Do you believe drinking coffee is keeping you up at night? It’s not — as long as you’re consuming less than four cups per day.
That’s according to a new survey from SleepScore Labs, a spinoff of sleep apnea medical device maker ResMed.
Released at the CES 2017 consumer electronics show earlier this month, the SleepScore Labs survey collected data from just under 21,000 people over 1.5 million nights. It highlights how sleep is getting more attention in technology circles.
At CES 2017, more than 20 sleep technology firms showed off their latest gadgets in a new Sleep Technology Marketplace. They ranged from sleep tracking mattresses to devices that enable temperature controlled pillows.
Fitness brands also joined the sleep product parade. Under Armour touted its Athlete Recovery Sleepwear. Pitched by New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady, the $200 pajamas have a fabric pattern that claims to absorb “far infrared” energy and transfer it to the body to reduce inflammation, improve recovery and promote better sleep.
CES 2017 also was the coming out party for SleepScore Labs, based outside San Diego. A new joint venture of ResMed, TV cardiologist Dr Mehmet Oz and New York-based Pegasus Capital Advisors, the company’s goal is to build an ecosystem around accurately measured sleep.
“We have a lot of people going to bed for enough hours but they are not actually sleeping at that time,” said Colin Lawlor, chief executive of SleepScore Labs. “If you wear a wearable device, it is probably going to tell you that you are sleeping fine. But the truth is you are awake for a significant amount of time.”
For now, SleepScore’s efforts centre on ResMed’s S+ sleep tracker, though it expects to have additional products, said Lawlor.
The S+ sits on a nightstand, so users don’t wear anything. It contains proprietary high resolution sensors that measure respiration and body movement, along with light, noise and temperature in the bedroom.
The sensors are good enough to see a person’s pulse, said Lawlor. The radio frequency range is short, so the device can be positioned to monitor the right person.
Using thousands of hours of breathing data, ResMed built algorithms that recognise deep sleep respiration, REM sleep breathing and light sleep patterns, said Lawlor. It reports how much time the user spent in each phase via a smartphone app.
This data is compared to an average to create a SleepScore, which the company hopes becomes the standard measurement of sleep — like calories are for food. The SleepScore in the survey released at CES was 77 out of 100.
“In the consumer electronics landscape, there are more and more products that claim to measure sleep,” said Lawlor. “The problem for the consumer and ultimately the companies is nobody knows if any of these things work.”
ResMed’s S+ costs $130 but is on sale for $50 on the SleepScore Labs website through May. There are competitors, ranging from pure sleep trackers such as Beddit and Sense to wearable devices from Fitbit and Jawbone.
Some sleep tracking devices have come under criticism for how accurately they measure sleep. Lawlor claims ResMed has solved that problem with the S+. Now SleepScore hopes to help consumers understand how they’re sleeping and why it’s important to monitor.
“And then for the industry, we are aiming to provide access to the SleepScore technology as a service to help them test, validate and improve their products,” he said. “We think we can enable the ecosystem around that simple idea: If you can measure it, you can manage it.”
To help get the word out, SleepScore Labs released its survey results on sleep at CES. It probably contains bias, acknowledged Lawlor. The data came from users of ResMed’s S+. So participants likely have sleep problems that prompted them to purchase the device.
Still, its findings offer a glimpse of sleep habits of Americans. Among its findings:
Seventy-nine percent of participants got less than the recommended seven hours sleep a night.
Women sleep on average 24 minutes more a night than men.
Thirty minutes of daily exercise adds 14 extra minutes of sleep per night.
Participants who had one or two drinks slept on average 16 minutes more than people who had more than two drinks, or none at all.
Half of participants regularly use sleep aids, ranging from prescription medications to over-the-counter sleeping pills/herbal sleep supplements. —The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS
7 tips to sleep faster and sleep deeper
By Ashlee Christian
Check out these tips for maintaining healthy sleep hygiene practices:
Stick to a schedule
One of the most important components of good sleep hygiene is going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. (According to our sleep poll, 40% of freelancers don’t go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, 30% do, and the other 30% are actually vampires). It might be tempting to sleep in on weekends or stay up until all hours, however, building consistent routines reinforces your body’s natural cycle which helps you get better sleep (unless you are actually a vampire, in which case none of this matters).
Exercise that bod
Regular physical activity is a great way to promote better sleep, allowing you to fall asleep quicker and sleep deeper. Sleep experts recommend working out at least three hours before bedtime to allow your body time to cool off before sleep. If you can’t get in a full workout, yoga is always a great option!
Finding your stomach’s Goldilocks zone is essential, a full belly doesn’t make for a good sleep, neither does a hungry one. Sleep specialists recommend not eating within three hours of bedtime. Similarly to working out, eating raises your body temperature which makes sleeping difficult. Check out the best and worst foods for sleep.
Have a bedtime ritual
Whether it be a shower or reading a book, having a bedtime ritual is essential for letting your body know when it’s time to get into sleep mode. Carrying out a consistent relaxing activity before bed will ease your body’s transition between wakefulness and drowsiness.
Unplug and turn off
Any exposure to unnatural light cycle before or while you sleep may have negative consequences for both your overall health and your quality of sleep. Try to limit TV, computer, and smartphone use an hour before bedtime. If you find that you need to fall asleep to the sound of something, consider a white noise machine.
Make your bed a place for sleep
Try to designate your bed, and your bedroom for sleep as much as you can. Of course you may have space constraints; maybe your bedroom is your living room is your office is your kitchen. If you do have the option to designate your bed/bedroom for sleeping try to make it as quiet, dark, and cool as possible. Think lush cave. Studies are showing that the optimal temperature for sleeping and also for healthy metabolisms is 66 degrees.
A watched clock never sleeps
While that makes little sense both grammatically and physically, you get it. Don’t be a clock watcher! Fretting over not falling asleep and constantly checking the clock only leads to more fretting which usually only leads to less sleeping. If you find that you can’t fall asleep within 20 or so minutes, get out of bed, do something relaxing (but not mentally stimulating, for example: listen to instrumental music or indulge in a guilty pleasure read), and try again.
Know when to seek help
If you find that you are trying everything possible, and your sleep still isn’t improving, this may be a sign of a larger sleep disorder. Consider talking to your physician or a sleep specialist to get to the root of the issue. — FreelancersUnion
