Americans aren’t getting enough sleep. A recent Gallup survey showed just a quarter of Americans get the recommended eight hours of sleep per night, down significantly from 34% in 2013. Even more concerning: about 1 in 5 Americans sleep less than five hours per night.
While this news won’t shock anyone who’s chasing their next cup of coffee, it’s an issue we need to take seriously. Sleep deprivation is linked to seven of the 15 leading causes of death in the United States. It also causes traffic and industrial accidents, medical errors, and reduced productivity at work. Lack of sleep can also raise the risk of life-altering diseases and disorders like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, obesity, and dementia.
While there’s no simple fix, a range of new technology innovations may help address the challenge – at least for the millions of Americans who have insomnia, sleep apnea or other sleep-related challenges. As health technology becomes more personalized, accessible, and intelligent, the arsenal of tools is growing. Companies like Anssil offer smart mattresses using sensors and 3D strings to adjust firmness based on personalized data. An AI-driven ‘motion pillow’ tracks sleep data and provides real-time adjustments. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch just got clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a feature that can detect obstructive sleep apnea.Other sleep monitors use bio-radar technology to offer personalized sleep coaching. For those who want to improve their sleep, the answer may just be technology.
The next step is accelerating the development and deployment of promising new technologies. That means creating opportunities for technology developers, healthcare providers and policymakers to create technology standards that spur innovation. The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has partnered with the National Sleep Foundation to create technology standards that aim to do just that – setting out specifications and protocols will ensure interoperability, reliability and accuracy across all devices and platforms.
As just one example, a recently-published standard on sleep-quality determination will help align criteria for a range of devices and features. These standards will, in turn, help researchers to collaborate more effectively by sharing data across studies, producing more accurate results and data for consumers.
Clear guidelines also serve another important purpose: building consumer trust. When using a new product, people want confidence that products actually work, and do so reliably. Increasingly, consumers also want to be sure that companies are using the personal data that’s created when interacting with sleep technology responsibly. With the rise of new AI capabilities integrated into many products, both the volume of available data and the importance of clear policies grows.
In short: there’s hope for the nearly 60% of Americans who aren’t getting quality sleep. If you’re one of them, I highly encourage you to get an early night, then check out some of the new sleep-enhancing technologies on the market today. For those of us who hope to see the market grow, we’re focused on a collaborative approach: urging technology, healthcare and government leaders to unlock the full potential of technologies that can help us all get a better night’s sleep. Now that is transformative.
