Dreampad pillow review: Soothe yourself into a restful nights sleep

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TA ratings 99Sleep: it’s a very important part of functioning properly and staying healthy. The Dreampad pillow is aimed at those users who benefit from sound therapy but is considerate to those who do not. Sound machines are widely used to help people fall asleep, there are even smartphone apps that play the part. One of the problems with sound machines is that they can be heard by everyone in the room. The Dreampad pillow integrates sound into the pillow itself providing a listening experience for the user only. This is a huge plus for those whose partners aren’t so keen on having any sort of noise in the room. The Dreampad pillow is also marketed as a useful tool for children who have problems going to sleep which can be a frustrating thing for parents. Read on for our full review of the Dreampad pillow and find out why it’s earned a Techaeris Top Pick award for 2017.

Specifications

  • 20″ x 28″
  • Embedded Intrasound Technology
  • Hypoallergenic

What’s In The Box

  • Dreampad pillow (memory support version)
  • Documentation and instructions
Dreampad
There are four versions of the Dreampad, we tested the memory foam version.

Design

There are four distinct designs for the Dreampad pillow, slim support ($149USD), medium support ($159USD), firm support ($159USD), and memory support ($179USD). The first three designs are your traditional fill pillows for those who prefer that fluffy feeling of those types of pillows. Our review unit was the memory support version, which is made of memory foam and is hypoallergenic. The cloth cover has a bumpy texture to it which is aesthetically pleasing but probably doesn’t serve any other function. There is a zipper on the side of the pillow designed to hold your smartphone while you sleep. The AUX cable is built into the pillow but does extend out a bit and does come with an extension cable so you can keep your smartphone on your nightstand if you wish. It’s a basic pillow design and the real magic happens inside which we’ll cover in the performance section.

Ease of Use

This is a plug and play device but it does come with a dedicated app you can take advantage of. The app basically offers up a bunch of preset sounds to use with the pillow but you can use whatever app you like. I actually preferred using the Dreampad app over my normal sound machine app. There’s a small stack of good sounds but I’m sure some users may not find exactly what they want from it. Once you have the phone plugged into the pillow, you can either store it inside the pillow or use the extension cable to place it on your nightstand. I opted to use the extension cable as I don’t trust a smartphone battery tucked into my pillow. After you’re all set up, just fire up your favorite sounds and you’re good to go. You can also use a small Bluetooth receiver in the pillow if you aren’t comfortable tethering your phone to your pillow. This device is super simple to use.

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Performance

The Dreampad works through bone conduction. Placing your head on the pillow allows you to hear the sounds through your bones which means the sound cannot be heard by your partner in the same bed. This is a pretty fantastic feature for my wife who has always hated my sound machine noise. She would rather have silence than hear the sound of rain or the ocean. The below quote is from the company’s website and should explain the science a bit better.

The Dreampad’s Intrasound Tech is based on the natural conductivity of the human body. Our bones are natural conductors; in fact, every time you speak the vibration caused by your voice is carried by bone to your inner ear. In the same way, music from the Dreampad travels internally to your ear.

One positive aspect of this is that you’re not disturbing others in the room when you’re using the Dreampad. More importantly, as the vibration moves toward the bony area surrounding your middle and inner ear, it is triggering your body’s relaxation response. Clinical data suggests that the calming effect of the Dreampad is a result of the vibrational music stimulating the vagus nerve, which in turn activates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). Our PNS helps us regulate stress – if we’re in a state of hyper-arousal, or elevated stress, the PNS is the part of our nervous system which brings us down to a calmer place where we can relax and fall asleep.

The Dreampad has been tested with various populations, including adults, children, war veterans with PTSD, children with autism and sensory processing difficulties (see our research page). More studies are being developed to determine its effect on the autonomic nervous system as well as to identify specific groups who might benefit from its calming influence.

The performance of this pillow is top notch and probably is the best sound machine I’ve ever used. Having the sound right in your head works wonders for soothing and lulling me to sleep quickly and I’ve found I sleep much better using this pillow. I do have one child with some sensory processing issues, we’ve yet to test this pillow with him but plan on doing that soon. The Dreampad (not to sound cheesy) works like a dream. It not only works in getting me to sleep fast, it keeps my wife happy with silence in the room so she can go to sleep too.

Dreampad
Memory support version.

Price/Value

These don’t come cheap. Starting at $149USD and going up to $179USD but I think the value is completely there if you really need something to help you sleep.

Wrap Up

These products aren’t for everyone. Sound therapy, aroma therapy, and other practices don’t always work for all, but for those who do absolutely believe in sound machines, tghis is a hell of a buy.

*We were sent a review sample of the Dreampad pillow for the purposes of this review.
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