I want to thank my friends at Dodow for sponsoring this review and helping me raise Autism awareness. All views and opinions are my own.
Sleep is so incredibly important, especially in the case of Autism or Special Needs parents. Quality sleep is a huge part of self-care and something I've struggled with for a long time.
I've always been resistant to take anything to help me sleep because I need to be able to deal with anything that may come up in the middle of the night. You'd be surprised how often things come up in the middle of the night.
Anyway, I'm always looking for ways to help improve my ability to sleep, and since I'm a big tech fan, the Dodow was very intriguing to me.
The Dodow is a straightforward device, designed by insomniacs, to help you fall asleep up to 2.5 times faster. It runs on 3xAAA batteries and has a touch surface. I thought it was a bit weird that the batteries weren't built-in and rechargeable, but it's not a huge deal. Some people prefer to have replaceable batteries.
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The design is elegant. It resembles a drink coaster in both size and shape, so it's very portable.
The whole idea behind Dodow is to help you fall asleep faster and without medication. It's incredibly simple to use, and in my personal experience, it's very effective.
All you do is tap the touch-sensitive surface once to turn it on for an eight-minute cycle and twice for a twenty-minute cycle. Once activated, a blue light appears on the ceiling. Dodow’s soft blue light (brightness < 1 lux) allows your body to relax, without inhibiting melatonin production.
You simply match your breathing with the pulsation of the light. Inhale when the light shines and then exhale when the light goes out. The exhalation is deliberately longer because it helps to create a sensation of tiredness.
When either the eight or twenty-minute cycle ends, Dodow switches itself off. At that point, you'll be incredibly relaxed and ready to fall asleep naturally.
As I said, it's beneficial.
Should you want to turn it off manually, simply touch and hold for three seconds. You can also adjust the brightness of the blue light to find what fits your situation best.
I used Dodow, and my 10-year-old Autistic son did as well. It proved to be tremendously calming for him, and he really likes it. We're hoping to be able to transition him away from melatonin if we can. ☺
Sleep is so important and for me personally, falling asleep can be a challenge. Being able to tap the Dodow and focus on my breathing, helps me shut my brain off long enough to fall asleep. My life is so incredibly stressful, and I need to make the most of whatever sleep I can get.
The Dodow retails for $60, but there are discounts when you purchase multiple Dodows. You can buy your own Dodow here. They offer a 100-day money back guarantee, so you really have nothing to lose but your sleepless nights. ☺
