StressEraser Portable Biofeedback Device
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List Price: Our Price: $131.99 You Save: $47.01 (26%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Health Care See more product details |
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Customer Reviews of StressEraser Portable Biofeedback Device
Customer Review: A little expensive, but it works great for me
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this thing because I was curious about it, thought I'd try it out and intended on sending it back once I convinced myself that it was a glorified breathing machine. Well, the thing works for me so I won't be sending it back.
You can read about the theory behind it at their website, but basically it measures your heart rate variability which in turn is supposed to reflect your emotional state. The device prompts you to breath out at a certain time to bring your HRV to an optimum level, which it measures by giving you a rating of 1-3 cubes at the bottom of the screen, 1 being bad and 3 being good.
The first thing that I wanted to know was whether it accurately reflected my mental state, which I doubted it would. So I've tried thinking about something stressful at random times during periods when I was otherwise relaxed (3 cubes) and it gives me 1 cube pretty much every time. 1 cube definitely feels worse than 3 cubes. I've repeated this many times over and I don't doubt now that it can tell if I've gone from a relaxing state of mind to a stressful one. I can also tell now, based on how I feel, when I will get 1 cube vs. 3. This has turned out to be useful information because I can make myself feel relaxed without having to use the device, so I think the biofeedback component is really useful - it has helped me train myself to relax. It's a bit like a relaxation coach. I still can't get as relaxed on my own as I can using it, but maybe in time I'll be able to.
The next thing I was interested in is whether this thing is any better than just sitting there and breathing calmly. Having convinced myself that it accurately predicts whether I'm stressed, I've tried to test this by ignoring the breathing prompts and just breathing in a nice calm manner and recording how many 3 cubes vs. 1 cubes I got in 15 minutes and comparing that number with the one obtained from breathing based on prompts for 15 minutes. Generally I get about 30-40% more using the prompts. The difference seems to be decreasing, but I think that's because I have learned to breath the way it wants me to w/out the prompts. Basically I'm getting better at using breathing to decrease stress so I don't need to rely on the device as much. At the beginning though, I wasn't too good at using breathing to calm myself.
Obviously I can't tell if this works for everyone, and I bet some people are good at using deep breathing to calm themselves so that they wouldn't benefit so much from this, but I've been pleasantly surprised in that it's not a scam and it has helped me to de-stress without drinking a bottle of wine every night like I used to do (kidding). I'd like to see the price come down though.
Customer Review: immediate, organic relaxation and overwhelming desire to sleep!--no more meds, thanks
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a generally stressed out medical student who has been on and off antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications for almost a decade. After using the stress eraser for less than five minutes I immediately feel calm and have an overwhelming sense of calm and a desire to sleep. Honestly, I can't imagine getting back on the meds, mainly because they just weren't as effective as using this device and their side-effects are undesirable. As a result of using the stress eraser (10-15 minutes before bedtime) I no longer have trouble sleeping and the sleep I get is always restful, and not ridden with stressful dreams like before.
As a student of medicine I understand that when I'm stressed I am in "fight or flight" mode. This so called "sympathetic" response is amazingly strong and in most people reaches its height during exceptional events, when we need to run quickly, think fast, and flee from danger (we've all heard of the grandmother who lifted a car to save her grandchild. Her sympathetic system activation helped make that possible). As someone prone to anxiety and stress, this "fight or flight" reaction almost seems like the normal baseline state for me. Countering the sympathetic responses are the "parasympathetic" or "rest and digest" state. These turn our body's focus to a lowered heart rate and a restful state.
It makes sense that if our sympathetic responses can be amazingly strong (grandmother lifting car), it reasons that our parasympathetic responses should be at least as potent in a reciprocal way. This device has helped me hone in on the strength of parasympathetic response. This biofeedback stress eraser has shown me that an overwhelming parasympathetic response does exist!
Because the device gives you immediate, positive feedback on your heart rate and how appropriate your breathing is, I can learn how best to breathe to counter stress. Because I'm focusing on the graphical images and striving for a good breathing pattern, I'm engaged as though meditating. Even though I've been practicing yoga for the last 4 years, I've still had trouble controlling my mind and relaxing during meditation without a lot of time and effort. This device has relaxed me more than a yoga session, but in a fraction of the time. Of course I'm still sticking with the yoga because it definitely helps and it's good physical exercise, but I can't go to yoga class every time I'm stressed! What I can do, however, is whip out this little guy and take five minutes out of my day to relax.
