This year, World Sleep Day is on March 15.
That’s why Samsung has something to say about sleep: this year, when the Galaxy Ring is out, it could help users enhance their sleep and thus, their overall life quality.
According to recent studies, interest in personal sleep health has been skyrocketing; however, the quality of sleep people get each night is declining. Last Fall, Samsung scanned 716 million nights of sleep behaviors from Samsung Health and Galaxy Watch users worldwide. “Though interest in personal sleep health has been skyrocketing, the unfortunate reality is that the quality of sleep people get each night is, in fact, declining. The world is facing a sleep dilemma”, noted Samsung.
The data is collected between June 2021 and May 2023. The number of users who actively track their sleep has increased by 182% in the past two years, yet sleep efficiency and quality are declining everywhere and for everyone. Samsung is comparing two periods: June 2021-May 2022 and June 2022-May 2023.
At a recent panel discussion (titled “How Technology Can Revolutionize the Age-Old Sleep Dilemma”), experts uncovered how AI and technology have the potential to immensely improve sleep quality.
Panelists included Dr. Hon Pak, SVP and Head of Digital Health Team, MX Business at Samsung Electronics, sleep scientist Vanessa Hill, and John Lopos, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). Moderated by Carolina Milanesi, President and Principal Analyst at Creative Strategies.
The experts unanimously highlighted sleep’s critical role in health, affecting daily activities, food choices, and mental health, yet noted it’s often overlooked with global sleep quality on the decline. They are optimistic that AI-driven gadgets, such as smart rings (ahem – the Galaxy Ring!) and watches, equipped with sophisticated sensors, can assist people in improving their sleep patterns and environments.
Hill stressed the necessity of prioritizing sleep just as one would exercise, or healthy eating, and regular health screenings, pointing out that wearable technology enables individuals to enhance their sleep quality.
As AI becomes increasingly influential across all tech sectors, the panel discussed how these smart technologies and insights could become more accessible, helping individuals achieve restful sleep.
Pak highlighted the role of smartphones as a key gateway for AI, with Samsung aiming to provide personalized, actionable health insights through the Samsung Health App. This app leverages AI to offer customized health experiences based on extensive data analysis.
Lopos remarked on the importance of objective data from wearables in understanding sleep, a fundamentally subjective experience. “Sleep tracking is an expanding space, and the capabilities of AI take it to the next level. AI technology can enable personalized information to be shared with users and empower them to make small behavioral changes for the better”.