Sense, a small sleep tracker that sits by your bed that looks to help improve sleep behavior, will now be for sale in international markets as the company gears up for the holiday shopping season.
French startup Rythm, which makes a tech-infused headset it claims improves sleep quality, announced Tuesday that it’s raised over $11 million from private investors and public grants. The ‘Dreem’ headset was announced last month, but only in a prototype form — this money should help bring it to a planned full consumer release in early 2017.
Not to be caught napping, New York-based Eight Sleep, the developer of a sleep-tracking mattress cover, last week raised $6 million in a seed round—the follow up to a $1.2 million Indiegogo campaign that ended last March.
Eight, previously known as Luna, developed its mattress cover to gather data on sleeping patterns. It can also connect wirelessly with other devices such as lights and smart thermostats, adjusting them when the user turns in for the night.
Lack of sleep, any fitness guru will tell you, is a factor in weight gain. Magazines, websites, and diet plans all emphasize the importance of getting at least seven hours of sleep. The clear message: If you don’t get a proper night’s sleep, you won’t be able to keep excess weight off.
What is the connection between sleep and weight loss? Theories abound. A popular one states that there is a connection between calories consumed and brain activity; when people get less than six hours of sleep, a study showed, they end up eating as much as 600 calories worth of junk food, cakes and cookies, and other stomach-expanding goodies.
Wearables that keep a constant eye on a user’s physical condition, exercise, and nutrition habits are all the rage today, with almost every fitness brand (Nike, Adidas) and smartphone maker (Apple, Samsung, many others) coming out with a watch or bracelet that connects to a device or directly to the cloud, uploading raw data on the number of steps taken, the number of calories consumed, heart rate, gait, and other information for analysis, comparison, and storage.
Some of these devices also track and upload sleep habits – but not very well, according to Israeli start-up EarlySense.
