This article has been sponsored by Wakefit.co
A good night’s sleep is essential for an individual’s daily efficiency and there is no alternative to it. However, sleep deprivation persists as one of the most widespread lifestyle ailments, with India reporting a large number of sleep health issues. A 2019 study by fitness solutions firm Fitbit, stated that India is the second-most sleep-deprived country in the world, after Japan.
Sleep and home solutions company Wakefit.co further corroborates this through their Great Indian Sleep Scorecard (GISS) 2020 data, which states that while 90% Indians wake up 1 to 2 times a night, 1 out of 5 people feel that they are insomniacs. The GISS study findings also show that 30% of its respondents do not feel rested in the morning, while 42% of them suffer back pain and other physical manifestations of fatigue.
Delhi-based neurologist and sleep specialist, Dr Manvir Bhatia, who treats a variety of patients suffering from sleep-related issues like sleep deprivation, insomnia, snoring, restless legs syndrome and sleep apnea, etc, reiterates that these ailments are quite common in India.
Director of the Neurology and Sleep Centre, Dr Bhatia makes clear that there are no short-cuts to remedy the lack of a good night’s sleep. “Some coffee or tea in the morning to get your day started could seem like a quick remedy to brush off drowsiness, but it is not a solution. It’s a part of the problem. A good night’s sleep is truly essential for our health. And when done right it is good enough to push one to high productivity all on its own,” she says.
Wakefit.co, which started in 2016 in order to provide affordable sleep and home solutions to India, has found through its research and studies that the right mattress can do wonders in improving sleep health, by impacting one’s body and spinal alignment.
Chennai-based automobile engineer Ramki has closely experienced this problem. It was his daughter’s sleeplessness translated into chronic back pain that pushed him to delve deeper into the issue. His daughter would often complain about her mattress heating up or causing pain, which would interrupt her sleep almost every night.
Based on research, Ramki realized that a change in mattress could positively impact his daughter’s wellness and solve this issue. After comparing multiple options, he opted for a Wakefit Orthopedic Memory Foam Mattress.
“Ever since the mattress arrived, my daughter has been sleeping like she has forgotten the world. I am happy now that she hasn’t been struggling with falling asleep and her back pain has subsided as well,” says Ramki.
Now for most of us, a good mattress and quality sleep products are the best solutions to start improving our sleep health. However, experts opine that ambience and surrounding aspects of the sleep environment can also have an impact on people’s sleep. Interestingly, India is witnessing a boom in ‘sleep innovations’ for every stratum of society, and for every age group. From the elderly to the infants, from the underprivileged or to those feeling experimental, there are many innovations all geared to ensuring perfect sleep.
Here are 5 of our favourites.
Dozee
A Bengaluru-based startup, Dozee has created a contactless health monitor. For this to work, all one needs to do is place the sheet-like monitor under your mattress and sleep.
The application tracks various aspects of one’s health like respiration rate, stress levels, heart rate etc. and provides a 360° view of any conditions in just a single click.
This data displays in the Dozee app as a comprehensive analysis, available on your phone. It can also be shared with caretakers or family members. This helps people figure out any issues, long before they become a significant crisis.
The Nap Nap Mat
To sleep like a baby is not just an expression but an essential component responsible for the overall growth of a child. And in the early years of development, it poses a challenge for parents to get their babies to get a good spell of uninterrupted sleep.
Addressing this concern, Rawsome Familycare Products Pvt. Ltd, founded in 2018, innovated a mat that helps babies sleep soundly. Its non-invasive vibration-therapy based stimulation method helps reduce sleep apnea and is said to recreate the feeling of being inside a mother’s womb. The company, which creates functional products and solutions for babies, is also launching a white noise device called Shusher soon. Perfect for your kids.
Embrace Nest & Care
Designed by a social enterprise founded to create babycare products, this unique infant warmer ensures babies sleep at the perfect temperature.
The Embrace Technologies introduced this product in two segments- the Embrace Nest and the Embrace Care.
While the first one is an easy-to-use, portable infant warmer used in NICUs and wards, and works without the need for continuous power supply, the latter works entirely without electricity and is useful both at home and hospitals, to help vulnerable babies sleep in peace.
Upcycled Cement Holdall
Created by 25-year-old design graduate Rhea Gupta, this social innovation was created to help migrant daily-wage labourers find a way to catch a peaceful nap, despite their living conditions.
Made out of four or more used cement bags stitched together, the upcycled cement holdall can be used as a mattress to sleep and then be rolled up to carry around. It is held together by straps that can be worn, resembling a backpack that is six feet long and 3 feet wide.
“The Upcycled Hold-all is designed for that section of the economy that has unsanctioned or no homes at all. It is designed for those who work hard through long, unregulated working hours, and are not even promised a carefree, comfortable and restful sleep at night. It is designed for the migrant labour force of India,” says Rhea.
Tupik
Imagine sleeping in your comfort pod of air conditioning, without having to worry about the surging electricity bill.
An innovation by Ravi Patel, this is an air conditioning unit only cools your bed area, consuming about 400-watt electricity, which equals the use of about three bulbs.
In comparison to a regular 1.5-tonne air conditioning system that cools an entire room, this one is 8 inches tall, 11 inches long and 18 inches deep, weighing just 13 kilograms.
It comes with a tent-like structure covering the bed area with the AC fixed on one end to focus all the cooling to the specific space. Light, portable and compact, according to the founder, this ac unit can reduce your power bill by consuming almost 65 per cent less electricity compared to a conventional unit.
Cover image credit: Wakefit.co
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