Sleep deprivation is a major issue in our society. Around 50-70 million adults have a sleep disorder. Nearly 1/3 of the population in the UK suffer from some form of sleep deprivation. Indeed, this seems to be a worldwide problem. Lack of sleep is related to all sorts of adverse health and economic effects, such as depression, irritability, weight gain and loss of productivity.

One of the problems behind sleep deprivation is that it is not really easy for a person to track their sleep quality, and diagnose problems on their own. The standard procedure is to visit a sleep clinic, where they will have to spend one or more nights, plugged in into a polysomnography device. This is an intrusive and inconvenient process, that most people would simply forego if they had the chance.

Furthermore, there are also other aspects to sleeping well. It is important to learn proper sleep habits, something for which cognitive behavioural therapy is very useful. Also, light plays a hugely important role in regulating our circadian rhythms. Improper exposure to light can worsen any sleep disorders, whereas exposure to the right kind of wavelength and intensity can dramatically improve someone’s sleep quality.

Many people resort to pills and medication. However, this approach suffers from two drawbacks. First, pills can be expensive. Secondly, they can have side effects. Finally, even if pills help you in some cases, they can still not help you understand your sleep patterns. Do you suffer from low percentage of REM sleep? Or it takes you a long time to fall asleep? Or are you a light sleeper? It’s clear that an easier solution is required.

This is where Circadia comes into play. Circadia provides a complete solution for sleep tracking that includes the following:

A sleep tracker device. A light therapy device. An app that provides Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

I played part in the development of the algorithms that detect sleep stages. This work took more than 1.5 years during which we had to try out tons of different combinations of features, and machine learning models until we could come up with something that has comparable performance to a PSG device. At the same time we made sure to compare our results against devices that are using actigraphy (such as Fitbit) to ensure that our performance is at least as good.

I am confident when I say that the work that been put in Circadia is state of the art. It will be participating in Tech Disrupt 2018 in San Fransisco, so make sure to follow them if you are joining the event. If you are interested in learning more about the technology or ordering a device get in touch through the official website.

Finally, Circadia is raising more funds to expand to even more markets and make the solution even better. If you are an investor make sure to get in touch.