If you’ve ever had trouble sleeping, and looked into ways to help you get more sack time, you’ve probably run across some of the multiple sleep technologies that are now available.
Whether you monitor your sleep with a health wristband like Fitbit or have downloaded a special app to help you keep track of your sleep patterns, you’re part of a growing group of people that are turning to technology to help them take control of their sleep.
Some experts in both the fields of sleep and technology have come together to gather as much information as they can about sleep technology, and if it is living up to the promises made to consumers. The National Sleep Foundation and the Consumer Electronics Foundation have joined forces to take a look at what some of the top sleep technologies of today have been able to do when it comes to assisting users in getting better quality sleep every night.
This study has been able to show us what impact that sleep tech has had on sleep quality and behavior. Some of the results were able to identify the top “problem areas” for sleepers.
Not getting enough sleep
Despite what you might think, users of sleep tech are getting about as much (or in this case, as little) sleep as those not making use of added technology. Both groups report that the average length of time in bed is 6.5 hours per night, and that they all felt as if they were getting at least an hour less per night of sleep than they should be getting.
Quality counts when it comes to sleep
All of those that took part in the study stated that they believed that sleep has a major impact on their overall health and well-being. Out of all of the participants, those that reported getting less than 6 hours of sleep per night said that they were most likely to deal with sleep-related issues.
54% stated that they had trouble losing weight
46% said that they suffered from mood swings
37% were dealing with chronic illness
41% stated that they just plain felt unhealthy
On the flip side of the coin, those that reported getting 9 or more hours of sleep said that they felt as if they were getting enough sleep each night, and they felt healthier because of it.
Bedtime routines need changing
Both those that used sleep technology and those that didn’t reported that they were practicing unhealthy pre-sleep behaviors.
72% said that they watched TV right before bed
39% stated that they used an electronic device before bed
Study results regarding bedtime routines indicated that both tech users and non-users had trouble adapting to a healthier set of habits when it came to getting ready for bed.
Sleep technology looks promising
Despite the mixed results of the sleep technology study, more than half of the participants that made use of the specialized tech reported feeling as if it made a difference for them, and helped to improve their sleep.
The best part about the newly available sleep technology is that it seems to be shedding more light on the poor sleep epidemic in our country, and causing people to get more interested in finding ways to get more (and better) sleep.
Do you use any type of sleep technology? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
