6 ms·

Show HN: Napwell – We Want to Help You Sleep Better

69 points by njoglekar 12y ago

imjared 12y ago
I've always been under the impression that a good nap consists of me being tired and going to lay down in my bed for 15-20 minutes. I've done it so regularly and so often that I naturally wake up after 20 minutes and feel quite refreshed. I looked (not too hard) to try to find a description of how someone/some company/some app could possibly optimize my napping but I couldn't find any information about what I was looking at. It was only when I went to the Kickstarter page that I realized this is some sort of sleeping mask with what looks like an alarm clock or timer built in to it.
- jgj 12y ago
  I guess the idea is that it's preferable to an alarm clock, whose shrieking beeps and buzzes make for an unpleasant arousal. I have an alarm clock/lamp that slowly increases light and audio levels (I have it set to bird sounds). It's great for a gentle wake-up, but the bird sounds get repetitive if you don't snooze/turn it off after 20 seconds or so. My biggest issue with Napwell, aside from the obnoxious information desert that is its homepage, is that I could never fall asleep with a thing strapped to my face.
- dllthomas 12y ago
  One benefit here seems to be telling other people when they can expect you awake again (as the timer seems to be visible on the outside).
  - njoglekar 12y ago
    That was something we heard repeatedly from our Kickstarter backers.
  - avalaunch 12y ago
    ...I have exactly 8 minutes and 20 seconds to get that watch off of your wrist and into my pocket. I know this isn't a real concern but it was the first thing I thought when I saw the timer.
    - dllthomas 12y ago
      For sure it can be a downside as well. Of course, napping in situations where it might be a downside probably wouldn't be wise in the first place (... and maybe they could build in a proximity sensor?)
hoopism 12y ago
FINALLY... someone has addressed this napping problem I've never had. Sorry for the trolling.
jfaat 12y ago
Awesome looking product! I noticed that the favicon doesn't load on any of the pages in the root directory. Maybe it was only put into /blog, because it loads for the blog. Tried in Chrome and Safari on OSX.
- njoglekar 12y ago
  Thanks, will fix
joaor 12y ago
there is a flying ">" somewhere
- wesako 12y ago
  Seems to be right after the opening body tag. The ">" is visible if you hide the header.
- timdorr 12y ago
  There is some unparsed PHP in there: <html class="no-js" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" <?php language_attributes(); ?>>
arnarbi 12y ago
Please don't disable the play-controls in embedded videos.
psychometry 12y ago
I'm always amazed at the people who can just close their eyes and fall asleep in minutes, even in a sitting position. All of these articles about napping completely neglect the question of how to fall asleep quickly in an unideal environment. I should take a 20-minute nap every afternoon? Well, how am I supposed to manage that if it would take over an hour for me to fall asleep, assuming I'm able to do that at all?
- blakestein 12y ago
  This is my situation as well. I can't just decide to go take a nap, and when I do nap it's sort of spontaneous while I'm watching sports or reading a book. My wife on the other hand can pretty much just choose to go to sleep.
  - ggiaco 12y ago
    From personal experience, it helps to actually get to a point that you're physically exhausted in order to fall asleep easily. Exercise really helps!
- njoglekar 12y ago
  Great point. To give you a look into the future: Version 1 helps you wake up, Version 2 will help you fall asleep too. Stay tuned.
  - bjchrist 12y ago
    Can't wait for version 2 :-) What's your opinion on melatonin?
    - njoglekar 12y ago
      It's generally okay in small amounts but if you plan on taking it longer term you should consult a physician.
- Sonthun 12y ago
  I read this week that the average person falls asleep in 7 minutes. 7 minutes!!! If I could fall asleep in 7 minutes I would get a lot more sleep.
eglover 12y ago
What does it do?
- njoglekar 12y ago
  The mask has interior lights that slowly become brighter to wake you up naturally. Like a sunrise alarm clock but in a mask.
chunkiestbacon 12y ago
You might want to add a 'tweet this' button to improve the virality of this. I can't afford this right now, but I still want to share it with my followers who maybe can. It's a cool idea. Also, I have zero knowledge of marketing, but: what about adding a tagline on the first page, that explains it for those people who are impatient, don't have headphones and can't watch the video. Something that explains that you developed an electronic sleep mask that wakes you up with light.

