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Dodow Review
UPDATED December 2024
Get the Sleep That You So Desperately Need
Total Rating: 4.5
4.5/5
BOTTOM LINE: This device comes from a company that makes bold claims about its use in sleep, but might not have everything it needs to back it up.
PROS:
- Functions as a metronome.
- It shuts itself off at the end of a session too.
- Small size
CONS:
- Complaints about a lack of user-friendly interface.
- Quality of sleep varies from person to person
- Not the strongest backing of product guarantee
- Complaints of the use of blue light
- Advertising Disclosure
The information we provide you is free of charge and a result of extensive research by our product experts. We use affiliate links in our site that provide us with referral commissions. While this fact may not influence the information we provide, it may affect the positioning of this information.
What is the Dodow?
There are a number of reasons why a person might have problems sleeping, including stress at work or that extra cup of coffee you had that afternoon. They may find that they have issues sleeping throughout the night and that they keep waking up for no reason.
Dodow is a device that makes big claims about helping a person fall asleep. This gadget that is part of an emerging sleep technology field, which includes products designed for all types of sleepers, but there is plenty of room for scrutiny.
How Does Dodow Work?
When you turn on Dodow, it produces a bright blue light that it then projects directly onto your ceiling. The way it’s meant to work is while the light is on the ceiling you lay on your back and stare up at it. The light will slowly expand and become much bigger before contracting down to a smaller point.
While watching the light, you need to focus your breathing to match the light. The first time that you use it, wait until the light hits the ceiling. As it contracts, breathe in slowly. You then exhale as the light expands.
The general idea behind the Dodow is that you focus your breathing on the light and bring your body back to a natural rhythm. This is meant to help slow down your breathing rate, which is meant to slow down your heart rate.
The device has two different settings that determine how long a person focuses on each session. You can choose between an eight-minute or a 20-minute session. Dodow will turn itself off at the end of the session every night.
Reasons for Sleep Problems
Stress is the most common reason why you can’t sleep at night. The stress that you feel at work can carry over into your personal life when you come home at night and lead to fights between you and your spouse. You may even find yourself taking out some of those frustrations on your children and friends. Some people experience sleep troubles because of the people they live with too. If you share a bedroom with someone who snores or talks in his or her sleep, the chances are good that you either aren’t getting the sleep that you need or that you can’t stay asleep all night. You might hear others moving through your house too such as your kids playing games or talking on their phones.
Hormone changes can also impact your sleep patterns. If your body slows down its production of the hormones that you need, you can expect to have problems falling asleep at night. You may want to talk with your doctor and undergo some tests before deciding on the right type of treatment for a hormonal imbalance. Even if there are multiple people living in your home who all have a different sleep schedule, you can still use the Dodow to fall asleep quickly.
Other Reasons You Can't Sleep
- You had too much caffeine the day before
- There are too many electronics and blue lights in your bedroom
- You are still hungry
- The bed you sleep on isn't comfortable
- There are too many noises in the room
Dodow Instructions
When you turn the Dodow device over, you will need to wait at least two seconds before touching it. There should be a light that tells you the batteries work and then a second light that lets you know it has a signal. Once you see both lights, you can use the touchscreen to turn on the gadget and set the length of the session that you want to use.
If you have any problems using the device, try turning it over and removing the batteries. You may need to give the device a few seconds before you insert the batteries and try again.
Insomnia and Its Symptoms
Many people say they suffer from insomnia when they just have a few rough nights. If you stayed up late to play that new video game and slept in the next day, you can expect to have problems falling back into your old sleep patterns the next night. Insomnia is a serious medical condition that can affect your overall health. Short-term or acute insomnia is a condition that lasts for a few weeks or less. Your doctor might recommend sleeping pills to help you get through that rough patch, or you may want to look at other areas of your body if you are experiencing pain. If you have leg or back pain, take a look at the mindsole. If you experience sleep troubles for a month or more, your doctor might diagnose you with long-term insomnia.
Long-term insomnia can cause a number of symptoms, including:
- Waking up during the night or before you wanted to in the morning
- Getting the sleep that you wanted but still feeling groggy
- Suffering from depression and/or anxiety
- Experiencing multiple accidents and mistakes during the day
- Worrying that you may never get enough sleep again
Insomniacs can suffer from this medical condition over the course of different periods. Some people get back on a set schedule and then begin having issues again in the future. Dodow is one of the few sleep gadgets on the market that can help with insomnia.
