October 16, 2017 at 4:04 p.m.
More area veterans receive NightWare app, smartwatches
First users report positive experiences
More area veterans receive NightWare app, smartwatches
By Kayla Thomason-
According to NightWare's kickstarter page, "NightWare is a smartwatch application that uses supervised machine learning and haptic feedback to stop traumatic nightmares."
It is hoped the device will help veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder whose sleep is frequently disturbed by nightmares.
After a six- to 10-day learning period, the app will disturb the user's nightmares using vibrations through the watch without waking them up.
The veterans who received Nightware watches on Sept. 7 reported overall positive experiences.
Bud Kammes, who served in the Marine Corp from 1963-66 and retired as a corporal E4, said he has been happy with his NightWare watch.
"It works quite well, a little bit getting used to but once we started using it, it works really well, really pleased," he said.
Before he received his watch, Kammes said he'd have frequent nightmares and remember them. After using NightWare for a few weeks he has observed that the watch gently wakes him up and he doesn't remember the nightmares.
"I feel a lot better, I sleep better so I feel more refreshed," he said.
Kammes encourages the new veterans who are receiving the technology to stick with it.
"I hope everyone can benefit," he said. "I hope it spreads and the VA (Veterans Administration) picks it up and it does help. Us old guys have been suffering with these nightmares for a long time and any relief is welcome and I hope that everybody can share in this new software."
Dennis Barnes served in the Air Force from 1968-1972, retiring as a sergeant. Barnes attended the NightWare sessions with his service dog Ray, a shepherd/labrador.
Since wearing the watch, Barnes said he has had two nightmares but didn't remember them upon waking. The app showed his heart rate had spiked to 110 bpm during the nightmares, he added, noting that he is sleeping better these days.
"You could get four to five hours of sleep," he said. "You're motivated to get up and do things but you just feel kind of 'hmm, I did get that much sleep?' and when you look at your watches and you see what you're getting. It's like Tim (Bahr, veteran and leader of a veteran support group) said, it's something else and it helps."
Overall, he has been pleased with the results, despite having some technical difficulties.
"It's definitely a joy to have something like that," he said, noting that he phone crashed and wouldn't connect to Bluetooth, but NightWare is fixing it for him.
"We're the guinea pigs and this is the only way to find out the problems and correct them all and get them set where it can go FDA approved and nationwide," Barnes said.
Grady Hannah, CEO of NightWare, was pleased and moved by the feedback he received from the veterans who have been using the watches.
"Overall, we got very positive feedback from the vets, including several folks who were able to significantly reduce their medications once needed to go asleep," he said. "We expected positive feedback, but to hear the individual accounts was powerful and important to hear."
After hearing feedback from veterans, Hannah said NightWare will work to simplify the program to make it easier to use.
"We're excited to be working with Tim and his team members to test and improve NightWare and want to get this solution to traumatic nightmares to as many vets and people suffering from traumatic nightmares as possible," Hannah said.
After hearing what the first group of veterans are reporting, the second group, which includes nine individuals, are hopeful.
Josh Borchardt served in the Marine Corps from 2007-2012 and retired as Corporal. He is eager to see how NightWare affects his sleep.
He doesn't know how many hours a night he gets, but he has nightmares every night and wakes up on average three times per night, he said.
"I've heard a lot of good things with it and I'm really hoping that I can see these good things as well," he said.
He's also hoping that Nightware will be available for future veterans coming out of the service so they won't have to be dependant on medications to sleep.
"I'm hoping that this will help me benefit myself and future veterans to come to boot," he said.
William Nosek served in the U.S. Navy and retired in 2003 as an E4. He's unsure about how NightWare will affect him, but of course he's hoping he'll have good results.
"They say it's a benefit, but it's kind of a big question mark for me because I don't do sleep meds, I don't do any of those kinds of things and at this point I've gone through the nightmares for 15 years so I've kind of adapted to them. So I'll be interested to see if it pushes a change," he said.
He'd like to sleep for eight hours, and typically gets anywhere from two to six hours of sleep, he added.
"At this point I'll try anything that isn't medication," Nosek said.
NightWare is currently not for sale, however the organization is working on a pre-submission to the FDA.
"NightWare has made a presubmission for 510K approval by the VA," Hannah said. "We are currently in a pilot clinical trial at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and have been approved by the Institutional Review Board to begin that study. More on our status in regards to FDA clearance will be provided to us by end of year."
To donate to Bahr's GoFundMe page to help area veterans receive their own NightWare, visit www.gofundme.com/nightware-mybivy-application.
For additional information on the watches, visit http://night-ware.com/home.
NightWare is open to talking to anyone in the medical field or whomever would like to learn more.
They can contact them at [email protected].
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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