There’s nothing like a good night’s rest to make us feel great during the day. But just how well do we sleep? The science behind sleep monitoring is improving, with several wearable consumer devices that monitor activities including sleep. A new partnership between wearables manufacturer Misfit, which makes the Shine activity tracker, and sleep-monitoring company Beddit, offers a non-wearable alternative for those who want to focus more deeply on their sleep.
Called the Misfit Beddit Sleep System, it incorporates a plastic device designed to be placed between the sheets and mattress. A sensor in that unit picks up information on the user related to sleep length, how long they take to fall asleep, deep and light sleep cycles, the frequency the user wakes up during the night, heart rate, breathing, snoring and even ambient sounds.
That data is transmitted via Bluetooth to a smartphone and analyzed by the Misfit app to form an accurate picture of the user’s sleeping performance. The app provides stats and timeline visualizations with periodical trends (daily, weekly, etc). It also features gentle sleep sounds to induce the user to switch off, as well as a smart alarm system that is designed to go off during the lightest stage of sleep, therefore avoiding startled awakenings.
The consequences of bad sleeping go beyond daytime fatigue and ill humor. According to Harvard Medical School, they may lead to chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
The Misfit Beddit Sleep System is already shipping for US$149 in black or white options. For now, it supports iOS only, but Misfit says that Android support is coming soon. It also features a USB power adapter.
Source: Misfit