Thim is the brainchild of University Professor Leon Lack. He is a researcher and practicing clinical sleep psychologist. He is well known in the field of wearable technologies for the development of the Re-Timer light therapy glasses.
Professor Lack collaborated with Ben Olsen, CEO and Founder of the Re-Timer company, to develop that device. Leon and Ben have collaborated again to develop a world first device to improve sleep: called Thim. Premised on two university trials, the Thim device can help you to:
- fall asleep sooner for a longer night’s rest,
- take the perfect power nap,
- measure sleep with incredible accuracy, and;
- track sleep quality.
This device is now live on Kickstarter and Ben shares with us how depriving someone of sleep, can actually improve their sleep. Take a look below to learn how Thim was created, and how Re-Timer is bringing it to your bedroom.
1) What inspired the development of Thim?
Professor Leon Lack is a dear friend and longtime collaborator. I worked with him in 2012 to develop the Re-Timer Light Therapy Glasses. We’ve now sold 30,000 Re-Timer’s across 40 countries which means better sleep for thousands of people.
Our team had so much fun the first time we decided to do it all again. Leon’s experience in the field of sleep physiology is second to none. There is no better scientist to collaborate with.
Thim is a device which is going to help a lot of people get a better night’s sleep. That’s why our company exists. To improve lives, one poor sleeper at a time.
2) How long has this wearable been under development?
Since 2006. That was the first research study which demonstrated the benefit of Thim. There was also a study in 2012 but we didn’t actually start prototyping until the beginning of this year (2016). So the research has been slowly building over time and we finally decided to proceed with development this year.
3) How does Thim help you fall asleep sooner. And does it really cause sleep deprivation?
Research has shown that depriving someone of sleep will greatly improve his or her sleep weeks later. This technique involves waking the user 3-minutes after they enter Stage 2 sleep. This process is repeated providing the user the sensation of falling asleep over and over again. We know from our research this actually improves sleep. Reducing time taken to fall asleep and overall sleep duration.
Repeatedly waking someone from their sleep allows them to experience the sensation of falling asleep again and again. The ability to fall asleep then becomes conditioned or learnt.
4) Why did you choose Kickstarter to launch this wearable?
All too often advancements in science are left in lab. Not this time. This is a chance for pioneering research to make its way into the hands of the community. What better place to finance it than through a community based platform? It’s up to the people. If we don’t raise enough money, this breakthrough will probably remain hidden in scientific journals forever.
5) What’s been your greatest challenge in development?
The engineering process has been surprisingly straightforward. But, that said, we are yet to begin trial runs at the manufacturing facility. So, I’m sure we’ll experience some challenges then. It wouldn’t be product development without it.
6) What’s your favorite wearable:
My favorite wearable was the Sleeptracker. This was developed by Lee Loree over a decade ago. It was the original smart watch. He started that business solo and I have an idea of what he went through to get it up and running. I have a lot of respect for what he did in the wearable space, before it was a space.
If you believe in Thim, please support their Kickstarter! Sleep is the most important metric to measure, but what about using that data to improve your sleep? Thim is here to help!
