Last updated: October 2026
Dodow is a small light-up disc from the French company Livlab. It projects a soft blue light onto your ceiling: you breathe in as it grows and out as it shrinks, slowing from about 11 to 6 breaths a minute over an 8 or 20 minute session. It’s sold in the UK through Livlab’s own website.
Slow breathing before bed has some research behind it, but when we checked in October 2026 we found no published trials of Dodow itself. Below: how to use it, who it suits, free alternatives and how it compares with apps. Evopure isn’t connected with Dodow or Livlab.
Building a calmer wind-down? Our Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex is a berry drink you mix in the evening, with 148mg of magnesium per serving plus glycine and L-theanine. Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
Add Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex to bag See ingredients and reviews
What is Dodow and how does it work?
Dodow is a breathing metronome that uses light instead of sound. Livlab calls it “a luminous metronome”. Here is what Livlab’s UK product page listed when we checked in October 2026:
| Detail | What Livlab lists |
|---|---|
| Made by | Livlab, a French company founded in 2012 |
| Sessions | 8 minutes (one tap) or 20 minutes (two taps) |
| Breathing pace | Starts at about 11 breaths a minute, slows to 6 in about 2 minutes |
| Light | Blue, projected on the ceiling, 3 brightness levels |
| Power | 3 AAA batteries, included; no charging or app |
| Size | 9 x 9 x 1.8cm, 180g |
| Age | From 6 years old |
At the slow end, each breath is about 4 seconds in and 6 seconds out. Dodow switches itself off when the session ends, and makes no sound. Livlab links this rhythm to heart coherence and the baroreflex, which ties breathing to heart rate; our vagus nerve guide explains the science and the hype.
Does Dodow work?
Slow breathing: the evidence is promising but small.
- A 2026 systematic review found nine studies, with 457 people in total, of slow breathing (10 breaths a minute or fewer) before bed. Self-reported sleep quality and duration improved. Results from sleep lab and wrist-tracker measurements were inconclusive.
- In a 2015 study of 14 people with self-reported insomnia, 20 minutes of paced breathing at 6 breaths a minute before bed went with falling asleep faster and fewer awakenings.
- A 2022 meta-analysis of 223 studies found slow breathing raises heart rate variability, a marker of the “rest and digest” nervous system.
The device itself: we found no published trials of Dodow on PubMed when we checked in October 2026. Livlab’s figures on how quickly people fall asleep come from its own users, not from a published trial. So Dodow is a guide for a technique with early research behind it. Some people find a light easier to follow than counting; others find it distracting or the pace hard to match at first. Livlab offers a 100-day money-back guarantee on purchases from its own website.
Pair it with an evening routine
Breathing works best as part of a calm hour before bed (see our bedtime routine for adults). Here’s how our three evening products fit:
| Evopure product | Format | When | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex | Berry drink powder, 148mg magnesium | In the evening | Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue |
| Sleep CBD Oil | Broad spectrum CBD drops with passion flower | About an hour before bed | 10mg is 4 drops of the 500mg or 2 drops of the 1000mg |
| Reishi Cacao | Reishi hot chocolate | Earlier in the evening | Contains a little natural caffeine |
The FSA’s 10mg a day figure is precautionary advice rather than a legal limit, set while longer-term safety research continues. At Evopure we think it is a very cautious figure, and many adults use more. If you go above it, increase slowly, and check with your GP or pharmacist first if you take any medication.
- Sleep CBD Oil is broad spectrum and THC free, with every batch third-party tested at ISO 17025 labs. Reports are on request from our lab testing page.
- All three are vegan and made in the UK. Our CBD products are on the FSA public list, linked to validated applications.
- Tracked Royal Mail delivery across the UK (delivery details). Unopened, unused items can be returned within 14 days (returns policy).
They’re food supplements, not medicines. For how magnesium fits with sleep, see magnesium for sleep; for CBD, see does CBD help you sleep?
How to use Dodow
- Put Dodow on your bedside table and lie down with the lights off.
- Tap the top once for the 8-minute session, or twice for 20 minutes.
- Watch the blue circle on the ceiling. Breathe in as it grows, out as it shrinks.
