Muse Headband review is for you if words like irregular sleep cycle, unfocused brain, anxiety, and unrest ring a bell!
Do you feel anxiety weighing on you on bad days?
Or, sometimes, is it tough to cope with the stress of everyday life?
Well, we just want to say you aren’t alone.
Every 1 in 13 people suffers from anxiety.
And the number is frightening!
But we can certainly work on that number.
People are turning towards Yoga and meditation to reduce stress.
And to improve their mental well-being.
But, how many of us have been able to stick to meditating regularly?
Honestly, we have tried.
And we have failed miserably!
Forget about the Zen Buddhist monks’ experience.
We haven’t been able to sit still for three minutes!
And if someone told us we could do it successfully, we wouldn’t believe them!
But, there is someone, or rather, something, that can help us.
Unbelievable, right?
We’re not talking about a teacher.
We are talking about technology.
We’re talking about using the best biohacking tools available to us!
That’s right!
A piece of tech that can help you with your meditation.
A simple Muse Headband.
What is it, you’d ask?
Read this review to know how the Muse can be your perfect meditation companion.
Or, your meditation assistant!
What is Muse headband?
Haven’t we always wondered if we’ve been meditating right?
And we’ve tried countless meditation apps!
Not to forget guided meditation sessions by gurus.
Nothing seems to have helped, though!
We’d probably offend Muse technology if we said the same any further!
So, what is the Muse Headband?
One of the best Biohacking products!
Muse is a wearable device that uses EEG sensors to measure your brain signals. (1)
It uses advanced signal processing to map your mental state.
Simply put, you can now know, really know, if you’ve been in a state of ‘calm’ or not!
The headband can be worn across the forehead and tucked over your ears.
Think of it like old headphones worn the wrong way around.
The headband is connected to the Muse app, which has a huge range of soothing sounds.
The sensors pick up the brain’s electrical activity and give real-time audio feedback.
Let’s say, during your meditation session, your mind wanders to the pending office work.
Because, well, you are human.
And our state of mindfulness is fleeting!
The headband senses our wandering thoughts, and the audio cues grow louder to get your attention back.
Once you recover your focus or ‘calm’, the sounds quiet down!
With the muse S headband, you can also track your sleep.
Here are a few things to consider if you’d like to use the device as a sleep tracker:
- If you are a light sleeper, you’ll experience discomfort in your sleep due to the headband
- If you are a crawler – if you move too much in your sleep – the headband might slip
And If none of these things bothers you, the headband is a total win!
You’ll be put to sleep in no time with the soothing natural soundscapes.
Who doesn’t want to doze off within minutes?
How does muse headband work?
Are you wondering how the Muse really works?
It picks up brain waves that communicate in the form of electrical impulses.
The app then decomposes the raw signals into component oscillations, transient brain events, noise, and non-periodic characteristics.
It uses techniques developed through machine learning to give real-time feedback!
Too difficult to understand?
Don’t worry!
All you’ve to take care of for it to function properly is HOW you’re wearing the band.
The signal quality depends on it, after all!
Once the calibration is done, you can start with meditation.
When you’re relaxed, you can hear soft winds blowing.
But what if halfway through a meditation session, you purposely lose focus?
You’ll hear a burst of strong winds.
It’s crazy how the audio cues help in bettering your meditation practice!
With several sessions, you’ll notice your mind reacting according to the cues.
What are the benefits of the muse headband?
The Muse can be a wonderful meditation companion that uses biohacking.
Along with guiding you, it also helps you correct yourself!
And the art of meditation is very delicate.
Without proper guidance, you can often feel lost.
And frustrated!
What if we say there are more benefits than those that meet the eye?
Let’s check them out!
Muse Headband review benefit #1: Brings body and brain-sensing technology to a personal level
There was a time when EEG devices were bulky.
Also, only available with medical experts!
The Muse brain-sensing headband has brought exclusive tech to our homes.
