Somnus

Somnus logo
Somnus home page
Dream history page
Caregiver dashboard

Inspiration

Gen Z, we need to talk. Your mental health matters, and Somnus is here to help. Did you know that 42% of Gen Z report struggling with depression? That's almost double the rate of older adults. You're not alone, and its time to prioritize your well being. This is where Somnus comes in. Somnus was inspired by the need to bridge the gap between dream analysis and mental health awareness, especially in the Gen Z community. I wanted to create a tool that is accessible, insightful, and lets be real, not stuffy. I wanted to use technology to demystify mental health and make it easier to track and understand.

What it does

Somnus helps you analyze your dreams by providing insights into cognitive health, emotional well being, and memory patterns. Here are some of the key features:

Dream Analysis: You type your dream, and our AI, powered by Perplexity's Sonar, gives you the deets. We're talking memory and anxiety scores, key themes, and insights into your emotional state
Dream History: Track your mental health journey. See trends in your anxiety and memory over time. It's like a mood tracker but for your subconscious.
PDF Export: Need to share you insights with a therapist or just want a fancy record? Export your dream history as a sleek PDF.
Gen Z Mode: Analyze your dreams with Gen Z slang for a bit of fun. We keep it real.
Caregiver Features: (For those who choose to use it) Caregivers can request access to monitor a patient's dream data, providing valuable support.

How we built it

I used a mix of different technologies to make Somnus happen:

Frontend: React, Material-UI, Recharts, Axios
Backend: Flask, Flask-SQLAlchemy, Flask-CORS, FPDF, PyJWT, Perplexity's Sonar
Database: SQLite

Challenges we ran into

Building Somnus wasn't all that easy. I faced challenges like:

Getting the AI to accurately and sensitively analyze dreams
Making the app user friendly and engaging for Gen Z
Balancing user privacy with caregiver features

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I was hyped about so many things including:

Creating a functional and intuitive dream analysis tool
Incorporating Gen Z humor and language
Developing a secure authentication system
Building a platform that can potentially aid in mental health monitoring

What we learned

This project taught me so much, including:

The power of AI in mental health support
The importance of user centered design
The complexities of building a full stack web application Most importantly, I learned that mental health technology needs to be accessible, engaging, and destigmatized, especially for Gen Z.

What's next for Somnus

I am not stopping here! I plan to:

Improve the accuracy and depth of dream analysis
Add more features to support mental well being(e.g. journaling prompts, mindfulness excersizes)
Expand access and reach more people

Somnus: Dream big Dreams!