Just starting a quick thread since @RVconsultant brought up light cue devices for signaling when the user is in REM.
I have Version 1 of the REMDreamer. It works to signal REM for sure. My only issue with it is that even when on the lowest light setting, it’s always woken me right up lol.
I’ve never tried taking sleep supplements like melatonin to see if that would keep me asleep enough but not too deep where I couldn’t achieve solid lucidity.
I backed another device called the InstaDreamer (InstaDreamer.com)which should be shipping sometime this year FINALLY.
This one is designed to be a wrist-worn thing. During the day, it’s set to randomly buzz/vibrate on the user’s wrist, and when it does, that’s the person’s cue to run reality checks. They suggest the finger-through-the-palm test. But any would do I suspect.
The key there is it’s based on Pavlovian conditioning. You associate the buzz with instantly doing reality checks.
The other side of that is at night, it uses different methods to detect REM.
This is part of why it is taking so long to get it. They originally ran the Kickstarter for production since the research/design phase was finished. Once they got the money, though, they realized a new design idea that would make it “better”. Instead of just manufacturing and shipping with the design they had already.
It’ll be beautiful if/when it gets here lol. Another feature they discussed (which I hope survived the re-design process) is you can set your desired wake-up time, and if it detects you’re close to the wake-up time when in the lighter sleep stages, it’ll go ahead and wake you up. So you’re not groggy when waking up, even if it’s a few minutes earlier than the alarm was set.