Welcome to Retail Therapy by Prevention! In this series, our editors provide thoughtful, honest reviews of what we’ve been testing lately that we want you to know about—because we refuse to keep these game-changing finds all to ourselves. Whether you’re on a mission to find something specific or simply need a little retail therapy in the form of an impulse purchase, consider this your insider’s shopping guide to everything our team thinks is worth the buy.
I have always loved different types of wellness gadgets, so I was really excited to check out the Apollo Neuro. The cutting-edge wearable has science-backed studies with lofty claims like—the ability to rebalance the nervous system, calm your body, and clear your mind. Among its multitude of promised benefits are sounder sleep, lowered stress, better focus, and increased energy. But does it actually work?
I wrote my initial review after just two months of testing, but a year later I have a few updated thoughts.
How I tested
For my initial two months of testing, I wore it three hours a day, five days a week (per clinical studies’ recommendations). However, it felt much too bulky to be wearing 24/7 and continued using it this time only as a sleep assistance device.
How it works
The Apollo Neuro uses vibration therapy, a.k.a. gentle low-frequency vibrations (“Apollo Vibes”) to stimulate the vagus nerve. The nerve’s best-known functions help activate the body’s “rest and digest” parasympathetic nervous system, which influence alertness and relaxation. The vibrating wearable attaches to a strap you can put on your wrist or ankle, and it connects to an app to help choose which kinds of vibrations you need: relaxation, focus, sleep, or energy.
Getting started
Out of the box set-up was easy. The first step was to download the free Apollo Neuro app on my phone and set up an account. I appreciated that they had online videos to walk me through the steps to get connected—and it never felt too complicated or challenging.
The device itself was simple to put on, too. It comes with two options for attachment: an adjustable Velcro strap or a clip. The Velcro is recommended to be worn on the inner wrist or ankle, while the clip can be affixed to clothing (the brand specifies it should be close to a larger bone). I personally found it too bulky on my wrist and preferred wearing it on my ankle (house-arrest style)—and the strap was comfortable enough there. I did not try affixing it to my clothes, though.
You also get a micro-USB cord for charging. Though the brand says that one charge offers up to eight hours of continuous use, I found the fully charged battery usually lasted me two to three days.
Vibes and app controls
The device itself is quite simplistic—two buttons on its side play, pause, and adjust vibe intensity. Its more advanced controls are in the app.
The app has a multitude of features where you can control the intensity and duration of the ‘Core Vibes.’ They are broken into eight categories, depending on your needs:
- Energy
- Social
- Focus
- Recover
- Calm
- Unwind
- Sleep
- Power Nap
The higher vibrations improve energy and focus, while the lower vibrations assist with stress reduction, relaxation, and falling (and staying!) asleep. There are also Premium Vibes available and a new AI function that helps learn your needs the more you use it. Best of all, it has a ‘Schedule’ function, which is what I enjoyed the most.
I found it especially convenient to program a vibration reminder about an hour before my optimal bedtime, so I could start winding down. It was much more useful than my typical routine of setting a reminder alarm on my phone, which I would promptly turn off and forget about.
What I liked
The Apollo Neuro promises less stress during the day and better sleep at night, and after wearing it for a month, I found it mostly affected my sleep—specifically, using its sleep vibes to help me fall and stay asleep. The hour-warning to wind down acted as a reminder to start slowing down for the day, and I actually found myself excited to get into bed at night. The soothing, gentle haptics of the sleep vibrations helped me fall asleep quickly and calmly, and it also helped lull me back to sleep much faster than usual on the nights when I awoke mid-sleep (usually related to late-night attempts to drink my daily water quota and needing to use the bathroom!).
This was also made easier by Apollo’s AI-based sleep feature, available with a subscription, called “SmartVibes For Sleep” that can sense if you’re about to wake up. When this happens, the Apollo registers your waking patterns and plays a series of vibes to help put you back to sleep.
As we all know, good sleep is essential for good health, and my time wearing the Apollo showed that. After my nights of better sleep, I felt more focused, mindful, and less stressed during the day. Although I wouldn’t say that the vibrations made me feel calmer as I used them, they acted as a reminder to use other techniques to stay present and self-regulate my stress better.
One last thing
At the end of my original testing period, I concluded the Apollo was best-suited for managing my sleep issues and that still remains true a year later. Feeling the soft vibration on my ankle bone when I finally crawl under the covers, lulls me to sleep and helps to tame my usual habit of mulling over the day’s events and feeling compelled to figure out what’s going on for tomorrow.
I appreciate that its vibration intensity is completely adjustable (60% seems to be my sweet spot). On the occasions when I wake mid-sleep, I reach down to my ankle (where I have it strapped on) and press both buttons for additional sleep-inducing vibrations. It is easy and effective. In my original review, I had wished the controls were more adjustable, but after more testing, I take that back. The app has a multitude of options for every need that are easy to use and navigate and I have been able to customize them to my specific needs to improve my sleep with ease.
Try it for yourself now—and gift yourself (or someone else) better, calmer sleep.
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