Wearable devices that provide sleep information have become popular in technology, but Hapbee neckband it’s one of the most unique devices I’ve come across. It uses “ultra-gentle magnetic fields” to help improve your mood, productivity and sleep. All you have to do is put it around your neck and choose the vibration you’re looking for in a companion app. To learn more about the unconventional wearable, we tested the Hapbee Neckband for about a month and spoke with David Hoppenheim, COO at Hapbee Technologies, Inc. In this Hapbee review, I detail how it works, the science behind the neckband, and what happened when I tried it for myself.

The brand describes the Hapbee Neckband as a device that plays “tiny magnetic tunes that naturally stimulate the bio-receptors in cells to recreate the same sensations as drinking a cup of coffee, taking CBD, or dosing with melatonin.” Essentially, the Hapbee Neckband works to “trick” your body into thinking you’ve taken a substance by using electromagnetic waves to stimulate your cells in the same way the substance would. So, in theory, you could wear the neckband, set the “melatonin” in, and make your body feel like you’ve been supplementing it without ever touching a tincture or a pill. However, it’s worth noting that the Hapbee is not a medical device and should not be used to diagnose or treat health problems.

Hapbee Neckband product features

Before I get into the features of Hapbee, I want to provide a little background. This wearable works in tandem with the Hapbee app, which provides ‘Blends’, which are the ‘magnetic tunes’ that signal to your Hapbee and therefore your body and brain. There is a list of different blends or modes to explore and their potential benefits in the Hapbee app.

Sleep mix

Sleep was the focus of my review, so while testing the Hapbee, I mainly used sleep mixes. The app offers options for:

• “Deep Sleep” for the highest quality of sleep
• “Bedtime” for sleepiness
• “Long flight” for deep sleep and relaxation
• “Fade Away” for sleepiness and calmness
• “Wind Down” for drowsiness and deep sleep
• “Power Nap” for sleepiness and relaxation

According to the brand, options like Deep Sleep have been “recorded” from melatonin, a hormone your body naturally produces as it responds to darkness to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. These recordings are electromagnetic frequencies that mimic the hormones and compounds that would naturally signal to the brain. Other sleep blends, such as Bedtime, have been made from adenosine, a natural compound produced by the body to increase the desire for sleep.

Easy to use

Of course, I waited until almost bedtime to put the neckband on. It doesn’t weigh anything so it felt very light and comfortable around my neck. Hapbee was also incredibly easy to use. Just press the small button on the bottom of the device and open the Hapbee app to connect. There’s a tiny buzzer that goes off, as well as a little green light to indicate it’s on.

Some nights I’d stay in bed and let him do his thing. Other nights, I would read a book, scroll on my phone, or chat with my husband. I made sure to test each bedtime activity multiple times to make sure the results weren’t skewed by the activity itself. For example, lying in bed might make me feel more sleepy than scrolling on my phone, whether I was wearing the Hapbee or not. Some nights I felt like it was working and other nights I wasn’t sure at all. It is difficult to determine when there are other factors at play in inducing sleepiness, but it could be a good tool that promotes good sleep habits and in turn better sleep.

Additional mixes

Performance blend

Performance mixes were not the primary focus of my testing. However, I tried a few over the course of the month. The Morning Alertness Coffee Blend specifically called out to me because I can’t get out of bed without fulfilling my promise to a hot cup of coffee. As much as I love and need my morning caffeine, my stomach often hurts.

One of the benefits of Hapbee is that it can make you feel like you’ve been supplemented, without the side effects of that supplement. Hoppenheim spoke specifically about his experience getting rid of coffee and caffeine using Hapbee. He said he now has energy without his morning coffee and doesn’t experience the crash that usually comes in the afternoon.

I tried it a few times and didn’t really feel like it worked for me. Waking up in the morning while drinking coffee is an obvious sensation for me, and I got none of that from Hapbee. The app also offers a few other blends that I haven’t had a chance to test, including ones for focus and creativity.

Mixed mood

Changing your mood on demand—wouldn’t that be something? Even though I was testing sleep, I was trying to make these blends really work. Mood swings can really change my day, so the thought of changing my mood with a wearable is pretty incredible. We tested the Good Vibes blend, which is meant to make you feel calm and happy.

I felt really good the first and second time I used it, but every time after that, I didn’t really notice a difference. If I paid enough attention, I felt that I was using positive thinking to feel happier while wearing the necklace, rather than the necklace changing my mood. I also tried Time to Lounge, which seemed to work easily, but that could have been attributed to the fact that I was physically lying down and meditating.

Happy Hour Mix

When speaking to Hoppenheim, he called out the Happy Hour mix, which is made from alcohol to give you a buzz similar to a glass of wine or beer. He mentioned that there is a bar in Ireland that only sells non-alcoholic drinks and they partnered with Hapbee to help customers feel buzzed or “drunk” while wearing the neckband and using the Happy Hour Blend. Hoppenheim said the experiment was a success and that people said they could feel the difference changing.

There are also several other blends designed to promote calmness, relaxation, happiness, alertness, and even relief from muscle tension. Having used the wearable for the mods I did, I think whether these emotional and physical changes are the result of the placebo effect or truly working may depend on the individual user.

My expertise

I am a sleep journalist and Forbes Verified Contributor covering health, wellness and sleep topics. We tested everything from an “As Seen on TV” bamboo pillow TO Moonbirda portable breathing coach for better sleep. I’ve also researched and written a number of stories about mattresses and sleep, including the best mattresses for pressure points and how to choose a mattress.

Final thoughts

Analyzing the Hapbee results was quite difficult for me. While some nights I felt like it TO Working on other nights I wasn’t so sure and thought it might be a placebo. There are so many factors that affect my sleep, such as exercise, diet, weather, caffeine, menstrual cycle, and stress levels, that I found it impossible to get a true reading of whether this wearable did what the company claims. Overall, I think much more rigorous testing needs to be done over a very long period of time while tracking different metrics and body data to really know.

That said, if the placebo effect is at work here, it has been proven not only to work, but to be useful for people. when it comes to mental and physical health and well-being, particularly in the management of pain, fatigue and depression. So whether or not biofeedback works, it may not matter if you think they are and you feel better. I also tested the Hapbee for a month, so maybe I would notice a bigger difference if I used it for a longer period of time.