London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Feb 22, 2025

Inside the $70 billion industry designed to help you sleep

Including weighted blankets, hoodie pillows, and sleep trackers for your finger
This article, Inside the $70 billion industry designed to help you sleep, originally appeared on CBSNews.com

Over the past few years, humans have been waking up to the fact that to our well-being and productivity. The resulting has created a $70 billion industry, full of products aimed at helping you.

Elizabeth Segran has taken full advantage of the burgeoning industry, filling her bedroom with a variety of gadgets that help her get the 8 ½ hours of sleep she said she desperately needs each night to function. "Sleep is hard," she said.

Segran, who reports on the sleep industry for Fast Company magazine, said that "we've begun to realize that enough sleep is key to being optimal, to being productive."

"It's your health. It's your weight. It's your productivity at work, all of those things," said "CBS This Morning: Saturday" co-host Dana Jacobson.

"So you get a little test kit they give you, and they give what're called little flights," Segran explained. "And then you try it out and then you see what works for you before you order the amount that you need."

Once she's asleep, a sleep tracker under her mattress tells her the length and quality of her slumber. "And then it also offers you advice," Segran said. "So it coaches you."

The company Sleep Number started embedding sleep trackers in all of their mattresses, calculating what it calls your "SleepIQ." The company's beds also adjust firmness throughout the night and even offer a layer that fits under your sheets that controls the temperature of the bed. Dr. Thanuja Hamilton said sleep is priceless – but that getting it doesn't have to be expensive. "I suggest setting an alarm at night, about half an hour before bed," she said. "That's when that trigger goes off, you start winding down. If you want to meditate, if you want to write a little bit, set that ritual for bedtime and don't be late to bed."

Alex Tew and Michael Acton Smith started their company, "Calm," as a meditation app. But it quickly evolved into something more.

"About 2 ½ years ago … we noticed there was a big spike every night, just before 11:00 p.m., all around the world, of people who were listening to the meditations to help them fall asleep," said Acton Smith.

Their high-tech solution? Bedtime stories. "We thought, 'What if we could create bedtime tales that were designed to help people drift off to sleep?' And we used to love, when we were kids, to have stories read to us," Acton Smith said. There are now 144 stories available in the calm app, including tennis legend John McEnroe reading "The Rules of Tennis."

"Wonder," narrated by Matthew McConaughey, has been listened to 4.3 million times. Tew said he and his wife have listened to astronaut Terry Virts' story around 500 times. "It still works because it's almost become a signal to us," he said. "As soon as it comes on, it's time to sleep." Calm has broadened its reach to include physical products, too, including a partnership with weighted blanket company Gravity and a branded mist pillow spray with essential oils.

Tew and Acton Smith test out a weighted blanket and essential oil spray on Dana Jacobson CBS News

With so many products, it's easy to get wrapped up in the excitement. But as someone who's tested all of these products, Elizabeth Segran offered a tip for overwhelmed buyers. "I think it's really important to diagnose why you're not sleeping," she said. "So is it that you're extremely anxious? If so, then you need to think about the things that you can do to relieve that anxiety … if the problem is that, you know, you're sleeping hot … perhaps what you need is bed sheets that are climate-specific"

But unfortunately, there's one problem brands haven't figured out: adding more hours in the day.

"I think [that's] one thing that the companies can't really help us with," Segran said with a laugh.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Good News: Senate Confirms Kash Patel as FBI Director
Officials from the U.S. and Hungary Engage in Talks on Economic Collaboration and Sanctions Strategy
James Bond Franchise Transitions to Amazon MGM Studios
Technology Giants Ramp Up Lobbying Initiatives Against Strict EU Regulations
Alibaba Exceeds Quarterly Projections Fueled by Growth in Cloud and AI
Tequila Sector Faces Surplus Crisis as Agave Prices Dive Sharply
Residents of Flintshire Mobile Home Park Grapple with Maintenance Issues and Uncertain Future
Ronan Keating Criticizes Irish Justice System Following Fatal Crash Involving His Brother
Gordon Ramsay's Lucky Cat Restaurant Faces Unprecedented Theft
Israeli Family Mourns Loss of Peace Advocate Oded Lifschitz as Body Returned from Gaza
Former UK Defense Chief Calls for Enhanced European Support for Ukraine
Pope Francis Admitted to Hospital in Rome Amid Rising Succession Speculation
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, at the age of 83, Declares His Retirement.
Whistleblower Reveals Whitehall’s Focus on Kabul Animal Airlift Amid Crisis
Politicians Who Deliberately Lie Could Face Removal from Office in Wales
Scottish Labour Faces Challenges Ahead of 2026 Holyrood Elections
Leftwing Activists Less Likely to Work with Political Rivals, Study Finds
Boris Johnson to Host 'An Evening with Boris Johnson' at Edinburgh's Usher Hall
Planned Change in British Citizenship Rules Faces First Legal Challenge
Northumberland Postal Worker Sentenced for Sexual Assaults During Deliveries
British Journalist Missing in Brazil for 11 Days
Tesco Fixes Website Glitch That Disrupted Online Grocery Orders
Amnesty International Critiques UK's Predictive Policing Practices
Burglar Jailed After Falling into Home-Made Trap in Blyth
Sellafield Nuclear Site Exits Special Measures for Physical Security Amid Ongoing Cybersecurity Concerns
Avian Influenza Impact on Seals in Norfolk: Four Deaths Confirmed
First Arrest Under Scotland's Abortion Clinic Buffer Zone Law Amidst International Controversy
Meghan Markle Rebrands Lifestyle Venture as 'As Ever' Ahead of Netflix Series Launch
Inter-Island Ferry Services Between Guernsey and Jersey Set to Expand
Significant Proportion of Cancer Patients in England and Wales Not Receiving Recommended Treatments
Final Consultation Launched for Vyrnwy Frankton Power Line Project
Drug Misuse Deaths in Scotland Rise by 12% in 2023
Failed £100 Million Cocaine Smuggling Operation in the Scottish Highlands
Central Cee Equals MOBO Awards Record; Bashy and Ayra Starr Among Top Honorees
EastEnders: Four Decades of Challenging Social Norms
Jonathan Bailey Channels 'Succession' in Bold Richard II Performance
Northern Ireland's First Astronaut Engages in Rigorous Spacewalk Training
Former Postman Sentenced for Series of Sexual Offences in Northumberland
Record Surge in Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes Across the UK in 2024
Omagh Bombing Inquiry Concludes Commemorative Hearings with Survivor Testimonies
UK Government Introduces 'Ronan's Law' to Combat Online Knife Sales to Minors
Metal Detectorists Unearth 15th-Century Coin Hoard in Scottish Borders
Woman Charged in 1978 Death of Five-Year-Old Girl in South London
Expanding Sinkhole in Godstone, Surrey, Forces Evacuations and Road Closures
Bangor University Announces Plans to Cut 200 Jobs Amid £15 Million Savings Target
British Journalist Charlotte Peet Reported Missing in Brazil
UK Inflation Rises to 3% in January Amid Higher Food Prices and School Fees
Starmer Defends Zelensky Amidst Trump's 'Dictator' Allegation
Zelensky Calls on World Leaders to Back Peace Efforts in Light of Strains with Trump
UK Prime minister, Mr. Keir Starmer, has stated that any peace agreement aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine "MUST" include a US security guarantee to deter Russian aggression
×