What a delight for tech nerds!
The headband feeds your personal information and how your mind reacts to different sounds.
It allows you to track your brain activity and analyze it for yourself.
You can track body changes too!
Imagine having a clear understanding of how your body reacts to meditation!
The scope of improving mindfulness and dealing with anxiety increases significantly.
And you need no external help at all!
Just the headbands and the Muse app.
Muse Headband review benefit #2: Finding relaxation, calm, and focus
When you practice regular meditation, do you always find the calm you were looking for?
Or, do you find yourself frustrated?
Most often, we do not have control over our conscious thoughts.
So, what happens when our thoughts wander?
Our brain activity increases, and finding focus becomes difficult.
The headband makes sure that we keep track of our thoughts while practicing meditation!
The soothing sounds, guided meditation sessions, and feedback, all at the same time, helps you experience a successful calming session.
And, nothing’s better than a rewarding session!
Muse Headband review benefit #3: Improved physical well-being
What happens when you opt to wear the muse headband?
First, you start being mindful of your brain fitness.
And start watching your sleep pattern.
You start to relax while meditating.
But have you heard of the health benefits of regular meditation?
We bet you’ll be surprised!
- Muse users showed about 16% reduction in stress in just four weeks
- Increase in Grey Matter Density
- Decreasing Amygdala activity
And all the benefits are reflected in the quality of your everyday life!
Muse Headband review benefit #4: Strengthens Habit building
21 days!
That’s all it takes to build a habit.
But, somehow, meditation seems harder!
How do we even reach the 21-day mark?
When you meditate successfully, you feel rewarded and encouraged!
And rewards are easy to map with the Muse app.
Consistently reaching your goals can help you stick to your plan.
And that’s exactly why the Muse meditation headband is perfect.
It’ll help you build a habit.
More importantly, help you stick with it!
What are the things you’ll like?
Depending on which Muse headband you choose, you’ll find things you’ll like and things you want. (2)
Let’s see the basic headbands that you can choose from:
- Muse – Original Muse focuses on the mind
- Muse 2 – Focuses on mind + body. Tracks heart rate, breathing, and body posture along with brain activity
- Muse S – Mind + body + sleep. Comfortable overnight wear that tracks sleep activity
The basic functionalities remain the same.
Tracking your mind activity while you meditate!
And providing feedback to improve it.
Sounds simple, right?
Let’s see the factors that made us love the device.
Muse Headband review factor #1: Deal with Stress and Anxiety
The Muse is your assistant!
What helps with your anxiety, restlessness, and lack of sleep is meditation.
But what helps with your meditation?
The Muse headband!
Sadly, mere everyday practice will not help.
What matters is:
- Focus
- The mental peace you experience
- Tracking brain activity during your session
- Heart rate and breath feedback
And only the Muse can help you with this.
It will guide you to meditate successfully.
People have seen a 16% reduction in their stress levels!
Yes!!
And much better sleep, increase in energy levels, and peace.
Muse Headband review factor #2: Simplicity
Have you come across a home device that can map your brain signals?
One of a kind, the Muse is absolutely high-tech!
It converts raw brainwave signals into understandable data.
Not everyone’s an Einstein, right??
And when it comes to health, SIMPLICITY is key.
Just wear the device on your forehead and connect it to the app!
The app feeds the user’s personal data and maps the progress accordingly.
Easy!
Muse Headband review factor #3: Wide Variety of Guided Meditations
Hundreds!
Seriously.
500+ Guided sessions and Soundscapes.
Based on the Muse you choose (ooh, that rhymed!), there are several categories (1):
- Mind meditation
- Heart meditation
- Body meditation
- Breath meditation
- Guided meditation
- Timed meditation
What more can one need to experience a successful meditation journey?
Muse Headband review factor #4: Tracking your progress
Have you truly been practicing the art of meditation?
Were your 15 mins of meditation fruitful?
