The Evolution of Sleep Technology

From simple bedding upgrades to data-driven, responsive environments, sleep technology has come a long way. At the heart of this evolution is an aspiration: to make restful sleep effortless and tailored. Today's smart solutions—from adjustable beds to wearable trackers—are not only about comfort but convenience. SoClean is part of this ecosystem, offering seamless, daily care for CPAP users.

Adjustable & Smart Beds: Personal Comfort Meets Automation

The journey began with adjustable air-chamber mattresses, pioneered by Select Comfort (now Sleep Number) in 1987, offering personalized firmness via a “Sleep Number” setting.¹ Over time, this evolved into “smart beds” like the Sleep Number 360 series, which uses embedded sensors, AI, and longitudinal sleep data to automatically adjust firmness, temperature, and support—nurturing the sleeper's changing needs without manual input.^2,3 The i8 model, for instance, not only tracks sleep but adjusts firmness dynamically as you move during the night.⁴

Meanwhile, Eight Sleep introduced a different feature set with its Pod smart mattress cover. The Pod integrates advanced temperature control, body-data tracking, and even snore detection to subtly adjust your sleep environment nightly.⁵ The newer Pod 4 builds on these innovations, appealing to users seeking high-tech, “sleep fitness” solutions.^6,5

Wearable & Passive Trackers: Data-Driven Rest

On the wearable side, Fitbit—debuted in 2009—launched the consumer sleep tracking craze by measuring metrics like sleep duration and quality, bringing sleep awareness to the mass market.^7,8 Meanwhile, Oura Ring emerged in 2015 from a successful crowdfunding campaign and gained traction for its compact design and detailed sleep stage insights. Research comparing these devices to clinical polysomnography (PSG) shows that Oura outperforms both Fitbit and Apple Watch in identifying deep sleep and was found to me more accurate overall.⁹

Non-Wearable Sensors & Sleep Tracking Without Intrusion

Beyond wearables and smart beds, non-invasive, ambient sensors have broadened how people can monitor their rest. Solutions like Beddit—acquired by Apple in 2017—track sleep via unobtrusive sensors placed under the mattress and sync data with smartphones.¹⁰ Similarly, early innovators like Hello (Sense) introduced bedside units with sensors for light, sound, and environmental conditions, giving sleepers a score and gentle wake-up timing.¹¹

Emerging research ventures into textile-based wearables—like an all-textile eye mask capable of measuring brain activity and physiological signals—demonstrate a growing push toward clinical-grade accuracy with maximum comfort for in-home sleep monitoring.¹²

SoClean: Daily Care, Elevated by Convenience

SoClean may not be a mattress or a tracker, but it supports an essential part of sleep fitness—maintaining the tools that help millions of people manage sleep apnea. By automating bacterial** reduction, it frees users of worry that their accessories aren't maintained so they can focus on rest. In a landscape where sleep-tech innovates for ease and personalization, SoClean extends that ethos into hygiene, making daily care thorough and convenient. ⁺

The evolution of sleep tech reflects a powerful trend: comfort is no longer enough without convenience. From adjustable smart beds that adapt while you slumber, to wearables that decode your sleep stages, to discreet sensors bringing data into the bedroom—each innovation strives to make better sleep seamless. SoClean complements this ecosystem by ensuring the care behind the devices is equally effortless. Together, we're entering a new era where quality sleep isn't a chore—it's a quietly optimized experience.

References:

1. Wikipedia: Sleep Number
2. Sleep Number: Sleep Number Introduces Next Generation Smart Beds: Science-Backed Innovations Designed to Support Your Body's Changing Needs Over Time
3. Mattress Clarity: Sleep Number 360 Smart Bed Overview
4. Business Insider: I test a new mattress every few weeks for my job, but the Sleep Number i8 Smart Bed is the one I want to sleep on every night
5. New York Post: This $4,000 mattress of the future promises to end snoring for good: ‘Sleep deprivation is the new smoking'
6. The Wall Street Journal: Musk and Zuckerberg Praise This $3,000 Smart Mattress Cover. Will Regular People Buy, Too?
7. WIRED: Stop Worrying About Sleep
8. National Library of Medicine: Accuracy of Three Commercial Wearable Devices for Sleep Tracking in Healthy Adults
9. Wikipedia: Beddit
10. Hello Senses
11. arXiv: PhyMask: Robust Sensing of Brain Activity and Physiological Signals During Sleep with an All-textile Eye Mask

⁺SoClean is not a replacement for regular hand-washing as recommended by the manufacturer.