Jyoti
Senior Member
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I happened upon a new wearable device that claims to be able to alter mood and to shift the CNS from sympathetic to parasympathetic, among other things: Apollo Neuro (https://apolloneuro.com). I was pretty skeptical but read a bunch of reviews, most of which were done by professional reviewers since the product is very new and not yet widely used.
There were a few consistent complaints--it is not attractive, if you wear it on your ankle (preferred placement for many, it seems) it looks enough like an ankle monitor to make people self-conscious and when you wear it on your wrist, it is big and clunky enough to get in the way of typing. Beyond these issues, every review I could find suggested that it really works and can make a huge difference in the quality of one's life.
So...I took the plunge and bought one. It is pricey--about $350. But then again, how long does it take me to spend that on supplements? How many osteopathic treatments does that cover? How many minutes with someone like Dr. Kaufman does that pay for? We all the know the calculations that go into these choices.
Speaking only for myself, this has been an incredible investment so far. I have had it just a week and will report back in a month or so. The literature suggests that regular usage over the course of 30 days can actually retrain your nervous system, create or recreate the neural pathways that allow one to respond to stress more functionally by moving back into parasympathetic mode when any potential dangers/stressors have passed.
In addition, their own research (we will have to wait for something independent, I suppose) shows a consistent elevation of HRV for regular users.
The Apollo apparently works by emitting inaudible, low frequency sound waves. There are seven modes to choose from, or seven patterns of sound waves: Energy and Wake Up, Meditation and Mindfulness, Rebuild and Recover, Clear and Focused, Social and Open, Relax and Unwind, Sleep and Renew. In addition to choosing the mode you need, you get to select an intensity of vibration and a length of session. It is advised that you set it low so that the vibrations can be felt only when you are really attending--mostly, they seem to become part of the background for me.
The device is controlled by a smartphone, which is another limitation for some of us. And there are some concerns for me about the EMFs, though you can set it for airplane mode if you it is not at work.
I am not a big tech-lover and do not generally look in this direction for solutions to my problems. But, as mentioned above, I am really excited about this. I do feel like my sympathetic nervous system has been stuck on 'on' since I got sick 8 years ago. I CAN shift it with very conscious attention--breathing and meditation--but if my focus wavers for a second it rebounds back to a sympathetic tone instantly. I know we are varied in our symptomology, but for those who like me tend toward wired but tired and an inability to lay it all down, this might be a good thing to look at..
Here are my specific observations so far:
The Good:
The Relax and Unwind mode almost immediately had a notable impact. I felt muscles I didn't know I had soften and relax. Kept on for an hour or so every few hours leaves me feeling much more comfortable and relaxed, able to deal with surprises or small challenges without my typical response which is to clench and defend and then plough on through what needs to be done. With this regular reminder to my body to calm down, I do seem able to meet life with less hypervigilance and tension.
The other night, I was coming off a long and very active day and I was extremely wired and tired. Trembling when I finally got to bed. I put the Apollo on Relax and Unwind and while it took almost an hour, the tension all dissipated in a way it NEVER would have on my own efforts. I found myself relaxed enough to be yawning and feeling sleepy. I was sure I was headed into PEM, but ....dodged it this time.
Speaking of that--the Sleep and Renew mode has been a bit of a revelation. The first night I tried it, I found myself doing just that--yawning and feeling sleepy. I realized that I have not felt that way--or yawned--in at least 7 years. I (and perhaps I am alone in this?) just trigger more and more cortisol the more exhausted my system is. Then, I need to slam myself with various herbs and such to knock myself out. To yawn was amazing, to feel my body relaxing into its own tiredness was delicious. (See below for the sleep report.)
Social and Open mode seems to give me a little space when I am interacting with others. Even when I at low ebb, I am more able than usual to really attend to and care about others (as ideally I always want to) than I would normally, where my goal is to just get through it.
Meditation and Mindfulness seem nice, but I am a meditator and didn't wildly change anything for me.
Not able to attribute this to a specific mode, I am also just delighted to find that I am weeping a lot of late. (Movies, stories in the news mostly.) This may sound weird, but I was always a great crier. I have missed having access to this over the years of my illness. I have cried, but mostly in frustration or anger. As I relax, I surmise, I am more able to flow with my emotional states and it feels great.
The Bad:
The Apollo is not putting me to sleep. It is helping me feel sleepy and less tense, which is great, but I do not cross the line into sleep without the usual potions. On the other hand, it does seem to help me get back to sleep when I wake up in the night. Promotional material says that the impact accrues over 30 days at least and so I am still hoping this will be more helpful as I use it longer.