Leading Causes of Insomnia
- Stress at home and/or work
- Acid reflux and other medical conditions
- No set sleep schedule
- Poor nighttime habits
- Jet lag
How to Use Dodow
Dodow works best with those who sleep on their backs. As you need to direct the light onto the ceiling and stare at it, you need to be on your back. This makes it a product that is difficult to use for people who sleep on their sides, stomachs, or who shift a lot throughout the night.
It will need a clear line of sight between the touchscreen and the ceiling for the projection. The product doesn’t require much space, and a nightstand should be sufficient enough.
Before using the device, you should test it first. It’s helpful to get into the same spot where you usually sleep. You can turn it on and select a session length before placing it right on the nightstand.
Once you lay down, look directly towards the ceiling and check for the light. If you cannot see that light, you may need to move the device to a new spot. You must make sure that you can clearly see the light without any other distractions getting in the way and that you can see it as it both expands and contracts.
Dodow Price
The price of the Dodow depends on where you decide to buy it. HSN, which is the Home Shopping Network, offers it for sale online and on specials that air on the network. You can purchase it for one flat rate or sign up for flex pay, which requires that you send three payments to the company.
When you buy from a secondary source though, you’ll also pay for shipping and handling. This can add as much as $10 to the cost of the device itself.
There is also the simple choice of buying the product from Amazon. Amazon offers the Dodow for a low price of just $60.
Benefits of Using the Dodow
- Change states: Making the transition from playing with your kids or watching television to falling asleep is difficult. Dodow makes it easy for you to make this transition and to get into a state of rest.
- Increase melatonin production: Your body naturally produces melatonin, which helps you fall asleep. Many different companies now make supplements that you can take to increase your production too. When you use the Dodow, it will help slow down your metabolism and increase your melatonin to help you fall asleep in minutes.
- Change brain waves: If you head to bed immediately after finishing a chapter in a new book or an episode of your favorite television show, you’ll find that your brain waves still move at a rapid rate. This can make it nearly impossible for you to fall asleep. Dodow will actually slow down your brain waves and reach a state where rest is possible.
- Eliminate distractions: Though you can try focusing on your breathing without this device, you may find that this is quite difficult. If you have a snoring spouse in bed next to you or a dog that loves kicking in its sleep, those distractions can take over your mind. Dodow gives you something physical that you can concentrate on to ignore those distractions.
Who's This for?
Dodow is a gadget that the designers say is for anyone who has trouble falling asleep. The manufacturer of the gadget also recommends it for those who suffer from jet lag.
This device may be used to help you get back on track. It’s so small that you can even take the Dodow with you on vacation to get enough sleep for all the sightseeing that you want to do. This is not a medical device though, and should not be used as a treatment for conditions like insomnia or other general sleep disorders.
Tips for Getting Sleep on a Flight
- Wear a sleep mask to block out any fluorescent lights
- Use headphones to listen to soothing music
- Practice deep breathing before you sleep
- Get as comfortable as possible in your seat
- Do a few stretches to relax your muscles
Should You Buy it?
As far as sleep aid devices go, Dodow costs a fraction of what other sleep tools do. It really amounts to a metronome-like tool that is meant to help regulate your breathing, so while the device doesn’t do anything magical it can help with practicing some sleep techniques.
Dodow is much easier to use than tools like a white nose machine because all it requires that you insert the batteries and touch the screen just once or twice. If you touch it once, it will run for eight minutes, but it runs for 20 minutes when you tap it twice.
Types of White Noise
- Machines that use nature sounds, including waves crashing against the shore and wildlife
- Audiobooks that you listen to as you fall asleep
- Songs that you play on a music player or tablet
- Shows or films that you let run on television
The Competition: Dodow Alternative Gadgets
The most common Dodow alternative is a white noise machine. The most popular machines produce soft sounds that you can play as you drift off at night. You can select from different settings based on both the sounds that you want to hear and the volume that you need.
The HealthE Good Night LED Sleep Enhancing Bulb is another product you might want to look into. This bulb both changes and diffuses the amount of light produced by your bedside lamp.
If you prefer a more modern gadget, you might try the 2breathe Sleep Inducer, which has some good reviews on Amazon. This set comes with a belt that you wear and an app that you use on your phone. It helps you focus on your breathing as you fall asleep.
While there are some solid competitors to the Dodow, none of the products that we found work in the same way. Dodow helps you focus your breaths with a light that you can watch as you breathe. Though some think Dodow is a little pricey, it’s much less expensive than some of the alternatives.
