Sharper focus, less stress, better sleep: Meet Muse S Gen 2
Staff Review: Muse S (Gen 2) is a “brain-sensing, meditation and sleep assistant,” to help you sleep better, lower stress, and practice meditation.
Note: BodyStack does not accept affiliate marketing commissions on any product. We believe in this product, and this recommendation comes from a good place.
Meditation can be a highly effective tool for managing stress and finding focus, but you need to know where and how to start. Muse S (Gen 2) makes it easy! This meditation assistant holds your hand and walks you gently through meditation sessions, using real-time biofeedback to help you focus when you need to, stress less, and sleep better. It's pricey, but the benefits outweigh the cost.
Pros:
- Accessible meditation + Digital Sleeping Pills
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Long list of science-backed benefits
Cons:
- Pricey
- Consistency is key
- Sensors need skin contact/can shift during sleep
The Muse S (Gen 2) is a sleep and meditation headband that uses electroencephalogram (EEG) technology to give you real-time feedback on your brain activity, heart rate, breathing, and body movements.
Muse S (Gen 2) makes meditation and its associated benefits accessible to everyone.
Plus, it functions as your very own sleep lab at home — providing your nightly sleep metrics in easily understandable graphs so you can get insight on your ZZZ's and ultimately net better rest.
It also offers Digital Sleeping Pills (DSPs), which are responsive sleep experiences designed to put you to sleep and help you get back to sleep when you wake throughout the night.
Product Specs:
- In The Box: The Muse S (Gen 2) comes with the Muse S (Gen 2) rechargeable pod, soft headband that the pod snaps into, micro USB charger, and Quick Start guide.
- Dimensions: The headband features an adjustable design to suit heads of all sizes. It's comfortable enough to wear during meditation and sleep.
- Weight: The Muse S (Gen 2) is lightweight and breathable, making it comfy to wear for extended periods of time.
What We Like About the Muse S (Gen 2):
- Accessible Meditation: Muse S (Gen 2) makes meditation accessible to everyone, regardless of experience level through 500+ meditations in five categories: Mind, Body, Heart, Breath, and Timed.
- Science-Backed Benefits: Backed by scientific research, Muse S (Gen 2) delivers tangible benefits for both mind and body. By monitoring your brain activity in real-time and providing personalized feedback, Muse S (Gen 2) helps you train your mind for sharper focus, less stress, better sleep, and an improved mood.
- Easy-to-Use App: The companion Muse app is seamless to use and feature-packed. From guided sessions led by experts to customizable soundscapes, the app offers a wide range of options to suit your preferences and goals. You can track improvements in your meditation sessions over time.
- Comfortable Design: With its lightweight and breathable design, Muse S (Gen 2) is incredibly comfortable to wear, allowing you to focus fully on your meditation practice without any distractions. The soft fabric and adjustable fit ensure you can meditate in peace for extended periods, as well as wear it to sleep.
What Might Deter You From Muse S (Gen 2):
- Price: At $400, Muse S (Gen 2) is a pricey investment. While the benefits of enhanced meditation and sleep quality may justify the cost for some, others may find it prohibitive, especially if they're on a tight budget or uncertain about committing to a regular meditation practice.
- Consistency: To experience the full benefits of Muse S (Gen 2), consistent use is essential. Daily meditation sessions are recommended to optimize results, which may require a significant time commitment for individuals with busy schedules or fluctuating routines.
- Sensor Requirements: The sensors in Muse S (Gen 2) require direct skin contact to accurately measure brain activity, which means the headband must be positioned securely and hair must be kept out of the way. In our experience, it can take a few moments for all the sensors to connect (especially when you have a lot of hair), which delays the start of your meditation session. Members of our team have also had issues with the headband shifting throughout the night, which disrupts the biofeedback process and compromises the accuracy of the data collected.
The Thought Behind The Product:
Muse S (Gen 2) is more than just a meditation and sleep device; by combining the ancient practice of meditation with cutting-edge EEG technology, Muse S (Gen 2) offers a unique opportunity to explore the depths of your mind and cultivate a greater sense of calm and clarity in your life.
Not only does Muse S (Gen 2) make meditation accessible, but the benefits it provides with consistent use are science-backed and undeniable.
EEG technology has been a valuable tool for studying cognitive brain function and has been used to help diagnose and monitor neurological conditions and disorders for many decades. Muse S allows users to harness the power of EEG technology from the comfort of home. The device features dry sensor technology and advanced digital signal processing that makes it easier than ever to track your brain activity and gain insight on your mental state.
Muse passively measures brain signals and serves as a research-grade brain fitness tool. It has seven calibrated EEG sensors that detect and measure the activity of your brain. Its Photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor measures your heart rate, while an accelerometer and gyroscope measure your breath rhythm and body movement.
These measurements provide invaluable data on the user's overall meditation and sleep quality and history.
Meditation isn't easy to do on your own. It requires time, focus, consistency, and lots of patience. Muse S (Gen 2) makes it as seamless as possible. It utilizes the sensor-data collected to help train your mind to focus in sessions using different natural soundscape categories like desert and rain, and various meditation styles like breath and body so you can find the one that resonates most with you.
Muse makes it fun and gamifies your meditation experience, making it something to look forward to instead of just another bullet on your to-do list. In the app, after every session, you'll see your Muse Points — points awarded for every second you meditate in a natural and calm state. You receive one point per second spent in neutral and three points per second spent in calm.
Your recoveries and birds are also displayed. Recoveries represent effort spent noticing your distractions and coming back to a neutral or calm state — this builds focus. Birds land nearby and chirp when you're calm for a long time. It's exciting to hear them sing!
Muse S (Gen 2) provides measurable and accurate results with this state-of-the-art EEG system that uses advanced algorithms to train beginner and intermediate meditators at controlling their focus.
Plus, it offers non-invasive sleep interventions that really work!
Bottom line:
If you consistently use Muse S (Gen 2) you will notice improved focus, less stress, better sleep, and an uplifted mood. It is a pricey investment, but it's hard to put a price tag on elevated health. If you can expense it, this device is worth it — if you plan to put the time in and remain consistent. Muse's gamified aspect, guided sleep sessions, and benefits, make using this device routinely something to look forward to.
With its advanced technology, personalized experience, and easy-to-use app, Muse S (Gen 2) offers a truly transformative experience with a long list of benefits that are hard to ignore.