THIS IS AN INVALUABLE DEVICE!
Customer Review: Excellent device
Summary: 5 Stars
I have a lot of gadgets. An iPad, Kindle, Xbox 360, etc. If I was allowed to take only one device with me; it would be the StressEraser. The StressEraser is a tool that allows me to effectively handle the stress I deal with on a daily basis. The best way I can describe the feeling is one of being slightly intoxicated but still retaining full mental clarity. That is how I feel after using the StressEraser to unwind during the day.
It is important to remember two things: 1) If you handle stress well or you already practice meditation, the StressEraser may be superfluous for you. 2) It is only as effective as how much effort you put into it. In order for me to get the feeling described above, I had to use the StressEraser daily garnering at least 100 points a day. With me, that comes out to about 20 to 30 minutes a day.
I have tried meditating without the StressEraser but I find the bio-feedback to be what I need to get the best results. It allows me to monitor and thereby adjust my breathing, attaining the desired results more quickly and with less effort than through meditation alone.
With a little imagination, this device can be used to `train' your body to respond to stress in a more proficient manner. Before getting into a potentially heated conversation, I use the StressEraser to get myself into a more relax state. I have even watched movies that I find to be frightening while using the StressEraser. The result, I am much less jumpy at the sound of loud noise such as a car backfiring or fireworks going off in the neighborhood, noises which in the past would have made me apprehensive. In other words, I am much more calm.
I love this device. It has helped improve my quality of life.
Customer Review: Fantastic device, probably not for "hardcore" meditators
Summary: 5 Stars
I have a long time, twice-a-day meditation practice which includes breathing techniques, but was curious about this device anyway. So, I bought it on impulse. It is impressive, but simple and easy to use. I'd recommend it to anyone who doesn't have some sort of regular (2-3 times daily) stress-relief practice in place. It's function is simple - you simply breath in, then exhale when the device prompts you to. The tool sort of "teaches" you how to breath based on feedback on the screen, and as you learn to focus on the breath...poof, you stop worrying about other stuff.
After you learn the "how to" part and get regular with your breathing sessions, the additional personal benefit may be more limited. Since I'm already very familiar with using the breath to center myself, this item could become a glorified "breath counter": The ancillary good stuff is that it records a history of how many sessions of breathing I've done and details about same, and the device will always give me feedback on my current state of mind (am I taking slow, well spaced breaths or short jerky ones, etc.)...I'm just not sure that those functions are quite worth the asking price.
Back to YOU, however. I'd absolutely recommend this device for anyone who doesn't do meditation and/or Pranayama regularly. For those folk who want a scientific approach to stress relief and might feel uncomfortable with the spirtual trappings of Yoga / meditation / etc, this thing is also perfect.
The device itself is very solid feeling, and I'm sure would survive multiple..."drop tests" (although I haven't been clumsy enough to try it yet!). You'll also be able to get started with it very quickly without spending tons of time with the instructions.
Customer Review: Quite simply - this works
Summary: 5 Stars
This product works. The process is simple and the machine is easy to use. There has been some good research done on heart wave coherence to prove that the concept is a lot more than a gimmick or snake oil. The StressEraser works as well as more expensive biofeedback units to teach us how to chill out in a good way. In the month I've been using this I've had to go visit my doctor to reduce my blood pressure medication in half and my daily average is still lower than it was before I began. It may be time to reduce the dosage yet again.
There are those who have reviewed this device and said that simple breathing is just as effective. I've tried a couple different stress management programs that taught deep conscious breathing. That helped me feel better but didn't lower my blood pressure the way that using this does.
As for meditation as an equivalent, this isn't meditation. Insight meditation is a good practice, I've been doing it daily for over 25 years. I've studied with different teachers. The practice has brought me a lot of good and an ability to observe the emotions that pass through awareness. It didn't lower my blood pressure. I am willing to believe that meditation has kept my BP from being more than slightly high. It didn't inoculate me from the condition. Meditate for the benefits of meditation. Do biofeedback to gain voluntary control over your body. Different tools for different goals.