Sleep monitor/gentle alarm?

[RecipeForDisaster]

I'm really trying to come up with ideas for my birthday. There isn't much I want/need, but I can't think of an 'experience' or anything in its place(other than maybe a sailing trip, but my connections are gone and it could be very expensive)and I always seem to realize I need something 3 weeks after my birthday.

One thing I'm wondering about is something like the Zeo, Sleeptracker, JawboneUP, etc. With a conventional alarm, I always seem to wake up in a bad part of my sleep cycle, and am confused/exhausted even if I've slept plenty of hours. I feel that something that chooses the best part of my sleep cycle to wake me up would help(and I can turn off the regular alarm and wake my husband, who doesn't seem to have this problem). I asked before about activity monitors(and bought none), so I do like the idea of the Jawbone because it does activity as well as this 'smart alarm' thing. The sleep monitoring would be a bonus. I don't mind wearing a headband or whatever. The Jawbone got some fairly lousy quality control reviews, or I'd probably settle on that. I did want to know whether anyone had experience with any of these items.

I'm hoping to keep things under $200 and they need to either work with a 2nd gen iPod Touch(yeah, right), or not need a mobile device(have no phone at all). I do have Bluetooth on my Mac if that helps. Not being able to use these in conjunction with an iPhone seems to limit my choices a lot. Any suggestions?

I am so much fun that I'm eyeing manual lawnmowers(we really don't have/want grass), protective horse boots, and decomposed granite! I did get $500 of dirt for Christmas a few years ago-it was great!

Thanks,
rfd

[Carm]

Highly rated on lifehacker.
Sleep Cycle

Sleepcycle.com/support wrote:
Do you support iPod Touch or iPad?

Yes. We support all iPod Touch devices except the first and second generation iPod Touch. We also support all generations of iPad.

I would suggest you request an iPod touch 4th/5th Gen as a birthday gift with a $10 itunes gift card to purchase the sleep cycle app.

[graylocks]

Carm wrote:
Highly rated on lifehacker.
Sleep Cycle
[quote=Sleepcycle.com/support]
Do you support iPod Touch or iPad?

Yes. We support all iPod Touch devices except the first and second generation iPod Touch. We also support all generations of iPad.

I would suggest you request an iPod touch 4th/5th Gen as a birthday gift with a $10 itunes gift card to purchase the sleep cycle app.
I second the Sleep Cycle recommendation. been using it almost two years now. it has changed everything about how I wake up.

[RecipeForDisaster]

Sleep Cycle wakes you up at the best time? In that case, a new iPod would be money well spent. I don't need a 'new' iPod, but they seem scary to shop for on eBay. I look for them on LEMSwap, but is there anywhere else reputable to look?

My only reservations are that I am not sleeping alone(?confused data), and the fear of something happening to the iPod while it's on the bed. Getting kicked, crushed, knocked off... oh yeah, and we have a solid memory foam mattress. When I was poking around reading reviews, it sounded like these accelerometer apps don't work well with those. I was getting excited, but it seems like there is no real solution for me right now. I'd really love something that I wear that does the sleep stuff AND tracks activity, particularly not just pedometer data, AND doesn't require an iPhone. I can dream!

Thanks!

rfd