A Review On The Muse 2 Headband – Neurofeedback On A Budget

This article is evidence-based, verified by Dr. Ahmed Zayed

In this article, we will review one of the most popular products when it comes to neurofeedback technology and its use to provide us with a calming, guided meditation. Since it first hit the market, the Muse meditation headband is winning over more and more individuals, delivering what they have expected and more. 

Safe Sleep Systems is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission, at no additional cost to you. Learn more

Read on to find out more about our Muse meditation review in detail, but in short, our Safe Sleep System review score is a “must-have” 5 out of 5!

Safe Sleep System’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Product Description 

Muse represents a wearable brain sensing headband, brought to us by the good people at InteraXon. The Muse meditation headband was first manufactured back in 2014, and in 2018 we had the chance to get introduced to its more enhanced version – the Muse 2 headband.

Unlike the Muse headband, its enhanced version – the Muse 2 headband, while providing information about the brain activity, it also measures your heart rate, breath, and body movement.

These are all valuable factors while trying to practice and enhance the mindfulness training and introduce the user to an effective meditation session.  

The main function of the Muse meditation headband is to measure your brain activity. In order to do that, the headband has seven electroencephalographies (EEG) sensors that are implanted into the headband. Once measured, the Muse EEG signals are then converted into audio feedback that is fed to the user through headphones.

The Muse headband is connected through Bluetooth to the user’s phone. On the phone, an app called the Muse Meditation app, which is free of charge, is required to be installed.

The app and the headband compatible with both Android and iOS operating systems. The app allows the user to track their progress, set goals, and create a rewarding meditation session that the user will benefit from.

The app measures the time spent meditating and the success rate, while introducing fun challenges for the user to complete and with that, motivating anyone who has been using the app and the Muse headband to continue and improve their experience.  

How to use the Muse meditation headband?

The Muse headband is light and easy to use, in addition to having a simple yet elegant look. The headband is to be connected through Bluetooth to the Muse Meditation app and placed around the forehead. The user can choose whether or not to use headphones, according to their personal needs.

For the best effect, the “do not disturb” mode is recommended to be turned on, as a way to prevent interrupting your meditation session by a notification or a phone call. Once activated, the headband will translate the measured brain waves into audio feedback in the form of weather sounds.

If the user is having trouble concentrating, the app will introduce the sounds of stormy weather. The user will be asked to try and calm the sounds and turn them into the sounds of peaceful weather by trying to calm his mind.

If the user manages to reduce the theta activity and increase the alpha activity in the brain, he/she is introduced to a reward. Through neurofeedback, the Muse meditation headband helps guide the user through an effective and calming meditation session, thus introducing high-quality mindfulness training. 

Pros and Cons 

Like any other product, the Muse meditation headband has certain pros and cons that need to be discussed. However, in the case of the Muse headband, you will quickly discover that there are more pros than cons, which only speaks of the high-quality that this product characterizes itself with. 

Pros 

• It provides accurate data about the brain waves, heart rate, breathing, and the body movements of the individual; 
• It is easy to use; 
• It has a light and comfortable design; 
• Its features and easy-to-use Muse Meditation app are positively addicting and make the meditation session seem more interesting, fun, and engaging. 

Cons  

• It comes with a higher price than other products 

The Muse App

One of the great parts of this meditation device is the well designed and thought out app. The gamification of meditation really helps to keep coming back each day to ensure you’re earning points and milestones – as childish as that may sound, it helped me achieve a 21-day meditation streak!

The main ‘Me’ tab will showcase your current streak, total minutes spent meditating and other highlights such as ‘birds’ which you’ll grow to love.

Having completed a session with the Muse meditation headband you’re able to view how that session went. The main graph is split into three sections, ‘Active’, ‘Neutral’, and ‘Calm’. The goal is to improve the amount of time spent in the ‘Calm’ section which is the prime meditation zone.

The great part is that you can think back to what thoughts might have caused high-levels of activity during your meditation session. Here’s an example of a previous session I completed, and there is a clear spike in activity as I started thinking about work and how much there is outstanding on my project. Luckily I was able to bring it back to a calm state towards the end.

The science behind the Muse headband 

The Muse headband represents an advanced neurofeedback method that is easy to be used by anyone from the comfort of their home, office, and wherever they might be.

Although the FDA is yet to approve the use of neurofeedback for the purposes of managing stress, anxiety, depression, and any emotional and behavioral issues, science has already spoken regarding the use of the Muse meditation headband, among other neurofeedback technologies. 

In 2016, research showed that N-tsMT (neurofeedback-technology-supported MT) is associated with greater body awareness and calm, which is the concept of the Muse headband. Through the use of neurofeedback, the Muse headband aims to improve the user’s mindfulness.

A study published in 2019 looked into the use of the Muse headband as a strategy to reduce stress and anxiety that is expected to occur with the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. The results explained that the use of the Muse meditation headband resulted in reduced fatigue, lower stress levels, and overall improved quality of life three months after surgery.  

How much does it cost?

Last update on 2024-10-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

As mentioned before, the Muse Meditation app can be downloaded free of charge for both Android and iOS operating systems. The Muse Meditation app comes with more than 300 guided meditation sessions, which are renewed every month.

Although the Muse headband may seem pricey now, think of it as a lifetime investment in whose benefits you can enjoy for as long as you want, as often as you want. That is a beneficial effect that the Muse headband is one of only the few neurofeedback technologies can offer.  

Last update on 2024-10-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Conclusion 

In conclusion, our Muse meditation review has looked through in detail at the benefits of this EEG headband and hope it’s helped you make a decision. The headband comes with more than an easy-to-use interface. It comes with an opportunity to enhance your meditation and improve the quality of your mindfulness training. Within only a couple of sessions spent using the Muse headband, you will discover how calmer and more aware of yourself and your surroundings you feel. 

Dr. Ahmed Zayed, MD holds a baccalaureate of Medicine and Surgery. An avid contributor to the Huffington Post and Chicago Tribune, Dr. Zayed believes in providing accurate and accessible information to general readers. With years of writing and editing content in the medical niche, Dr. Zayed likes to think of himself as a man with a mission, keeping the internet free of false medical information.

References 

https://choosemuse.com/

https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-016-0168-6

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6769228/