Product Review: Embr Wave 2
By Maggie Ruvoldt
Hot flashes are the lead character in most menopause stories. They come on unexpectedly, with a flushed face and sweating can be visible to others and they disrupt our sleep. So what’s an awesome woman to do?
Check out the Embr Wave 2
According to the Embr Lab’s website, there is clinical research that shows the device’s effectiveness on hot flashes and improved sleep. You can check out how they explain the science behind the device with links to clinical studies.
I was first introduced to the Embr Wave 2 when I saw the Embr Labs CEO, Elizabeth Gazda, speaking at a women’s health conference. She was wearing the rose gold version of the device and I was immediately intrigued.
Not only did I wonder if it would help with hot flashes, but after 25 years of living with MS and trying multiple ways to deal with temperature fluctuations and heat sensitivity - was this the wearable I was looking for?
I’ve worn it for the past 6 weeks and here’s what I think.
Starting with the end
I like the Embr Wave 2. I like it a lot. Both for hot flashes and for proactive use when I am in a situation where I might overheat due to MS heat sensitivity.
Pros:
Personalization of temperature and of settings
It works better than other solutions I’ve tried
It’s discreet and doesn’t require me to get up and get something like a cooling towel, spray, or fan.
Ease of use
The battery lasts and lasts.
Cons:
It’s big. If your wrist it small it might be too big for you
It only does this one thing. So if you have a smartwatch, you’re wearing 2 items. I got over that fast.
Because it sits on the inside of your wrist, I found it a little hard to wear while I was working on my computer.
It’s pricey. Worth the pricey for what I got back in sleep. But pricey.
The Basics
You wear the Embr Wave 2 on your wrist with the device itself on the inside of your wrist. If you’re thinking about other devices that track steps, heart rate,and act as an extension of your phone, you’re on the wrong track. The Embr Wave 2 is specifically and solely for temperature regulation.
It comes in some pretty hefty packaging with a matching wristband. I got it in black because - my wardrobe. It comes in rose gold and you can purchase additional wristbands. The box also includes a charger that is a disk you rest the device on.
There is an accompanying app (Apple or Android) which is one of my favorite parts of this solution. More on that shortly.
Getting started is incredibly easy. It took me no time to set up the app and you can use the device without opening the app by using the buttons on the Embr Wave 2 itself. Helpful if I happen to have walked away from my phone - unlikely but that could happen someday.
How I used it.
The Embr Wave 2 has four types of sessions. So far, I have explored Comfort (on cooling), Hot Flashes, and Sleep.
Within the sessions, there are preset sessions that are customizable for temperature and time duration. The ability to customize the temperature is a huge plus for me.
For example, my favorite session was cooling which starts at a 3 temperature level and 10 minutes. You can increase or decrease the temperature and pick different times. I usually up to 4 on the cooling. The 5 is too intense for me.
On-Demand Cooling
I take lots of walks during the day. On warmer days, I can start the session part of the way through my walk and found I am much more comfortable. With MS, if I get overheated on a walk, it can last for half an hour after I get back and it’s disruptive. This is a big win for me, personally.
I have also used the Hot Flash sessions, which have 3-minute and 10-minute presets. Having a quick option is great. At first, I wasn’t sure of the benefit of this beyond the Cool Down feature, until I started looking at the patterns available in the Learning Tab. As I use it for more than just hot flashes, it’s great to be able to track cooling and hot flash sessions separately. Nice touch.
Sleep sessions
The last session type I explored was Sleep. Because I don’t sleep wearing a watch or device, I wasn’t a fan of the All Night setting. However, with so many people suffering from night sweats and sleep disruption, I can see how this is a great feature.
The Fall Asleep - Cool 10-minute option was great for me. I paired that with some meditation for some of the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a while!
Outside the app
You don’t need to use the app to start a session. There are buttons on the side of the device to start a default session. Very easy to do and, if you don’t want to pull out your phone, it’s a great option.
I should note that the Embr Wave 2 has a warm-up function that I have not tried. I don’t need something to warm me, ever.
Insights
The app has Track and Learn Tabs. Over time, I can see how these insights would be helpful to understand patterns. You can go into a day and see how many and what type of session (warming or cooling) you did.
Other features
You can customize a few other things in the app.
For the two buttons on the device, you can change the default settings. I have recently changed mine so they are both cooling. The first is my 10-minute cool and the second is a 3-minute hot flash. This level of control to determine what works for me is a nice feature.
The other setting I changed was the brightness of the lights. Having an off feature for sleeping is another nice option.
Parting thoughts
The Pros far outweigh the Cons on this for me. I recommend the Embr Wave 2 for hot flashes and other thermoregulation issues. I see from the website that they have done a pilot study for its use for men with Prostate Cancer. If you’re listening Embr Labs, Multiple Sclerosis is another condition that you should study.