Improve Your Stress Response with Apollo Neuro
Take Back Control Over Stress.
Let’s talk stress. Work stressing you out? Rapidly changing world events causing some anxiety or worry? General day to day hustle of running to and from the office, taking care of the house while also trying to plan for the future? Yeah, stress surrounds us all and is a part of ALL of our lives. What is different though is HOW we handle and respond to that stress. Apollo Neuro is the first of it’s kind wearable that tries to put the power over those “Fight or Flight” moments back into your hands.
Apollo Neuro is scientifically sound, wearable touch therapy that you wear on your ankle or wrist. Apollo's silent, soothing vibrations speak to your nervous system, telling you that you’re safe and in control. Developed by neuroscientists and physicians, this non-invasive stress relief tool (for adults and children) works with your body- not against it.
Our crew tested Apollo Neuro for 30 days to see how much of an impact this wearable has on the day to day stress.
INITIAL IMPRESSION
Stress impacts our bodies and minds in countless ways. Having trouble sleeping? How’s your energy and focus? Apollo is here for you.
Rather than tracking your health, Apollo Neuro is worn to improve it. As Apollo strengthens and rebalances your autonomic nervous system, your heart rate variability (HRV) improves – which means you’re building your resilience to stress. The direct result is less time in fight-or-flight mode and more time to rest and digest. By consistently using Apollo Neuro, your body learns to recover from stress more quickly, so you can relax, sleep better, and find deep, meaningful focus – anytime and anywhere. The more you use it, the better it works.
GETTING STARTED
Apollo Neuro comes in a variety of color options but all do the same thing and operate the same way. To get started, one would simply wear Apollo Neuro on their wrist or ankle throughout the day and evening/night (even while sleeping). The wearable device is about the size of a standard watch and is unobtrusive and easy to use, anytime, anywhere.
Select a mode in the Apollo Neuro app
Choose from distinct modes to fit how you want to feel as you transition throughout your day.
Select a mode.
Select the duration, typically between 15 to 60 minutes.
Set the desired intensity. Start at a low intensity, around 20-40%. It’s normal to forget you’re wearing Apollo.
Use Apollo Neuro consistently
Apollo Neuro recommends using the wearable at least three hours a day, five days a week, during the day and night.
The more you use Apollo Neuro, the better it works. With consistent use over time, Apollo Neuro strengthens your nervous system and improves heart rate variability (HRV), training your body to rebalance and recover from stress more quickly.
EACH ORDER INCLUDES:
Apollo Neuro stress relief wearable
Free access to the Apollo Neuro App (iOS and Android)
One Medium (10.5" x 1") and one Large band (13" x 1"), which fit most adult ankles and wrists. Small bands (9.5" x 1") available separately.
Micro-USB charging cord
Initial duuude impression: A wearable that works whether or not you do? Sign us up for that!
TESTING IT OUT
To get started, we chose a wearable for us to test. Now, moving forward the review was done by myself, as we wanted to test the device on one crew member for full experience and feedback. Once the device was picked (several colors to go with by the way), we moved forward with setting up the next part of the study: wearing it.
30 Day Apollo Neuro Test
Following the basic premise of the wearable, we picked our crew member with the most to gain from wearing it (lucky me). In full disclosure, I got really sick this past year and may have been hit with double Flu/COVID at the same time. It drained my body, and essentially dropped me like a sack of potatoes. In addition to this the stress of balancing getting my health back on track, drafting reviews for duuude, and balancing the rest of life- stress was at an all time high.
I downloaded the app, registered, and created my account to track, adjust, and monitor my usage. The app is very clear and straightforward in terms of how and what to do. Included in the box is a ‘How To” card that walks you through a good routine for the first few days of use.
The app lists out the “modes” that is then relayed to the wearable device. Each mode is tailored to specific aspects of the day- for example, when you first wake up you can pick “Energy and Wake Up” to get your day started and going! At the end of the day, you can choose a mode such as “Sleep and Renew” and wear it while you go to bed.
