that uses motion sensors to study your movement and breathing patterns to assess your sleep. The device includes a light that can be programmed to gradually get brighter to wake you up. The Halo Rise is priced at $140 and comes with a six-month trial of Amazon's Halo service. After the trial, the Halo subscription costs $3.99 monthly. This subscription is relatively affordable compared to other subscriptions. However, the Halo app is quite basic, and it can be challenging to view historical data. The subscription is only worth paying for if you use the Rise alongside the Halo Band or Halo View.

The Halo Collar is another device offered by Halo, which is a smart collar for dogs. It offers a variety of subscription plans, known as Pack Membership Plans. These plans provide continuous GPS tracking and real-time location alerts for your dog. The plans include unlimited cellular data and automatic network switching on various cellular providers, such as AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. You can manage your Pack Membership Plan through the My Account page on the Halo Collar website, where you can change the number of collars, adjust your membership level, and add Halo Care.

Halo Collar offers a discount when purchasing two or more collars and provides significant savings on the Pack Membership Plan for additional collars. For instance, with a Bronze-level membership, an extra collar costs $3.99 per month, while a Silver or Gold-level membership costs $4.99 per month for an additional collar. An annual billing option is also available, offering a 15% discount on the entire Pack Membership Plan, including Halo Care and additional collars. You can switch from monthly to annual billing through your My Account page.

It is important to note that you can cancel your Halo Collar plan and receive a refund before activating your first collar. After activation, you can cancel your plan or submit a cancellation request for the end of the current billing cycle through the Account/Edit Account Settings/Membership section on the Halo Collar website.

Halo's accuracy

Amazon's Halo Rise is a no-contact sleep tracker that uses motion sensors to study your movement and breathing patterns to assess your sleep. The Halo Rise is designed to be placed on your nightstand and uses low-energy sensor technology to track your sleep. The device uses a sleep tracking algorithm trained and validated against overnight polysomnography, the clinical gold standard for sleep analysis, to provide detailed and accurate sleep information. The algorithm has been validated on data from more than 150 sleep sessions, with over 100 unique participants. The Halo team regularly conducts sleep studies to further improve the algorithm's accuracy.

The Halo Rise is designed to track one person's sleep and will only detect the person nearest to the device. This feature ensures that the device only collects the primary user's data, even if a partner or pet joins them in bed. However, it is possible to use two devices to track separate individuals sleeping in the same bed. The Halo Rise also includes a smart alarm and wake-up light, which can be programmed to gradually brighten to simulate the sunrise and help users wake up feeling more refreshed.

While the Halo Rise offers a unique approach to sleep tracking, some users have questioned the accuracy of the data it provides. One reviewer compared the Halo Rise's sleep scores to those from other wearables and sleep tracking apps and found that, while the data corresponded on some nights, there were also nights when the data did not match at all. Another reviewer expressed concern about the accuracy of the sleep tracking data due to the presence of a pet in the bed, suggesting that the Halo Rise may be better suited for individuals who sleep alone or with a partner who does not move around much during the night.

To ensure the most accurate sleep data with the Halo Rise, it is recommended to double-check the fit of the band, ensuring it is snug enough to maintain direct contact with the skin. Additionally, users should be mindful of the limitations of sleep trackers in general, as they cannot provide the same level of insight as polysomnography studies performed in clinical settings.

Frequently asked questions