Did you experience peace?
How active/neutral/calm was your mind?
You can never know until you map it!
The Muse is absolutely essential to track your everyday meditation progress!
You’ll get all your answers!
CHECK OUT LOWEST PRICE HERE!
What are the things you might not like?
There’s not much that you can’t like.
But, sure enough, there are factors you should consider before you make a purchase.
Muse Headband review factor #1: Expensive
The Muse headband seems expensive.
The upgraded versions are probably overpriced too.
BUT!
It’s a high-tech device that maps your brainwaves!
It’s bound to be expensive. And also, “expensive” is subjective. If you would like to optimize your health then this investment is minimal.
And what price can you put on your mental health and well-being?
Muse Headband review factor #2: Might be distracting
When you wear a device on your forehead, it can get distracting.
Especially because your senses are heightened in the state of meditation.
If that bothers you, you might get agitated.
Kind of loses its purpose!
But, users have said that after the first few minutes, they tend to forget the presence of the headband.
It’s light, comfortable, and easy to wear.
To buy or not to buy?
Our opinion?
You won’t know until you try it!
Muse Headband review factor #3: Can slip while you sleep
The Muse S is designed for extreme comfort.
So that you experience no irritation while you sleep.
But, are you a crawler?
Do you move a lot in your sleep?
If yes, the headband can slip!
And it won’t be able to track your sleep data.
Also, if the plushest headband can bother your sleep, this is not for you!
After all, isn’t a comfortable sleep the highest priority?
What will your first experience be like?
Are you tech-savvy?
Yes?
Setting up the Muse will be easy.
If you aren’t, please don’t be intimidated!
You’ll figure it out with the help of the manual and app.
It can be tricky to calibrate the device on your forehead.
But again, the app will indicate if it’s placed properly.
For all the first-timers here:
It might be distracting to wear the headband.
Only for the first few minutes, though!
You’ll soon forget you’re wearing one.
What can you expect in your first session?
Hundreds of guided sessions for meditation and soundscapes.
Intimidating, but fun!
Do you like the sounds of a rainforest, or the beach, or a city park?
Or, do you want a voice to guide you?
You’ll know what to pick!
You can choose the duration of the session.
Suggestion: Choose 5 – 10 minutes if you’re a beginner.
It’ll seem less daunting!
When you start your session, the sounds will engulf you.
They’ll stop your thoughts from wandering.
But what happens when your thoughts do start to run wild?
The sounds will amplify.
This change will get your attention back!
You’ll make a conscious effort to get back to focusing on your breath.
You’ll notice yourself calming down.
And finally, you’ll be more mindful of your heart rate and breath.
What can you expect after the first session?
The Muse is accurate in analyzing mental activity.
The mapping will indicate how much time your mind was ‘Active’, ‘Neutral’ or ‘Calm.’
Don’t expect the signals to be in the ‘Calm’ zone throughout the session.
That would be over-expecting!
It will take you a few minutes to get in the zone.
And if you pick longer sessions, you’ll be fluctuating between the three zones.
Well, that’s it!
Experimenting is the key.
Find out what works best for you!
What happens to post the Muse Meditation Session?
After the session, you can write a journal entry about how you feel!
Also, you can pick an emoji to describe.
Once you are done self-analyzing your session, the app will show you the chart.
The graph will indicate the amount of time you were Active, Neutral and Calm.
Every second you spend in the Neutral zone earns you a point.
And every second in the Calm zone earns you three!
The number of times you return to the calm state from the active state are tagged as Recoveries.
A longer period of ‘calm’ earns you ‘birds’ as a reward.
So cool, right?
You see these scores along with the graph.
You can expect to push your meditating duration with regular practice (2).
And slowly, you’ll notice yourself meditating for long periods!
Muse 1 vs. Muse 2 – What’s The Difference?
To buy the basic headband or the upgraded one?
If you’re confused, you should check out some basic differences.
