Looks like the war for your sleep data is getting heated. Zeo, Somnus Shirt, and Sleeprate are all starting to get some momentum. Who will win. I noticed that Keith D’Amelio (Nike) was showing some data output of Sleeprate, and Zeo was at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. Somnus is new to the game with a shirt to be released this summer. Who will win. Bet on hardware, not the platform. Remember without getting the data first, nobody can talk about interventions and cool proprietary algorithms. A fourth company in South Africa as well as Sleeprate understand the need for HRV integration, since sleeping 10 hours may get you some nice metrics, but if it’s because you have mono or overtraining it’s a compass without calibration. Here are my suggestions to those in the sleep business.
Sleep is not the period of time when you are in bed. Sleep is a cultural and lifestyle pattern that must be coached and weeded. Coaching sleep is not tips or suggestions, it’s a constant reminder and adjustment process. Prediction and guidance is key, not showing how caffeine later in the day can disturb it.
HRV is going to be a parallel measurement. Sleep is about getting rest, not seeing sleep architecture. Ok I go more REM sleep. Is it helping with performance? Partnerships with HRV providers is going to be the next big thing.
The Headband is excellent for teams traveling. A strap is better. The shirt is best. Nike pajamas would be nice to have, since it adds another market for the apparel line. I think the technology will be cheaper and cheaper to produce, making smart shirts more popular.
Data needs to be aggregated with exercise, nutrition, mental/medical, and stress management. Isolation approaches leave too much hunting and switching. Let the data feed to dashboard apps better. I predict that this is going to be the next big thing.
Sleep is a big deal, and only if we see the results of great sleep is the QS market going to make it valuable.