Sleep and digital health in Brazil (Renata Redondo Bonaldi)

Brazil had over 200 million people; how many of them sleep well and how can digital therapeutics (DTx) help?

Many people have sleep issues: either not sleeping enough or sleeping poorly. Oftentimes, due to poor sleep hygiene, such as drinking coffee too late in the day, being exposed to blue light from phones, tablets, or computers right before getting to bed, etc.

As listed by the Cleveland clinic, poor sleep results in a lack of alertness during the day, excessive daytime sleepiness, impaired memory, poor quality of life and, relationship stress. Other health problems ​​associated with chronic sleep deprivation are: high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack, heart failure or stroke. Other potential problems include obesity, depression, reduced immune system function, and lower sex drive.

Innovations are trying to counter the negative impact of tech

The demand for sleep assessment and sleep experts globally is much higher than the supply of specialists. Therefore, if an individual wants a clinical assessment of sleep problems, waiting times are often long. Hence the need for more accessible solutions is big.

There are numerous mobile applications and wearable sensors aiming at improving sleep problems. We often talk about wearables, much less often about textiles with sensors. “When we think about sleep, a lot innovation has happened in textiles - we have a lot of bedsheets with innovation in terms of sensors for movement, for thermal regulation, in the area of pillows or pajamas for improved comfort and temperature. But in terms of wearable garments in general, there haven’t been huge leaps in innovation in the last 10 years,” says Renata Redondo Bonaldi, who has a Ph.D. in electronic textiles & wearables for healthcare. Her Brazilian startup Sleepup is trying to help people with sleep issues with an over-the-counter digital therapeutic.

Looking only at Brazil, which has 200 million people, around 50 million have sleep issues, says Renata Redondo Bonaldi We have some statistics in Brazil. “22% of the population has chronic insomnia, which means that these people, have trouble sleeping for three months in a row, at least three times a week.”

SleepUp

The DTx works on a behavioral change approach determined for each user. The first step is an individual assessment of the causes of poor sleep. As emphasized by the founder Renata Redondo Bonaldi, this is a day-time therapy. “Even though we are on a smartphone, we need to make sure that the users don't take the mobile phone with them to bed. We have this technological advances, but technology is also a problem for sleep. Computers are a problem. Mobile phones are a problem. And we have to balance that and explain that to the user. That's why at SleepUp we emphasize that a lot. SleepUp is a daytime treatment it's not for using at night.”

This is just an excerpt. Tune in to the full episode about SleepUp and digital health entrepreneurship in Brazil in iTunes or Spotify.