Functionality:
The Muse 1 headband ensures basic functionalities like:
- Mapping mental activity
- Audio feedback
But, who doesn’t like upgrades?
Muse 2 is the version every wellness enthusiast was looking for!
Along with the above features, it provides additional meditation modes:
- Heart rate
- Breath
- Body Movement
It has a pulse oximeter sensor and an accelerometer to provide these additional features.
Battery Life :
There isn’t a major difference in the battery life of both devices.
Both have a battery life of 5 hours.
If you use it for 20 minutes every day, it would mean recharging it just once every two weeks!
Convenient and amazing!
What’s in the box?
The packaging is quite simple and functional.
What you’ll find on unboxing:
- The headband
- USB Cord
- Basic printed user guide
The user guide is apt to start setting up the device.
But first, charge it to full power.
Meanwhile, you can download the app.
The box does not include a travel case.
But you can easily find it online!
It’s advisable to have protective gear since the headband is delicate.
How to set it up?
Setting up is easy!
- Download the app and install it
- Connect the device to the app via Bluetooth
Before the session starts, you’ll see a circle on the screen.
It indicates whether you’re wearing the headband correctly.
The circle fills with color as it starts to receive a good signal from the sensors.
You can start your meditation practice as soon as the color wheel is filled in!
What should you take care of?
It takes a minute for the device to pick up signals.
Please be a little patient!
The downside?
You need to calibrate every time you want to use the headband!
The upside?
After the initial setup, you can use the device and the app offline!
What brain waves does the Muse detect?
The Muse is an amazing piece of technology!
The electrical impulse that our brain emits is very feeble.
And yet, it picks up these signals expertly!
But how does it make sense of our mental state?
Brainwaves are categorized into five bands:
- Delta Waves (0.1-2.9 Hz)
These waves are present when you are in a deep sleep.
The state of sleep when you have no dreams at all.
- Theta Waves (4-7.9 Hz)
Theta waves are emitted when you experience deep relaxation or in your meditative state of mind.
Also, when you are sleeping or under hypnosis.
Isn’t this the zone we’re trying to get into?
And that’s exactly what the Muse helps us with!
And when you emit Theta waves, you hear the birds chirping!
- Alpha Waves (8-13.9 Hz)
Alpha Waves are emitted when we experience the lucid state of awareness.
After a long walk in the forest, a yoga class, or a swim.
Any activity that’s relaxing for us!
- Beta Waves (14-30 Hz)
Associated with the alert state of our mind; when we are thinking, talking, planning, analyzing.
Beta waves are dominant in our waking state.
- Gamma Waves (31 Hz+)
Gamma waves are emitted when we are involved in intense mental tasks.
For instance, trying to memorize something.
Or extreme attentiveness and involvement of our perception abilities.
When the Muse picks up these waves, it maps them into comprehensive data.
Doesn’t tech make our life ten-fold easier?
What are the pros and cons?
When we review, we try to give an unbiased opinion of the product.
We hope the pros and cons section will help you make an informed decision!
Muse Headband Review Pros
- Simple Design: The headband has a light, sleek design that’s comfortable to wear. The Muse S has an elasticated band that makes it a wonderful sleep tracker.
- Easy App User Interface: The App is designed well and is a great guide for beginners.
- Battery Life: The battery life is good and can work for a good two weeks if used for 20 mins every day.
- Multifunctional: The newer versions of the Muse device come with multiple functionalities. Assists in tracking sleep as well as for meditation.
- Variety of meditation audio: Hundreds of soundscapes and guided sessions. And you can always subscribe for more.
- Easy to understand feedback: The graphs and charts that give feedback are easy to understand. Also, the competitive nature of the app to garner points and ‘birds’ is motivating!
- 3rd party apps: The device can be connected to apps like Muse Monitor for advanced brain sensing.
