If you’re prone to snoring, talking, or grinding your teeth in your sleep, one of life’s greatest mysteries might be “Is it really that bad?” Friends, partners, and family members have probably made passive aggressive comments about your bad sleeping habits for years, but if your condition is mild, it’s likely suitable solutions have been sparse.
Now AI innovators have several new technologies — from wearables to mattresses to apps — designed to improve the quality of your sleep. More importantly, these technologies might help silence critics of your sleeping behaviors.
Here are a few of the ways AI is making it easier to kick bad sleeping habits.
Mattresses can automatically adjust for comfort
Mattresses are becoming more sophisticated by the minute. Memory foam mattresses that were originally created by NASA scientists for use in space shuttles are now a standard product in the homes of millions of Americans. App-controlled beds and mattresses reigned as the must-have innovations in mainstream sleep products for several years, but one AI-powered mattress is now blowing these products out of the water.
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The Sleep Number 360 bed, which debuted at CES 2017, provides a more personalized solution for better sleep. Rather than asking you to make adjustments to the mattress through an accompanying app, the Sleep Number 360 analyzes your sleep habits and makes those adjustments for you. The AI learns your heat patterns and can warm the foot warmers before you hop into bed. It also implements AI technology to detect snoring and raises the bed to decrease the intensity of your snoring and keep complaints at bay.
Wearables track your habits
If you are prone to grinding your teeth in your sleep (also know as bruxism), it’s possible your dentist has already made you aware of the issue. However, it’s better to catch the problem before you cause noticeable damage to your teeth. This is where AI-powered apps and wearables can save the day.
Sleep.ai has created an armband that uses AI technology to track your sleep patterns. The device connects to a smartphone app to provide a full report on your sleeping habits in the morning. The report shows you the frequency and severity of your snoring and teeth grinding throughout the night. Once you’ve gotten your report, you can send it to your dentist or doctor to discuss treatment plans.
The same brand also provides an anti-snoring wearable that uses artificial intelligence to identify when you snore at night. When the device catches you snoring, it vibrates, prompting you to roll over onto your side and reducing the intensity of your snoring.
Sleep playlists are getting smarter
The way you fall asleep can significantly impact how you sleep throughout the night. If you fall asleep in a restless mood, chances are your bad sleep habits will be at their worst. One way AI researchers are working to help individuals fall asleep in a more relaxed state is by studying the music and sounds that are best at promoting sleep.
Marko Ahtisaari is a key researcher in an ongoing study called The Sync Project. The goal of this study is to measure how the structural properties of music affect biometrics such as heart rate and brain activity. Once the researchers have compiled sufficient data, they will apply machine learning to their dataset to develop music therapeutics for sleep. The idea behind this project is that music can be as powerful as medication in helping humans establish healthy sleep patterns and behaviors.
Solving recurring sleep issues has never been an easy task. Although AI may not act as a magic wand to cure every type of sleep abnormality, recent innovations could alleviate sleep problems in mild to moderate cases without the need for more invasive interventions.
Cosette Jarrett is a freelance writer and guest post editor for the AI and Transportation channels at VentureBeat.
