Can you experience "power off" sleep with just one hold?
Experts remind: Hand-held sleep devices have limited effects, and real electrical nerve stimulation must be carried out in professional institutions
"No need to take medicine, just hold it easily and fall into a healthy sleep" "Switch to level 5 and experience the power-off style of falling asleep in one second!" Recently, there have been an endless stream of sales videos of handheld sleep devices on major social platforms. The merchant's slogan of "Quick Sleeping Technology" has attracted the attention of many netizens who suffer from insomnia. Li Mingquan, deputy chief physician of the Department of Neurology at Taikang Xianlin Drum Tower Hospital, said that the essence of such products is to help sleep through physical principles such as electric current stimulation. However, the causes of insomnia are complex and diverse, and cannot be solved by just turning on the electricity. Blind reliance on products that have not been clinically proven may delay the disease that really needs treatment.
Yangzi Evening News/Ziniu News reporter Lu Yanlin
How effective is the "sleep artifact"?
On a certain short video platform, the reporter searched with "sleep instrument" as the keyword, and a large number of videos with goods came into view. The anchors' words are highly unified: "Turn it to 5th level and you will feel like you are shutting down in one second." "No need to take medicine, physical sleep aid, no side effects." Coupled with the copywriting of "I'll fall asleep as soon as I hold it, and sleep until dawn", these videos can often receive considerable likes and consultations.
The reporter noticed that the price of these "hand-held sleep devices" ranges from tens to hundreds of yuan. Most of them call themselves "sleeping tools" on their promotional pages and claim to help sleep through physical principles such as electric current stimulation. Buyers in the comment area left mixed reviews. Some said, "I got confused after mastering two programs." Others said, "I tried it for four or five days, but it didn't work." In public information such as promotional pages, it is mostly impossible to see effective efficacy test reports to prove the sleep-aid effect of the product, and it is also difficult to confirm whether it has obtained a medical device registration certificate.
Can “Handheld Sleep Device” Really Become a Black Technology for Sleep Aids? Li Mingquan made it clear in an interview that the effects of such products have been seriously exaggerated.
"Electric stimulation held in the hand has minimal impact on the human body." Experts explained that the human body itself produces a large amount of electrical activity. "Our muscles produce myoelectricity, our brains produce brain electricity, and our hearts produce ECG. As long as it is under normal physiological electrical activity, this electrical activity is very important for maintaining the functions of various organs."
In Li Mingquan's view, the voltage control of the so-called "hand-held sleep device" itself is a problem. "If it is too low, it will have no effect on the human body. If it is too high, it will cause the risk of electric shock and interfere with people's normal electrical activities."
In addition to the questionable principles, the product promotion also does not stand up to scrutiny. Experts bluntly stated that some products claim to be "German black technology" or "Japanese black technology", but "it is impossible to find the patent number, device number or drug approval number in the current mainstream market."
Is it really possible to "fall asleep in one second"?
As for the merchant’s claim of “falling asleep in one second”, Li Mingquan pointed out that this statement goes against the conventional sleep rules. "It normally takes four periods to transition from wakefulness to sleep." Li Mingquan said, "The normal transition period from wakefulness to sleep ranges from 10 minutes to half an hour, with the median generally around 20 minutes. It is similar to dozing off and is called the drowsiness period." Therefore, "there is no 'falling asleep in one second' in normal sleep, nor is there a switch that instantly switches the brain from wakefulness to sleep."
In fact, the causes of insomnia are complex and diverse, and the causes must be screened clinically. It cannot be solved by "just turning on the phone".
"Some people have insomnia for no reason, which we call primary sleep disorders; some people have other diseases that cause sleep disorders; and some people have bad moods and high mental stress during this period, which we call stress sleep disorders." Li Mingquan said that different causes correspond to different treatments. For example, stress sleep disorder can help patients get through the stress period smoothly, and sleep may recover naturally; while insomnia caused by other diseases must treat the original disease.
The reporter learned that the relevant nerve electrical stimulation technologies currently used clinically include transcranial electrical stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation. Transcranial electrical stimulation applies direct current to the scalp; transcranial magnetic stimulation converts magnetic signals into electrical signals through magnetic field fluctuations, and the final biological effects of both are achieved through electricity.
Experts remind that this type of treatment has strict device production batch numbers and physiological basis, and the frequency, intensity, waveform, action site, treatment duration, indications, and contraindications are all clearly defined. Different patients have different diagnosis, disease course, and severity, and the treatment options are also different. Formal treatment has medical device certificates and registration certificates, and has been published in mainstream literature, making it a popular research field.
Taking the treatment of insomnia as an example, Li Mingquan explained that the brain has two systems to maintain sleep and maintain wakefulness, and the two come and go, forming a circadian rhythm. The rhythm of patients with sleep disorders is like Tai Chi's yin and yang imbalance. Transcranial electrical stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation can adjust disordered circadian rhythms. Patients with primary insomnia cannot fall asleep when they should sleep, and the cerebral cortex is excited. Transcranial magnetic stimulation slows down the excited brain waves at a specific frequency, allowing the sleep-maintaining function to take advantage, and the patient can fall asleep. But it needs to be made clear again that this type of treatment must be carried out in professional institutions and under the operation of professional doctors. The course of treatment, magnetic field strength, intervention site, and frequency all need to be individually formulated.
Experts remind the public not to blindly rely on products that have not been clinically proven to avoid delays in diseases that really need treatment. People with persistent insomnia should go to regular medical institutions for scientific evaluation and standardized treatment.