69 points by njoglekar 12y ago

I've always been under the impression that a good nap consists of me being tired and going to lay down in my bed for 15-20 minutes. I've done it so regularly and so often that I naturally wake up after 20 minutes and feel quite refreshed. I looked (not too hard) to try to find a description of how someone/some company/some app could possibly optimize my napping but I couldn't find any information about what I was looking at. It was only when I went to the Kickstarter page that I realized this is some sort of sleeping mask with what looks like an alarm clock or timer built in to it.

jgj 12y ago
I guess the idea is that it's preferable to an alarm clock, whose shrieking beeps and buzzes make for an unpleasant arousal. I have an alarm clock/lamp that slowly increases light and audio levels (I have it set to bird sounds). It's great for a gentle wake-up, but the bird sounds get repetitive if you don't snooze/turn it off after 20 seconds or so. My biggest issue with Napwell, aside from the obnoxious information desert that is its homepage, is that I could never fall asleep with a thing strapped to my face.
dllthomas 12y ago
One benefit here seems to be telling other people when they can expect you awake again (as the timer seems to be visible on the outside).
- njoglekar 12y ago
  That was something we heard repeatedly from our Kickstarter backers.
- avalaunch 12y ago
  ...I have exactly 8 minutes and 20 seconds to get that watch off of your wrist and into my pocket. I know this isn't a real concern but it was the first thing I thought when I saw the timer.
  - dllthomas 12y ago
    For sure it can be a downside as well. Of course, napping in situations where it might be a downside probably wouldn't be wise in the first place (... and maybe they could build in a proximity sensor?)

hoopism 12y ago

FINALLY... someone has addressed this napping problem I've never had. Sorry for the trolling.

jfaat 12y ago

Awesome looking product! I noticed that the favicon doesn't load on any of the pages in the root directory. Maybe it was only put into /blog, because it loads for the blog. Tried in Chrome and Safari on OSX.

njoglekar 12y ago
Thanks, will fix

joaor 12y ago

there is a flying ">" somewhere

wesako 12y ago
Seems to be right after the opening body tag. The ">" is visible if you hide the header.
timdorr 12y ago
There is some unparsed PHP in there: <html class="no-js" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" <?php language_attributes(); ?>>

arnarbi 12y ago

Please don't disable the play-controls in embedded videos.

psychometry 12y ago

I'm always amazed at the people who can just close their eyes and fall asleep in minutes, even in a sitting position. All of these articles about napping completely neglect the question of how to fall asleep quickly in an unideal environment. I should take a 20-minute nap every afternoon? Well, how am I supposed to manage that if it would take over an hour for me to fall asleep, assuming I'm able to do that at all?

blakestein 12y ago
This is my situation as well. I can't just decide to go take a nap, and when I do nap it's sort of spontaneous while I'm watching sports or reading a book. My wife on the other hand can pretty much just choose to go to sleep.
- ggiaco 12y ago
  From personal experience, it helps to actually get to a point that you're physically exhausted in order to fall asleep easily. Exercise really helps!
njoglekar 12y ago
Great point. To give you a look into the future: Version 1 helps you wake up, Version 2 will help you fall asleep too. Stay tuned.
- bjchrist 12y ago
  Can't wait for version 2 :-) What's your opinion on melatonin?
  - njoglekar 12y ago
    It's generally okay in small amounts but if you plan on taking it longer term you should consult a physician.
Sonthun 12y ago
I read this week that the average person falls asleep in 7 minutes. 7 minutes!!! If I could fall asleep in 7 minutes I would get a lot more sleep.

eglover 12y ago

What does it do?

njoglekar 12y ago
The mask has interior lights that slowly become brighter to wake you up naturally. Like a sunrise alarm clock but in a mask.

chunkiestbacon 12y ago

You might want to add a 'tweet this' button to improve the virality of this. I can't afford this right now, but I still want to share it with my followers who maybe can. It's a cool idea. Also, I have zero knowledge of marketing, but: what about adding a tagline on the first page, that explains it for those people who are impatient, don't have headphones and can't watch the video. Something that explains that you developed an electronic sleep mask that wakes you up with light.