Natural Ways to Fall Asleep Faster
- Try sleeping in a room that is colder than usual
- Run a fan in the room to produce some white noise and keep the room cool
- Avoid any distractions at least one hour before bed, including the television and computer
- Do at least 10 minutes of exercise before laying down
- Take a hot shower before you go to bed
Dodow Pros
The developers of Dodow wanted to create a sleep technology gadget that did not produce any side effects and a device that almost anyone could use. How well they succeed at that is up for the individual to decide, but it’s still worth going over some of the common pros people bring up.
Ease of Use
This device is so easy to use that you can set it up and run a session each night before jumping into bed. Dodow doesn’t require a lot of space and it requires just one or two touches to set it up.
Your Choice of Session Lengths
Not everyone falls asleep as quickly as everyone else does. Dodow gives you the option of picking the session length that works best for you based on how long it usually takes you to fall asleep.
An eight-minute session is best for those who fall asleep faster but still have some struggles and those who want to try out the gadget for the first time. The 20-minute session is better for those who want to spend more time on their breathing. If one session doesn’t help you drift off, you can set up another session.
Convenient Design
The Dodow is just two inches tall and 4.5 inches across. It’s tall enough that you can reach over and touch the top without knocking over your water glass, but it’s small enough that it won’t get in your way.
With just one or two taps to the surface, you can turn it on and start following the blue light that shines out. The Dodow weighs only seven ounces as-is and a little more with the included batteries, which makes it perfect for travelers.
No Cords
The issue with some of the other sleep aids out there, especially white noise machines, is you must sacrifice an outlet to use one. Most home bedrooms feature just a few outlets, which you need for your electronics such as your computer or phone charger.
The Dodow uses only three AAA batteries, which you can replace as needed. If you have a table or nightstand with a drawer, you can keep extra batteries on hand for future use.
Multiple Nights of Use
One set of batteries can provide the Dodow with up to 100 nights of use. Whether you use it every night or only on those nights when you struggle, you can rely on the same batteries for several months.
One possible downside to this sleep aid is that it does not feature a light that tells you when you need to replace the batteries. Instead, you need to keep an eye on the color of the blue light. When the light begins dimming, it’s a sign that the batteries are almost dead.
Dodow Cons
The problem with buying gadgets online is that you never know quite how that product will work for you. Many bad reviews came from people who tried the device and found that it didn’t work. Some found that they needed to tap the face multiple times to turn it on or that it shut down in the middle of a session.
Others had a hard time using it at home because it was too small for them to see. We even found reviews that stated it rolled around in the middle of the night. A few reviewers had a difficult time focusing their breathing on the light too.
Final Verdict
Though the Dodow has issues, it also has its share of fans. Those who did not like their experiences with the gadget are quite vocal though. For a device like this, it’s hard to weigh in too much more without going into medical research, which there is little on this device.
There are countless sleeping aid gadgets and medicines on the market that all make bold claims but it’s hard to find how well they back it up. At least with Dodow it’s possible to see what it does and why it would work. It’s effectively a device that helps you keep up a breathing rhythm, which is a noted method of helping with sleep.
It won’t work for everyone. There is no such thing as a magical cure-all. That’s why the only person who can figure out what is right for you is yourself or your doctor.
With all that said, using Dodow at the very least shouldn’t be harmful. The worst outcome is it simply doesn’t work, which can be frustrating but little more than that.
If it does work, then it’s one of the cheaper options out there with a couple of faults. Good sleep is a priceless thing, it’s just hard finding the right thing that works for you. As long as it doesn’t hurt, it might be worth experimenting with Dodow, but be sure to ask your doctor if you have any serious issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
A: The Dodow requires that you focus on the light produced and both inhale and exhale as that light changes. This will require that you sleep on your back. You can, however, use it if you sleep on your side or stomach. Once you reach the end of your session and find yourself drifting off, you can slowly move into your usual position.
A: Blue lights refer to the lights produced by the electronics in your home, including the screen on your cell phone and your television screen. The light used by the Dodow is much lighter and will not interfere with your body’s natural production of melatonin. It will not disrupt anyone who sleeps in the same room either.
A: The first time that you use the device, you may find that you feel sleepy but that you still don’t fall asleep. You can actually set the device to run through as many sessions as you need until you drift off. Most users found that they noticed significant changes within a few nightly sessions of using the device.
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