'World's first mask for polyphasic sleep' to launch

Sleep masks can be great if you want to improve the quality of your Zs, but a new nighttime accessory claims to go one step further by reducing the number of hours' sleep you need per day.

NeuroOn is being billed as the world's first brain wave-monitoring sleep mask that helps wearers switch to polyphasic sleep patterns. The practice involves breaking up resting time into small segments throughout the day.

According to its designers, polyphasic sleepers need as little as two-to-six hours of sleep per day, which could create an extra 28 hours of free time each week.

The mask is made using viscoelastic foam -- a type of memory foam -- and various outer designs are available. Electrodes connected to a biological amplifier measure brain waves, muscle tension and eye movements throughout the night, and the following morning the information is analyzed and sent to a smartphone app.

The data results can then be used to create a personalized sleeping program best suited to each individual's needs.

The mask also claims to let wearers control their dreams, by introducing the concept of lucid dreaming to their sleep time.

NeuroOn was launched as a project on crowdfunding website Kickstarter in December 2013 by Intelclinic, an interdisciplinary team of new technology enthusiasts. It is set to go on general release in July of this year.