Update 10/5/2014 Since the writing of this I have had more time with the Remee as well as having a chance to read feedback from many other who have tried it since it shipped. The mask, despite being comfortable to wear, was not easy for me to get used to during sleep (as it turns out a regular sleep mask isn’t either in my case) so it was hard for me to test it over many nights. In addition to that, the function of the light signal was not easy to time to my REM phases, although it was slightly easier with the nap mode if I activate during the night after waking up. It seems that many users have had similar issues and have not achieved much success with the Remee. Part of the problem, other than the masks lack of ability to detect REM, is that it came with no guidance other than the operation manual, and for beginners and novices this was not sufficient to help them achieve lucidity. This mask is an aid and it can work but it still requires trial and error as well as persistence. Despite not being perfect, this device is good as an entry level lucid dreaming mask with a price more people can afford, making it a viable option for many.

The Remee Lucid Dreaming Mask (who’s achronim is the “REM Enhancing Eyemask”) took the world by storm when Bitbanger Labs launched their Kickstarter Campaign in April of 2012. They sailed through their goal of $35K to eventually raise more than half a million dollars, and for good reason. The world of lucid dreaming was ready for a new lucid dreaming aid as there was little new in the last ten years with very few exceptions.

The Remee is a sleep mask that flashes in various sequences of six red LED lights to signal and help alert you that you are dreaming. The following is my initial review and thoughts about the Remee, addressed to those who are considering getting one and wish to get a better sense of how it works as well as to the thousands of people who already have those and could benefit from a few tips on how to use it.

A Sleep Mask

Remee is first and formost a sleep mask and as such it needs to be comfortable to sleep in. As compared to a regular sleep mask it is a little thicker and slightly heavier than most and yet still comfortable and you can sleep with it throughout the night. I had to get used to it but that didn’t take very long. Now compared to other lucid dreaming masks the Remee is unparalleled. It contains a thin flexible circuit board (with the exception of 2 small areas where hard components like the battery) with a thin battery (that should last about 5-6 months) and six red LED lights all snugly covered in a fairly thin foam. It is lighter, thiner and more comfortable than any other LD mask I have tried. Unlike other masks, there are no exposed parts but the components are accessible through a velcro opening at the top.

Lucidity

Remee works by trying to time its signals to flash while you are in REM sleep (the cycle of sleep in which dreaming occurs). This is done by the device starting a few hours after going to sleep, where REM cycles are longer, and flash additional times after certain intervals. You can program how long before it first flashes, how long between the intervals and the flash patterns as well as the brightness intensity. It will probably take a few attempts before you fine tune it’s setting to better match your sleep cycles but if you go to sleep at the site time every night you have a good chance of adjusting it fairly quickly.

Remee’s flashing lights are intended to be a lucidity trigger. They are meant to show up as artifacts and effects in your dreams that you might notice, wonder about and even recognize which will help you realize you are dreaming. When you set a particular pattern, try to memorize it, tell yourself that when you’ll see that pattern next that you will recognize you are dreaming and become lucid. If you see flashing red light in any scenario in your daily life, do a reality check and ask yourself, “Am I Dreaming?”.

Remee has another neat little feature called Nap Mode in which it will be set to flash a short time after being activated. This is perfect for, well, naps. It helps prevent having to reprogram it from several hours to several minutes and back. Nap Mode is great for those “going back to sleep” moments on weekend mornings or days where there is no rush to get up.

Video Review

I have put together a quick video going over some of the aspects of the Remee and my thoughts about it as well as quick comparison to a mask that has a REM Detection feature:



Music Credit: Song used in the video is Lucid Dream Machine by Something Fiction

Tips & Tricks

For those who have a Remee, I wanted to share a little of my experience with it so far and some of the issues & solutions i’ve discovered in using Remee.

If you are trying to program Remee, but the lights in the back do not flash along with the programing screen as shown in the video below, there might be either too much light or too little light in the room. I found that both a lot of or too little light can interfere with the programing. Also make sure the light sensors are properly exposed and aligned with the squares on the screen.

Before trying to program the Remee differently each night to figure out what brightness level will be best for you, double click the front button to activate the pattern that will be displayed during sleep and put the mask on with your eyes closed. If you can’t notice the light pattern when you are awake, you probably won’t notice it when you are asleep. Increase the brightness until you see it slightly through your closed eyelids and try that brightness level first.

If you find the mask slipping off of your head at night (has not happend to me actually), try putting the back head band under your ears instead of above them.

For those of you who don’t have a steady and constant sleep throughout the night (like myself), use Nap Mode every time you wake up and go to sleep. This will increase your chances of seeing the pattern more times during REM sleep as most times we wake up from sleep is during dreaming.

Programing Remee

The way you program the Remee is nothing short of brilliant. Using 2 light sensors on the circuit board, the programming page on their website flashes a sequence of light and dark squares in fornt of the sensors and reprograms the device according to the settings sliders on the page. This removed having to put additional buttons or switches on the mask itself (something that is a pain in other masks).

Here is the video by Bitbanger Labs showing what comes in the box with the Remee and how to use it.

I highly recommend you log in to your account and save your settings so you can remember what you’ve tried and adjust it from there until you find your optimal settings.

Overall the Remee is an excellent Lucid Dreaming Mask for its price, design and usability.

If you are looking for a Lucid Dreaming Mask with REM detection, check out this version of the REM Dreamer.

To get yourself a Remee, go to SleepWithRemee.com

Yes, I would love to see some improvements made to the Remee in future iterations such as bluetooth connectivity for easier programing and perhaps interactivity with smartphone apps and other devices that can detect REM. Reinventing the Lucid Dreaming Mask had to start somewhere and I admire and applaud its creators for the work the’ve done, I have no doubt it was not an easy task.

Sweet and Lucid Dreams…