The Energy and Wake Up mode is awful for me, like drinking six espressos without the joy of the coffee.
Would love to know if anyone else has tried the Apollo or anything like it.
There were a few consistent complaints--it is not attractive, if you wear it on your ankle (preferred placement for many, it seems) it looks enough like an ankle monitor to make people self-conscious and when you wear it on your wrist, it is big and clunky enough to get in the way of typing. Beyond these issues, every review I could find suggested that it really works and can make a huge difference in the quality of one's life.
So...I took the plunge and bought one. It is pricey--about $350. But then again, how long does it take me to spend that on supplements? How many osteopathic treatments does that cover? How many minutes with someone like Dr. Kaufman does that pay for? We all the know the calculations that go into these choices.
Speaking only for myself, this has been an incredible investment so far. I have had it just a week and will report back in a month or so. The literature suggests that regular usage over the course of 30 days can actually retrain your nervous system, create or recreate the neural pathways that allow one to respond to stress more functionally by moving back into parasympathetic mode when any potential dangers/stressors have passed.
In addition, their own research (we will have to wait for something independent, I suppose) shows a consistent elevation of HRV for regular users.
The Apollo apparently works by emitting inaudible, low frequency sound waves. There are seven modes to choose from, or seven patterns of sound waves: Energy and Wake Up, Meditation and Mindfulness, Rebuild and Recover, Clear and Focused, Social and Open, Relax and Unwind, Sleep and Renew. In addition to choosing the mode you need, you get to select an intensity of vibration and a length of session. It is advised that you set it low so that the vibrations can be felt only when you are really attending--mostly, they seem to become part of the background for me.
The device is controlled by a smartphone, which is another limitation for some of us. And there are some concerns for me about the EMFs, though you can set it for airplane mode if you it is not at work.
I am not a big tech-lover and do not generally look in this direction for solutions to my problems. But, as mentioned above, I am really excited about this. I do feel like my sympathetic nervous system has been stuck on 'on' since I got sick 8 years ago. I CAN shift it with very conscious attention--breathing and meditation--but if my focus wavers for a second it rebounds back to a sympathetic tone instantly. I know we are varied in our symptomology, but for those who like me tend toward wired but tired and an inability to lay it all down, this might be a good thing to look at..
Here are my specific observations so far:
The Good:
The Relax and Unwind mode almost immediately had a notable impact. I felt muscles I didn't know I had soften and relax. Kept on for an hour or so every few hours leaves me feeling much more comfortable and relaxed, able to deal with surprises or small challenges without my typical response which is to clench and defend and then plough on through what needs to be done. With this regular reminder to my body to calm down, I do seem able to meet life with less hypervigilance and tension.
The other night, I was coming off a long and very active day and I was extremely wired and tired. Trembling when I finally got to bed. I put the Apollo on Relax and Unwind and while it took almost an hour, the tension all dissipated in a way it NEVER would have on my own efforts. I found myself relaxed enough to be yawning and feeling sleepy. I was sure I was headed into PEM, but ....dodged it this time.
Speaking of that--the Sleep and Renew mode has been a bit of a revelation. The first night I tried it, I found myself doing just that--yawning and feeling sleepy. I realized that I have not felt that way--or yawned--in at least 7 years. I (and perhaps I am alone in this?) just trigger more and more cortisol the more exhausted my system is. Then, I need to slam myself with various herbs and such to knock myself out. To yawn was amazing, to feel my body relaxing into its own tiredness was delicious. (See below for the sleep report.)
Social and Open mode seems to give me a little space when I am interacting with others. Even when I at low ebb, I am more able than usual to really attend to and care about others (as ideally I always want to) than I would normally, where my goal is to just get through it.
Meditation and Mindfulness seem nice, but I am a meditator and didn't wildly change anything for me.
Not able to attribute this to a specific mode, I am also just delighted to find that I am weeping a lot of late. (Movies, stories in the news mostly.) This may sound weird, but I was always a great crier. I have missed having access to this over the years of my illness. I have cried, but mostly in frustration or anger. As I relax, I surmise, I am more able to flow with my emotional states and it feels great.
The Bad:
The Apollo is not putting me to sleep. It is helping me feel sleepy and less tense, which is great, but I do not cross the line into sleep without the usual potions. On the other hand, it does seem to help me get back to sleep when I wake up in the night. Promotional material says that the impact accrues over 30 days at least and so I am still hoping this will be more helpful as I use it longer.
The Energy and Wake Up mode is awful for me, like drinking six espressos without the joy of the coffee.
Would love to know if anyone else has tried the Apollo or anything like it.