The app is preset with intensity levels and durations (most go 15/30min, 60 min, and 120 min runs). When I first got the app it was around 5:30pm. I started off with “Relax and Unwind” at about 8pm (before I went to bed). The intensity was at a lower 20% and I chose to wear it on my wrist. My initial thought was that I could not take my mind off of it. My brain just focused on it gently vibrating my wrist. I have no clue what was going on around me because I was sort of laughing on the inside as to what I was venturing into.
After the initial run of the mode I picked, I went into the “Sleep and Renew” mode and moved the wearable to my ankle. I turned it on and went to bed. It took me about 20 minutes before I could tune it out enough to sleep. Like anything novel, it takes a minute to let your brain dis-associate from the new device. It ran for 60 minutes but I did not know that because I fell asleep in about 25 or so minutes.
After the first few days, I found myself starting to tune it out. I only really knew I had it on when I would see it on my wrist or when I hopped in the shower (I took it off so it didn’t get wet). Each day I would choose new modes and run them throughout the day- at meetings, driving in between events, when I was winding down for the night- and every night in bed.
Day 15
By day 15, I noticed that I was ready to crank up the intensity. I adjusted most modes up to around 70-80% intensity (up for some by 20% to start). With the higher intensity I felt like it started to impact me better and more than initially. I tend to balance stress well as a whole, so it made sense my body craved the higher modes. After another few weeks of cranked up intensity, and multiple uses and runs per day, here were my major take-aways from the Apollo Neuro Wearable:
The device is extremly easy to use and adjust to in wearing all day, everyday
The intensity levels started to show more impact the higher up I went
With the higher settings I did notice I was able to not be so impacted by the change of plans, direction, or tasks. Bouncing in between things seemed smoother
Sleep seemed to be more deep and I woke up earlier but a bit more refreshed
I started to “crave” wearing it- it just made me feel better having it on at all times
The battery lasts pretty long and I maybe had to charge it 2x a week (and not that long to get full charge back)
At first I felt like wearing it on my ankle made me look like I was on a probation ankle monitor, but then I stopped caring and lived my life-haha
I can not honestly explain how or why it works, but this device is worth wearing more to see what impacts long term it can do to improve any level of stress or anxiety tolerance
DAY 30
Now, at day 30- I can honestly say I tell everyone about it, wear it everywhere I go, run it none stop, and feel like it’s a better solution that half the stuff people I know have tried to help reduce their anxiety, improve sleep, and not be a jerk.
STANDOUT FEATURES
In April 2020, Apollo Neuroscience launched an observational sleep study to observe the association between sleep quality and Apollo Neuro use. Over 500 Apollo Neuro users who also wear Oura Ring health tracking devices volunteered to share their data.
When using Apollo consistently, participants spent 19% more time in deep sleep on average
14% average increase in REM sleep
6% average increase in total sleep time
11% average increase in HRV
4% average decrease in resting heart rate
Apollo Neuro significantly improved sleep and cardiovascular fitness metrics in those who used it for at least 3 hours per day and for at least 5 days per week during the day and night
Apollo Neuro users experienced statistically significant improvements in deep sleep, REM sleep, total sleep, resting heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) just from adding Apollo to their lives
BONUS FEATURES
Stress resilience, backed by science.
Originating from research conducted at the University of Pittsburgh, Apollo Neuro’s stress-relieving technology has been tested across thousands of users in the clinic and in the real world through six complete clinical trials, with nine more currently underway.
Price: $349 on Apollo Neuro
BRAND INFO
Apollo Neuroscience was born from research at the University of Pittsburgh. Drs. David Rabin MD, PhD and Greg Siegle PhD worked together at the Program in Cognitive Affective Neuroscience to develop and scientifically prove out the Apollo technology.
Together, they discovered that certain combinations of low frequency inaudible sound waves (vibration that you can feel, but can’t hear) can safely and reliably change how we feel through our sense of touch, and that we can measure those physiological changes in near real time.
After 5 years of development and testing Apollo in the lab and in the real world, we’re releasing Apollo publicly.
“When left unchecked, chronic stress increases your risk of developing insomnia, anxiety-disorders, depression, and chronic pain[2-6]. Chronic stress exhausts us, makes us unhappy, disrupts our mood, causes tension and pain, and impairs our sleep.”
Read more about Apollo Neuro and give Stress a kick to the curb.
