Big data has gotten into just about every aspect of how people live their lives. Not surprisingly, big data has also gotten into sleep and how the quality and length of sleep affects a person‘s brain health. Check out how the latest in data analysis, artificial intelligence and technological innovations are making an impact on the quality of sleep you get.
Sleep Problems Are Widespread
Poor sleep has a huge impact on brain health and well-being. The United States Centers for Disease Control estimates that at least 70 million Americans have some kind of a sleep disorder. Poor sleep affects every part of the body, beginning with the brain. A person who is sleep-deprived drives as badly as if they were legally drunk. The rate of automobile accidents is higher in people who are sleep-deprived than in people who get adequate amounts of quality sleep. Sleep deprivation also increases a person’s risk of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and cancer. Americans as a whole could save billions of dollars every year in healthcare, property damage and insurance costs if they were able to get better sleep every night.
How Big Data Collects Information About Sleep
For a researcher to get information about how a person sleeps, they used to have to conduct a sleep study in a controlled laboratory environment. Those results were likely to be skewed because the subject of the study was not in their own bedroom. Thanks to the Internet of Things, researchers can get all the data they need without having to conduct sleep studies of large numbers of people. Devices such as the FitBit trackers, Jawbone Up and Nike Fuel allow large companies to collect data from millions of people every night. Companies get information in real-time. When a person sets up an account or downloads the product’s app, they can also look at their sleep quality.
Sleep Data Affects New Mattress Designs
For many years, sleep researchers have collected sleep pattern data from sleep studies in a controlled environment. That technology has moved past the laboratory and into the bedroom. Today, there are mattress companies that are able to put sleep pattern-tracking technology into their mattresses. These high-tech mattresses track a person’s movements, body temperature and heart rate in real time. The technology within the mattress allows the mattress to adjust in real time, too. If a person is getting too hot, the mattress could turn on its cooling properties. If the person is shifting in a particular spot, the mattress could increase or decrease firmness in that area.
Production of the Perfect Mattress
The data collected by these mattresses also allows mattress production companies to create informed designs for people with specific sleep problems or needs. For example, a person who sleeps on their side may need a different mattress configuration or firmness in different places. Companies can use the data to create the perfect mattress for everybody and every sleep style.
Financial Impact of Big Data on Sleep
There is a lot of money in sleep. Mattresses alone will account for $43.43 billion in sales by 2024. For people who sleep poorly, the sleep aid product will also continue to grow. By 2022, sales of sleep aids will exceed $79.85 billion every year. When a company can make use of the data collected on sleep, it could create mattresses that are more in tune with the sleep problems people have. For example, people who get too hot while they sleep might benefit from new thermoregulation technology for mattresses. Companies may also be able to develop better sleep aids by tracking the length and quality of the sleep of people who use different products. Since there is money to be made, you can trust that companies will continue investing in big data and using the information to make new and improved products for sleep.
How Big Data Could Impact Your Quality of Sleep
In the upcoming years, scientists and medical researchers will continue using big data in order to solve the problems of insomnia, disrupted sleep, sleep apnea and other sleep disorders. Machine learning will make it possible for mattress designers to update their designs or create new materials that promote restful sleep. You may also benefit from computing technology that will help you know when to go to bed and when to wake up for just the right amount of high-quality sleep every night.