Muse Headband review Cons
- Add-on subscription fee: The app is free, and so are the soundscapes, but to access more guided sessions, one needs to pay extra.
- Soundscapes can get repetitive: The default soundscapes are amazing, but you can find yourself being bored over time. Moreover, you cannot have your own sound library.
- Can be expensive: The price range of $199-$300 can be quite expensive. And an additional subscription fee to take more advantage of the experience increases the expense.
- Not helpful for advanced meditators: The Muse is ideal for beginners. It helps them with meditation and increases their session time. But for advanced meditators, the only thing it can help with is tracking their progress.
How much does it cost?
Okay, now we are dealing with the main topic!
Original Muse
Most affordable of all, it was priced at $199.
But, with the newer versions in the market, it is now majorly unavailable.
Also, if you want to make a smart investment, buying the newer versions is much better!
Muse 2:
The headband alone costs $250.
Muse S:
The most expensive of all since it has all the functionalities of the above two.
AND it can be an excellent sleep assistant and tracker!
It is priced at $350.
The Muse Bundle – headband + 1-year biofeedback and guided meditations subscription would cost you about $100 more.
The Muse: Shipping policy
Once you order, the product will be shipped from the United States, Canada, Australia or the European Union, depending on your location.
If you order from any other region, it typically takes more than two weeks to ship.
Please Note: Countries outside the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the European Union may be subject to custom taxes and import duties.
Is it worth it?
TOTALLY!
But, it depends on your needs and wants.
It’s absolutely worth it if you’re a beginner.
And if meditation doesn’t come naturally to you.
If you’ve been struggling with anxiety, depression and unrest, it’s a small price to pay.
Mental wellness and health should be the priority!
The kind of fast-paced world we live in, it has become absolutely essential to meditate.
For our mental peace, for high energy levels, and our overall well-being!
BUT!
If you’re an expert practitioner, the product might be redundant.
You can then use it just to track your progress.
And to extend your duration to practice meditation for longer sessions!
Suggestions for calibrating the Muse headband
Users have often faced problems with calibrating the headband.
So we thought some suggestions would help!
- Initially, the app will give some exercises to collect user personal data – to differentiate between your brainwaves. The feedback depends on them, so it’s advisable to do these exercises actively!
- Try the headband at different heights on your forehead. Adjust the sensors until the app shows good signal quality.
- Your skin should be clean. Avoid excess makeup, oils or moisturizer.
- While the headband reads the brainwaves, try to be still (like you would while you meditate).
Well, that’s it!
Once you get comfortable with calibration, things will seem very easy!
FAQ
Some of the frequently asked questions you need to know.
Is the Muse headband worth it?
Yes, absolutely.
If you’re a beginner or an intermediate practitioner of meditation, the Muse is JUST FOR YOU!
Does it help one relax?
A big YES!
And, mental health >> everything else.
So investing a little to change your life for the better is worth it!
Is the muse S worth it?
Do you have difficulty putting yourself to sleep?
Do you experience stress that keeps you awake?
If yes, then buying the Muse S is worth it!
A sleep assistant, a meditation assistant and your personal sleep tracker.
In no time, you’ll see the benefit of having a sleep assisting device!
What does the Muse headband do?
The Muse headband
- Assists you while you meditate
- Provides audio prompts to increase your concentration
- Plays immersive soundscapes for a better meditating experience
- Charts your sessions
These are the basic functions.
With an upgrade in your headband, you can enjoy more benefits.
You can have a sleep assistant and tracker and a wide range of guided meditations!
Does Muse sleep work?
Have people experienced better sleep using Muse S?
The answer is YES.
People have noticed that biohacking sleep and insomnia is now easier.
The soundscapes have helped people slip into a deep sleep.
The headband is soft, has an elasticated band that makes it easier to wear at night.
But, will it work for you?
You can only know if you try it!
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Sources:
1 https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2015/02/09/7-ways-meditation-can-actually-change-the-brain/
2 https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858