The Future of Sleep Is Here

Sleep is being hailed as a new frontier for holistic wellness, and more and more companies – from makeup brands to hotels to mobile apps – are getting on board with promoting a good night’s sleep, according to CB Insights.

As sleep deprivation, in countries such as the US , UK and Australia, rises to epidemic proportions, the new sleep economy is ushered in.

That means you’ll be soon accessing some pretty amazing ways to get the sleep you need for a healthy mind and body.

Here are just some of the interesting new innovations highlighted in a recent CB Insights report.

WELLNESS CLUBS

Clubs across the globe are offering sleep-as-a-service while looking to destigmatise sleep and napping. napping, it turns out, helps improve the immune system, energy, cognitive function and motional control. New York-based Nap York, for example, offers a quiet cafe as well as sleep pods for power naps, slumber sessions for travellers between flights, yoga and meditation. Los Angeles’ Spa Lé La offers a nap room for 25 minutes for $40. Outside of the United States, London’s Pop & Rest and Tokyo’s Nescafe Harajuku provide nap pods and beds for stressed city workers.

FITNESS + PERFORMANCE INDUSTRIES

Fitness companies are exploring the connection between sleep and fitness performance. Luxury gym chain Equinox, for example, recently began offering sleep coaching features and tracking within its app, integration of sleep research into its in-person fitness coaching, as well as standalone sleep coaching services for members.

BEAUTY + HEALTH SUPPLEMENTS

Many beauty brands offer products focused on sleep while some even brand their lines around sleep. HUM Nutrition offers a sleep supplement containing melatonin, Vitamin B6, and calcium. Moon Juice’s adaptogenic powders aim to promote deep rest. Goodnight Darling offers a beauty and lifestyle apothecary brand that aims to teach women how to sleep well. The company offers products ranging from room and fragrance sprays to candles and apparel.

APPAREL

Direct-to-consumer apparel startup Lunya produces luxury sleepwear. The company has collections that aim to solve specific sleep problems,  focused on addressing the things that keep you up at night, such as restlessness, temperature control, and muscle aches, as well as other lifestyle needs such as being travel-friendly (even if it’s from the bed to the couch).

SMART MATTRESSES

Personalised to the way you sleep, with sleep tracking technology (how long you slept last night and how often you woke), app-based control (adjusting the firmness of your mattress to suit your personal preference) and even accompanying sleep coaching apps. Now we can all be sleep-fit.

COACHING + EDUCATION

Companies are offering sleep coaching services to help consumers achieve better sleep regimens. SonicSleep offers an AI sleep assistant which provides coaching services for individuals as well as corporate wellness programs.

As meditation has gained greater mainstream popularity as a pillar of wellness, mindfulness apps are offering meditation services meant to induce sleep. Meditation app Headspace, for example, offers guided meditation programs to enable sleep. Calm has developed “Sleep Stories,” which are relaxing bedtime stories to help users fall asleep.

TRAVEL

As airports seek to become more premium destinations, they are dedicating more space for travellers to rest. Sleeping pods such as the ones developed by GoSleep are now available in a growing number of international airports, including Dubai and Amsterdam.

Premium sleep options may soon be available as well. For example, luxury rentals platform Onefinestay recently partnered with Virgin Atlantic to open a pop-up bedroom in the airline’s Clubhouse lounge in London Heathrow airport.

European aerospace company Airbus (at the time of writing) is planning to use part of the cargo area to create sleeping pods where passengers can nap.

Air New Zealand has unveiled the ‘economy skynest’, a collection of sleeping pods designed for economy passengers, with full-size pillow, sheets and blanket, earplugs, and with privacy curtains and lighting designed for sleep. The airline is also exploring other features such as separate reading lights, USB ports, and ventilation outlets.

More products aiming to offset the negative effects of jet lag are also emerging. Mobile app Timeshifter offers a jet lag app, which uses sleep and circadian neuroscience to help long-distance travelers fight daytime lethargy. Other brands are offering sleep light masks and light therapy goggles to combat jet lag while traveling.

HOSPITALITY

Major chains, including the Marriott and Hyatt, are using features such as smart lighting for better sleep and adjustable smart beds.

Wellness-focused hotels, such as Six Senses Spas, offer sleep programs for visitors, which include circadian lighting features as well as “sleep ambassadors” that curate guests’ sleep experience and environment.

Beyond features within hotel rooms, Westin offers a “Sleep Well Menu” that promotes better rest through a curated list of sleep-enhancing superfoods on its room service menu.

Hotels are also capitalising on room availability during off-hours with apps such as Recharge and Dayuse that allow travellers to reserve short-term, marked-down stays at participating hotels, to catch up on sleep.

WEARABLES + TECH

Though wearables are most often associated with fitness, new sleep wearables are looking to provide sleep tracking and other features to promote a good night’s rest.

For example, Dreem develops a body and brain-sensing headband which aims to help users achieve better sleep. Companies such as Beddr offer an FDA-approved wearable “SleepTuner,” which pairs with a sleep insights app.

Companies are also integrating sleep wearables and associated products into the smart home. China-based startup, Sleepace – which offers sleep-focused wearables – unveiled its smart bedroom at CES 2018. The sleep module featured a host of benefits including a connected sleeping routine with bedroom temperature-monitoring, smart pillows, alarm and light activation upon waking up.

Sleep headphones have also gained greater traction. Kokoon produces Bluetooth headphones geared to helping users relax and sleep, while Bose recently launched the Bose Sleepbuds, designed to mask unwanted noise and lull users to sleep with soothing sounds.

This is an excerpt of an article published by CB Insights