Sleep Technology

You know the old saying about how you can’t have your cake and eat it too? Well, it seems like there are an awful lot of people who just don’t buy it, and the latest example of that comes in the form of those who absolutely, positively understand that using electronic devices late at night is going to wreak havoc with their ability to sleep, and instead of turning the darn things off, they’ve gone and found themselves a workaround. Continue reading →

Sleep is one of our most basic functions – we’ve been doing it since we crawled out of the primordial ooze, and we can do it anywhere (though it’s certainly more comfortable to do it on a comfy bed with high thread count sheets). Despite the fact that we’ve been practicing our sleep techniques since we’ve been in the womb, many of us still struggle with insomnia, tossing and turning and staring at the ceiling instead of getting the restoration and recovery that we need. But the world of high tech gadgets has come up with a bevy of answers to our problem. Here are some of the top answers that science has provided to help us fall asleep more easily. Continue reading →

With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sounding a strident alarm about sleep deprivation reaching “public health epidemic” proportions, it’s no wonder that Americans are searching for ways tot help them improve their sleep quality and quantity. Manufacturers, retailers and software companies are more than happy to oblige and sell them products that promise improvement. It seems like every day another company comes up with a new sleep tracking system. Some come in the form of apps, some are worn as wristbands and some are bedside devices, but all of them provide qualitative feedback that lets consumers know a little bit about their behaviors and sleep cycles. The information’s quality depends in large part on the manufacturer and what is being measured, as well as the accuracy of the device’s sensors. Here are several of the most popular new devices on the market. Continue reading →

ResMed is a company whose stated mission is the development of products that improve the health and quality of life for those suffering from sleep-disordered breathing and other respiratory disorders. Though ResMed’s products have traditionally been in the medical arena, they have just introduced a consumer product, the S+ by ResMed. The S+ is a sleep tracker with a different. It offers a completely contactless system, eliminating the need for any kind of fitness wristband or watch, strips under the mattress, or any other type of sensor. It utilizes biomotion sensors that can track an individuals breathing patterns, body movements, and sleep stages, while also keeping track of the environment’s light, temperature and sounds. The unit includes a smart phone app that provides personalized feedback that users can utilize to track and compare themselves to their own sleep patterns or to a collection of proprietary sleep information that the company has gathered over its many years in business. Continue reading →

As sleep researchers learn more about the most efficient way to benefit from taking a nap, technology is working hard to keep up with their findings. A team that originates in Taiwan has recently announced that they have created a smart eye mask that will allow a person to take a nap that provides them with the highest levels of refreshment and which will wake them at the optimum time to ensure that they do not suffer any ill effects. Continue reading →

Researchers who study the effectiveness of different therapeutic approaches and treatments for insomnia have long held that the most effective way to approach the problem is through cognitive behavior therapy. Though there is a tendency to try to treat the problem with medication, when compared to sleeping medications cognitive behavior therapy has proven time and time again to be far more effective, and without any of the negative side effects or dependencies that can come with medication.  Continue reading →