SleepTech and Sleep Science: Elevating Lives Through Innovation
The dynamic landscape of sleep technology, often called "SleepTech" offers a variety of innovations dedicated to improving sleep quality and addressing sleep-related issues. From sleep trackers and smart mattresses to sleep apps and gadgets like white noise machines and aromatherapy devices, SleepTech has emerged as a powerful force influencing both sleep and overall health. This growing field uses technology to connect individuals with the advantages of medical progress in a world where fast living and obligations take time away from a vital human activity: sleep.
Understanding the profound impact of sleep on our well-being is crucial, as studies show that about 40% of Americans don’t get enough sleep. The future could bring even worse statistics; on average, Americans slept 7.9 hours per night in 1942 compared to 6.8 hours in 2013, marking a 13% decrease.
The consequences of insufficient sleep are far-reaching. Lack of sleep costs the United States over 411 billion dollars and 1.23 million working days annually, primarily as a result of productivity loss. According to one research, age 40 is the low point, and hours of sleep start to creep back up at about age 50.
The pervasive use of screens before bedtime, cautioned by sleep experts as a potential disruptor, highlights the negative impact of technology on sleep—Netflix even called sleep its competition. Not only that, the famous streaming platform said that it was winning in the battle against sleep. Yet, the field of SleepTech, embraced by innovative startups, aims to counterbalance these effects by fostering better sleep quality through technological solutions.
There are many things that apps or devices, especially wearable devices, could track. However, only a few people know how to use them effectively or what they could get from this technology. There are so many technological gadgets, but nobody pays attention on the most efficient way to use them.
For example, if you ask a psychologist or psychiatrist what could be done with wearable devices, there is an easy answer. Usually, if something goes wrong with your mental well-being, it affects your sleep shortly. It is possible to track that, but the real question is when should you start paying attention? There is an answer — it's called the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).
In ICD, there are several metrics, and when you reach the maximum or minimum of these metrics, you have to pay attention and maybe go to the doctor or at least start being more careful in terms of sleeping. For example, how long does it take you to start sleeping? What about the duration of your sleep? No app is doing that at the moment, and it could easily be done. Even though they cannot make a diagnosis, because a doctor should do that, at least they could track such things. For now, no app is tracking that — and that's a very obvious and easy thing to track. That might be helpful because the users will at least be notified that something in their sleeping health doesn't work well.
Innovations in SleepTech
There are various products designed to improve sleep quality, ranging from devices that assist with falling asleep to wearables that monitor biometrics and devices that mask disruptive noises.
Dodow is a device that helps you fall asleep faster. If you tap the touch-sensitive surface once for the 8-minute mode, and twice for the 20-minute mode, a blue light will appear on the ceiling, so you can gently synchronize your breathing to the light. It helps you fall asleep naturally, helps night awakening, stress, thoughts running through your head, and chronic insomnia.
According to their data, more than 70% of people suffer from circadian disruption. AYO is a health & wellness wearable that provides optimal light session timing and duration for managing sleep. It includes an app for guidance and chronometrics.
Sunrise provides a sleeping science at the tip of your chin. It is a certified medical device for the diagnosis of sleep apnea. Sunrise comes with a healthcare professional portal for quick access to sleep study results, AI-scored reports, and raw data for inspection.
Oura ring
It’s a wearable ring that provides readings for over 20 biometrics, including heart rate, body temperature, and blood oxygen. The ring offers sleep pattern analysis, overnight SpO2, and personalized tips, and you can stay present without notifications on your wrist — if you want, you can check the app.
SNOOZ is a smart white-noise machine — a device that raises the baseline sound level in your room to mask noises, aiding with noisy environments. It can also serve as an under-mattress sleep tracker and record health parameters in real time.
Pegasi smart glasses are designed to help regulate sleep cycles, solve sleep problems, and improve sleep quality. They offer solutions for insomnia through cloud computing and data analysis.
SleepBank utilizes a Sleep Frequency Technology (SFT) chip to generate a natural frequency magnetic field, reducing the influence of high-frequency radio waves. It promotes relaxation and improves sleep quality. The resonance generated by the SleepBank and your body can eliminate the negative energy accumulated during the day, allowing you to be relaxed and repaired.
Recognizing the significance of quality sleep, various apps have been developed to aid in achieving optimal rest:
An iOS and Android app designed for recording and tracking snoring, helping users discover effective solutions. The app isn’t designed to cure snoring but instead gives you an understanding of your snoring problem to help you find a suitable solution to improve your sleep.
The Snore Score is SnoreLab’s unique measure of snoring intensity. More than simply reporting back a few volume readings, our Snore Score takes into account those different volumes and how long you spend at each level. By measuring changes in your snoring intensity between nights, you can try different methods and hopefully discover one that works for you.
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AutoSleep works out how long you've slept using Advanced Heuristics, even if you don't wear your Watch to bed. As you meet your sleep goal, the clock will go from red to green letting you see when you achieved your goal.
