This would be a lot better if they cited their sources. As it stands it’s interesting but a bit too easy to dismiss as SEO fodder.
pedalpete · 3h ago
I was considering that, but then I was also wondering what sources I'd be linking to, and what would people actually read.
The point isn't SEO, we're trying to get people to change their thinking around how we approach sleep.
There is links to research in slow-wave enhancement on our website, but the entire post "could" links to references.
But I take your feedback, and I'll be more conscious of adding links to references in future posts.
al_borland · 3h ago
The author spent a lot of time trashing the idea of 8 hours of sleep, but at least that is something actionable people can do. I can’t set an alarm to wake me up when I’ve had enough spindle activity for the night. 8 hours is given as a benchmark, because that’s how long it takes most people’s brains to adequately do the things mentioned.
If an article is telling me to throw out the rule book on sleep, it needs to offer new and actionable rules. Otherwise, I’m not sure what the point of this was, other than means to harvest email addresses.
pedalpete · 2h ago
What I was attempting to do was change the conversation around sleep. It's a long road.
I'm regularly answering questions from people on Reddit who are saying "I got 8 hours, but I still feel horrible", or "what's going to happen if I don't get 8 hours of sleep". We need to change this entire conversation.
I get the frustration around “where are the new rules", and I probably could have done a better job at recommending a focus on bio-markers, etc. What I’m trying to do is make space for a new direction focused on functional sleep health. That’s what we’re actively building toward.
I wrote this post to explain why we’re working on what we’re working on, and to engage with people who see the world as we do, or open their eyes to a new way of looking at the sleep.
I appreciate you taking the time to comment, is it safe to say the idea struck a nerve, but that you were wanting more?
Just so you know, this isn't a "let's throw up a web-page and see if we can harvest emails", we've been developing this technology for almost 5 years, and it is being used by researchers in clinical studies.
al_borland · 2h ago
Biomarkers are all well and good, but how can those actually be measured on a nightly basis? When I think of measuring these things it involves a lot of sensors and tends to be in a lab environment. Home sleep trackers as we know them today are pretty blunt instruments, and I find even a simple wrist based tracker makes it harder for me to fall asleep, I become very aware of it.
Even if all these markers are measured somehow, what can a person do with that information? I can’t work harder to do any of this stuff, it all happens automatically while sleeping. You mention alcohol can disturb certain systems, but that goes back to standard sleep hygiene rules, which the article was looking to dismiss and move beyond.
So I’m left wondering where all this is going? I’ve struggled with sleep my entire life. The start of the article seemed like it was going to make some big promises, and I’m left with nothing but questions. You’re looking to change the conversation, but I still don’t know what the intended destination looks like.
pedalpete · 1h ago
Great feedback Al, and you hit the nail right on the head "what am I going to do with this information", though, tbh, for many people the data from their sleep tracker leaves them with the same question... "so I didn't get enough deep sleep, what can I do about that".
We have developed a headband that monitors sleep in real-time and increases restorative function. So less of a "what can I change", we ensure the sleep you get is as restorative as possible.
My next post (I think) is going to be about sleep hygiene, and where the current "rules" fit in.
The gist of my thinking here is that sleep hygiene rules don't define how restorative your sleep will be any more than your warm-up defines how good your workout will be. The current thinking around wind-down periods, diet recommendations, etc is the same as a warm-up or fueling yourself for a workout.
We're focused on the workout itself. What makes sleep actually restorative.
Does that make sense?
I've also struggled with sleep my entire life, which is how I got into this space.
I'm sorry the article let you down, but I completely get what you're saying. I had the same concerns before I published it, "am I really saying anything", but I think it's important for us to open this conversation, even though we don't have a solution for YET! We're close, and part of this is to understand who our tribe are, who's looking for this solution, or are we off the mark with the language.
When I speak to many people about what we do, I often hear back "oh, you help people fall asleep", or "you make people get more sleep", it's REALLY hard to get people out of the mentality that more sleep means better sleep.
al_borland · 13m ago
I also find the elaborate wind down routines to be overdone, and most of the ones online seem very performative. Though I do think general lifestyle (diet, activity, etc) likely play a large role and could be looked at through the lens of sleep hygiene.
How is the headband going to increase restorative sleep? Is it expected to compensate for lifestyle issues that could be leading to many issues that people have? You mention you don’t have the solution yet, is the headband more of a hypothesis at this point?
The point isn't SEO, we're trying to get people to change their thinking around how we approach sleep.
There is links to research in slow-wave enhancement on our website, but the entire post "could" links to references.
But I take your feedback, and I'll be more conscious of adding links to references in future posts.
If an article is telling me to throw out the rule book on sleep, it needs to offer new and actionable rules. Otherwise, I’m not sure what the point of this was, other than means to harvest email addresses.
I'm regularly answering questions from people on Reddit who are saying "I got 8 hours, but I still feel horrible", or "what's going to happen if I don't get 8 hours of sleep". We need to change this entire conversation.
I get the frustration around “where are the new rules", and I probably could have done a better job at recommending a focus on bio-markers, etc. What I’m trying to do is make space for a new direction focused on functional sleep health. That’s what we’re actively building toward.
I wrote this post to explain why we’re working on what we’re working on, and to engage with people who see the world as we do, or open their eyes to a new way of looking at the sleep.
I appreciate you taking the time to comment, is it safe to say the idea struck a nerve, but that you were wanting more?
Just so you know, this isn't a "let's throw up a web-page and see if we can harvest emails", we've been developing this technology for almost 5 years, and it is being used by researchers in clinical studies.
Even if all these markers are measured somehow, what can a person do with that information? I can’t work harder to do any of this stuff, it all happens automatically while sleeping. You mention alcohol can disturb certain systems, but that goes back to standard sleep hygiene rules, which the article was looking to dismiss and move beyond.
So I’m left wondering where all this is going? I’ve struggled with sleep my entire life. The start of the article seemed like it was going to make some big promises, and I’m left with nothing but questions. You’re looking to change the conversation, but I still don’t know what the intended destination looks like.
We have developed a headband that monitors sleep in real-time and increases restorative function. So less of a "what can I change", we ensure the sleep you get is as restorative as possible.
My next post (I think) is going to be about sleep hygiene, and where the current "rules" fit in.
The gist of my thinking here is that sleep hygiene rules don't define how restorative your sleep will be any more than your warm-up defines how good your workout will be. The current thinking around wind-down periods, diet recommendations, etc is the same as a warm-up or fueling yourself for a workout.
We're focused on the workout itself. What makes sleep actually restorative.
Does that make sense?
I've also struggled with sleep my entire life, which is how I got into this space. I'm sorry the article let you down, but I completely get what you're saying. I had the same concerns before I published it, "am I really saying anything", but I think it's important for us to open this conversation, even though we don't have a solution for YET! We're close, and part of this is to understand who our tribe are, who's looking for this solution, or are we off the mark with the language.
When I speak to many people about what we do, I often hear back "oh, you help people fall asleep", or "you make people get more sleep", it's REALLY hard to get people out of the mentality that more sleep means better sleep.
How is the headband going to increase restorative sleep? Is it expected to compensate for lifestyle issues that could be leading to many issues that people have? You mention you don’t have the solution yet, is the headband more of a hypothesis at this point?