As shown by many studies, a major commonality among chronic insomniacs is nighttime temperature dysregulation, preventing them from falling asleep. After beginning to explore additional research on the relationship between body temperature and sleep, it didn't take Nicolas Roux too long to realize that temperature plays a key role in the ability to obtain quality sleep and to realize that this is a seriously underrated consideration in the area of sleep health.

 

He's now the head of marketing at Moona, a company established in 2016 with the goal of developing a solution for poor sleep—something which is reported by over a third of the global population—by manipulating people's experience with temperature before, during, and while waking from sleep. So, how are they doing it?

 

The team at Moona has created a pillow insert that rests in the space between a pillow and pillow case that's designed to change temperature based on the needs of the user. The insert is connected to a bedside device that provides a constant, quiet flow of water at just the right temperature and at just the right time for an individual user. For example, cooler temperatures might be provided as someone tries to fall asleep because cooler temperatures facilitate the ability to fall asleep, and warmer temperatures might be provided before someone wants to wake up since they facilitate the ability to wake from sleep gradually and naturally, rather than jarringly from a loud alarm clock. The device is backed by AI-driven software that will provide temperature suggestions based on an individual's sleep history data, and this is something which will only improve with an increasing amount of user data. 

 

This product is still in the beginning stages and there are currently only a limited number of prototypes, but feedback from user testing has been very positive, with almost everyone reporting the ability to fall asleep quicker and stay asleep longer. Roux joins the podcast to discuss all the details, including his own experience with the insert. Interested in learning more? Press play and check out the website at en.getmoona.com.