It's an app that creates an artificial sunrise light alarm for a more natural waking experience. You can create your personal wake-up light that brightens your bedroom slowly before your desired wake-up time. The creators of the app say waking up to light helps your body transition into a lighter phase of sleep, making it easier to get up and feel less tired.
Calm is a mindfulness app featuring meditation practices, calming sounds, ambient music, and sleep stories. Guided meditations are available in lengths of 3 to 25 minutes, so you can choose the perfect time to fit your schedule.
They also offer sleep Stories narrated by well-known voices like Matthew McConaughey, a music library with exclusive tracks from top artists like Keith Urban and Disney, short videos with mindful movement and gentle stretching for every body type, Masterclasses taught by experts in the field of mindfulness, soundscapes, and nature sounds to use during meditation or to help you sleep, breathing exercises to help you relax and more.
A platform to discover your chronotype, track sleep, and create effective bedtime routines using a rich audio collection. Combine your favorite sounds, binaural beats, and music from our expansive library to create a perfect mix. There is also a BetterSleep by Ipnos for business that helps teams feel well-rested, less stressed, and more focused.
StellarSleep lets you take online quizzes and get your personalized program to experience better sleep for life. The creators say it’s deeply rooted in behavioral therapy for insomnia techniques — built for insomniacs, by insomniacs.
I'm using mostly two apps to control my sleep — Apple Health and AutoSleep. Apple Health seems to be very accurate for me, and it provides good data, but it's useless in terms of trends.
Apple Watch has very good sensors, but as you might realise, every person is unique. Therefore, it is not adjusted to everyone.
Why do I like AutoSleep? It has a very nice feature where you can set the level of sensitivity in your Settings. The unique value proposition of this app is in the number of customisation options. You have to learn them, because there are many, but when you learn them, you can adjust the app for your needs.
I ‘played’ a lot with sensitivity — and now I have pretty accurate data. But before that, on default settings, they were not so accurate. For now, when I compare results, I usually believe more to AutoSleep rather than Apple Health. They are very close, but not every time.
Beyond economic implications, sleep deprivation takes a toll on cognitive functions. Difficulties in learning, reacting, focusing, decision-making, emotional control, problem-solving, and coping with change are all associated with insufficient sleep.
Going without adequate sleep carries with it both short- and long-term consequences. According to Harvard Medical School, a lack of adequate sleep can affect judgment, mood, and ability to learn and retain information, and may increase the risk of serious accidents and injury. Almost 20% of all car crash accidents and injuries are associated with sleepiness. In the long term, chronic sleep deprivation may lead to a host of health problems, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even early mortality.
In the world of health and well-being, SleepTech emerges as a game-changer, offering practical advantages for those seeking better sleep and a healthier life. Technology can provide personalized insights into sleep patterns, helping individuals optimize their sleep routines. SleepTech is more than gadgets or apps; it is a catalyst for positive change in everyday life, and it can provide tools for everyone to unlock the benefits of a good night's sleep.
Everyone can use this technology, and given the number of people with sleeping problems, the audience for innovation is huge.
As a psychologist and technologist, it's really sad that the creators of SleepTech apps do not pay attention (or do not pay enough attention) to the science behind them. There are not too many studies in the area of sleeping and the psychology of sleep, but still there are some of them, and there are several very interesting results related to improving sleep.
Usually, when people try to build an app, they focus on a nice UI, but this cannot be the core feature. It is nice, but nothing more.
I see a huge opportunity for the very first person (or the very first company) who will try to ‘marry’ science (psychology, medicine, or neurology) and sleeping. It would be the first step of doing something — maybe something small, but something that could really get the market.
There are even more benefits coming from sleep improvement. Data from SleepTech devices contribute to sleep research and SleepTech can offer valuable information on the importance of sleep and healthy practices, which seems to be missing today.
Smart technologies, like controlling lighting and temperature, help to create an ideal sleep environment, promoting better sleep and overall well-being, often with the help of AI.
Also, for those with sleep disorders, SleepTech can offer real-time data for effective management and improved quality of life. Addressing sleep-related challenges and problems enhances cognitive functions, positively influencing productivity, concentration, and emotional well-being - and all that can have economic and social impact.
In conclusion, the integration of SleepTech and an understanding of sleep statistics underscore the critical role technology plays in achieving better sleep and overall well-being. SleepTech not only transforms individual sleep experiences but also holds the promise of creating a healthier and more productive society.
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Absolutely! It's intriguing how technology intertwines with sleep science to improve rest. Integrating science into tech solutions could unlock transformative innovations for better sleep and overall well-being.
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1yWell said!
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1yThe growth of SleepTech is impressive. It shows how tech can positively impact our health.
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1yThough SleepTech is beneficial, I worry it might lead to an over-reliance on technology.
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1yI'd be interested to know how SleepTech impacts different age groups. Is it equally effective for all?