Sleep has become a vital subset of the wellness sector, and technology-based tools and apps abound.

Yet many of the trackers and devices dedicated to inducing or achieving a good night’s sleep have failed to address the roots of the problem.

‘Before the lightbulb was invented people didn’t think about sleep because they just fell asleep when it was dark and woke up when the sun rose,’ says Meeta Singh, a doctor at Henry Ford Sleep Disorders Center. ‘Now you can have light 24 hours a day, so sleep has to be thought about.’

As a result, sleep-deprived individuals are going back to basics, seeking the tools that will help them retrain their sleeping habits from scratch.

Sleep retraining

Sleeping, like breathing, may be a necessity, but our technology-driven society is fuelling a culture of deprivation. Young people are growing up with poor sleeping habits instilled in them from an early age and this is having a profound effect on their overall wellbeing.

Emphasising this, a study in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that sleep has a greater impact on children’s wellbeing than bullying, physical activity and screen time. As a result, healthier habits that go beyond basic survival are being taught to optimise wellbeing.

In the UK, the national body for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education professionals has joined forces with the Evelina London children’s hospital to formulate its Sleep Factor lesson plans. Available to school teachers across the UK, these are designed to help students recognise good-quality sleep and understand why it's important. It all helps them to identify habits and routines that promote better sleep, and explains how and why sleep patterns change during adolescence.