- If you lose the rhythm, pick it up on the next breath. If you’re still awake when it switches off, start another session.
8 or 20 minutes? Start with 20 if you usually take a while to drop off. Use the dimmest of the three brightness settings you can still follow.
Can you buy Dodow in the UK?
Yes. Livlab sells Dodow to UK customers from the UK section of its own website, priced in pounds; the old mydodow.com address now redirects there. Its 100-day guarantee applies only to purchases on livlab.care, so check the terms if you buy elsewhere.
Who Dodow suits, and when to see a GP
A breathing guide may suit you if your mind races at bedtime, counting your breath doesn’t stick, or you’d rather not use a phone in bed. See also how to stop overthinking at night.
It isn’t a treatment for a sleep disorder. The NHS says to see a GP if changing your sleep habits hasn’t helped, you’ve had trouble sleeping for months, or it’s affecting your daily life. The main treatment for long-term insomnia is CBT for insomnia. If you snore loudly, gasp or stop breathing in your sleep, read about sleep apnoea and see a GP.
Is Dodow a “handheld sleep aid device”?
Not really. Dodow sits on a bedside table and uses light only. Many gadgets sold online as “handheld sleep aid devices” are different: you hold them in your palm and they send a small electrical current (microcurrent). We found no independent sleep trials of these either. If you have a pacemaker or other implanted device, epilepsy, or are pregnant, ask your GP before using anything that passes a current through your body.
Free alternatives to Dodow
You can do slow breathing without a device; the NHS has a free breathing exercise for stress. Three to try:
- 4-7-8 breathing: in for 4, hold for 7, out for 8. Like Dodow’s pace, the out-breath is the longest part.
- Progressive muscle relaxation: tense and release each muscle group in turn, which gives a busy mind a job.
- Box breathing: 4 counts in, hold, out and hold.
For more techniques, see how to fall asleep fast, and for the habits that matter most, our sleep hygiene guide. Our overview of natural sleep aids in the UK covers the supplements and remedies.
Dodow vs apps vs white noise
| Option | How it works | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Dodow | Light on the ceiling paces your breathing | No screen, sound or charging |
| Breathing apps | On-screen or audio pacing | Means a phone in bed |
| Sleepio | A digital CBT for insomnia course over weeks | Recommended by NICE for insomnia |
| White or brown noise | Steady sound masks noise | Doesn’t guide breathing |
| 4-7-8 or muscle relaxation | You pace yourself | Free, no kit |
Some people use both: a breathing guide to settle, steady sound for a noisy street. See brown noise vs white noise and our guide to Sleepio.
FAQs
Does Dodow really work?
Small studies suggest slow breathing before bed can improve how people rate their sleep, but we found no published trials of Dodow itself in October 2026. It suits some people better than counting; others find the light distracting.
What’s the difference between the 8 and 20 minute modes?
Only the length. Tap once for 8 minutes or twice for 20. The breathing pace slows to the same rhythm in both, and Dodow switches off at the end.
Will Dodow’s blue light keep me awake?
Livlab says the light on the ceiling is very dim, under 1 lux for someone lying in bed, and is only on for 8 or 20 minutes. Use the lowest of its three brightness settings if you’re sensitive to light.
Can I use Dodow with magnesium or CBD?
Yes. A breathing guide sits easily alongside a magnesium drink in the evening or CBD drops about an hour before bed. Ask your GP or pharmacist first if you take medication, and note our products are for adults (18+) only.
Is Evopure connected with Dodow?
No. Evopure isn’t connected with Dodow or Livlab. We wrote this guide from Livlab’s own product pages and published research, checked in October 2026.
We don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding. All Evopure products are for adults (18+) only.
Sources
- Livlab. Dodow product page (UK), checked October 2026.
- NHS. Insomnia.
- NHS. Breathing exercises for stress.
- Eide EM et al. Slow breathing techniques before bedtime and the effects on sleep: a systematic review. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2026.
- Tsai HJ et al. Efficacy of paced breathing for insomnia: enhances vagal activity and improves sleep quality. Psychophysiology, 2015.
- Laborde S et al. Effects of voluntary slow breathing on heart rate and heart rate variability: a systematic review and a meta-analysis. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 2022.
