Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Another Non-Human Assistant -- an Electronic Bracelet

I have a very supportive family. Even my ex-husband dealt well with my disorder once it was diagnosed and explained to him. I could ask my loved ones for help managing my bipolar disorder, but I rarely do.  Why?

Mostly because they are human. Human beings, even the good ones, treat you differently when they are too focused on bipolar symptoms. The observation gets in the way of normal relationships. Also, if they are asked to help too much they end up with compassion fatigue. They simply get worn out by the stress. Getting support from peers is great, but they too can only handle so much -- plus they may be too sick to help when you need it.

What's a girl to do then?  Find non-human assistants.  I've done just that.  I've been using a psychiatric service dog since 2010 (dogs don't judge and don't suffer compassion fatigue), I use apps on my smartphone to help organize me, and now I've added an electronic bracelet called a Jawbone UP.  Most people use this device in their physical fitness program. One of its primary functions is not too different from a pedometer. So what's this got to do with bipolar disorder?


First, the bracelet is a nearly silent monitor and it has no screen (unlike most of its competitors and my smartphone) to distract me. I can forget it is there until it needs to alert me. It's also water-resistant and needs charging less than once a week so I don't have to worry about remembering to take it off and then remembering to put it back on. Anyone else out there have memory issues?

Second, the bracelet passively monitors two things critical to bipolar management: amount and quality of sleep and activity.  The only thing I need to do is to press a button when I get into bed and do it again when I get out of bed. Even if I forget it I still get a rough idea of my sleep.

Third, the bracelet alerts me . . .
  • when I've been inactive for an hour. My dog does this too, but she only barks and jumps around to get me to go out and move around twice a day. If she did it every hour I'd want to strangle her. The bracelet vibrates softly (and silently) when I've been inactive for more than an hour during the hours I've set it to do so. That gives me notice that I probably should at least stand up and stretch, if not get up and go for a walk. I can also ignore it. Unlike a human or even my service dog, the bracelet isn't disappointed, nagging, or hurt when I ignore it. I don't have to explain that I'm really busy or that I'm driving and there's no place to pull the car over. It just waits another hour and gently vibrates again.
  • when it's time to start preparing for bed (optionally, and only at the time I've set it for)
  • when I've told it to (it can be set up to remind about meds, meals, etc.)
  • when it's time to wake from a powernap (still experimenting with this one). It tries to wake you after you've gotten the optimal amount of deep sleep but before the maximum time you've set. 
None of these alerts is audible to another person, even in a quiet room at close quarters. Privacy and no prompt for another human to judge or nudge me! I don't even look at the bracelet and often don't have to touch it. When it's a persistent alert (like an awake alarm) all I have to do is put my finger on the end of the bracelet and press a button to stop it. Very discreet.

Fourth, it connects with a smartphone app that collects the data, compares it to goals I've set, graphs it, and analyzes it. It feeds me suggestions and attagirls on a daily and weekly basis.  Most of the suggestions are pretty good; some I don't like. I can freely and happily ignore any and all of them. Here are some examples:



More specifics about how I'm using this in upcoming posts . . . 


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