IFA 2015: Samsung wants to put you to sleep

At the recent IFA tech trade show in Berlin, Samsung unveiled SleepSence, a device designed to track and improve a user’s overall sleep quality.

At the IFA 2015 tech trade show in Berlin this weekend, Samsung Electronics this week unveiled SleepSense, a personal sleep tracking sensor aimed at improving a user’s sleep quality.

According to the company, the device analyses heart and respiratory rates, as well as physical movement, while you are sleeping. Each morning it compiles this data into a summary of the night’s sleep activity, and provides a sleep score which is mapped against average data based on age. With Samsung’s patented technology, users can use this information to analyse the quantity and quality of their sleep with the device’s mobile app.

“Sleep is an essential component of general wellbeing, but many struggle to achieve the recommended amount. Lack of sleep is associated with a host of health problems. Samsung’s SleepSense is a monitoring device that provides personalised sleep reports to help people better understand their sleeping habits, as well as expert recommendations on improving their sleep quality. We ultimately want to improve lives with this special device,” said Michelle Potgieter, Director of Corporate Marketing and Communications at Samsung South Africa.

Samsung provided the following information on the device:

The SleepSense device is easy to use. Simply place it under your mattress and download the SleepSense app to your mobile phone. When you wake up, the device compiles your ‘sleep score’, which is sent to your phone, based on the following insights:

• The time it took you to fall asleep and your total sleep time;
• Your sleep efficiency, including the number of times you woke up and / or  got out of bed; and
• The percentage of time you spent in the REM (rapid eye movement) and deep sleep cycles.

The device’s benefits go even further – it also helps to create an optimal sleeping environment to improve your chances of a good night’s sleep. It can connect to Samsung smart appliances to control air conditioning units and turn off the TV as you fall asleep. Through the Samsung SmartThings app it can control many other devices such as thermostats, security cameras and lights.

The device offers personalised guidelines on improving sleep quality, encompassing lifestyle, nutrition and exercise tips. These were developed alongside Harvard Medical School Professor Dr. Christos Mantzoros.

The Smart Alarm feature wakes you up gradually and peacefully after identifying the best time to do so (based on data collated from your sleep stages). The SleepSense ‘family care’ option lets users analyse the quality of family members’ sleep, via email.