|
|
|
|
The "Sleep Market"
- An Overview
Dubbed “sleeponomics”, companies
across America are trying to sell us a perfect night’s sleep with
pills, pillows, white noise machines, aromatherapy, massage,
acupuncture and more. And it’s fast becoming a $20 billion a year
industry.
Some say that "sleep is the new sex--we want it, we need it, and we
can't get enough of it."
The roots of the problems – of
disordered sleep – typically fall under one of six categories:
-
Anxiety,
stress, and nervousness
-
Caffeine
consumption
-
Parenting
-
Bed
partners
-
Hormonal
fluctuations (culprits of either the X or Y chromosome)
-
Traveling, especially business traveling
The Problem
I n
the U.S. alone, there are approximately 40 million adults in the
U.S. who suffer from sleep disordered breathing.
According to the National
Institutes of Health, about 18 million Americans, many of whom go
undiagnosed, suffer from sleep apnea.
There are 85
recognized sleep disorders, the most recognizable of which may be
insomnia,
sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and restless legs syndrome.
Sleep researches say that between 10% and 15% of Americans
experience serious insomnia (defined as not getting a good night's
sleep for a month or more), but only 8% take prescription drugs. And
the industry's potential pool of customers in far larger than that:
according to surveys by the National Sleep Foundation, which is
partly funded by pharmaceutical companies, 37 million seniors suffer
form frequent sleeplessness, and a full 51% of Americans report
occasional restless nights.
According to the National
Sleep Foundation’s 2005 “Sleep In America” poll…
-
On
average, adults are sleeping 6.8 hours a night on weekdays
and 7.4 hours a night on weekends. Overall, adults report
sleeping an average of 6.9 hours a night when considering
both weekday and weekend sleep.
-
On
average, people say they need a minimum of 6.5 hours of
sleep a night to function at their best during the day. In
general, men report needing less sleep (6.2 hours) than
women (6.8 hours) to function at their best.
-
When
asked if they feel they are more alert, productive, and
energetic in the morning or in the evening, more than
one-half (55 %) report that they are morning people
(larks), while 41% consider themselves evening people
(owls).
-
More
than one-half (55%) take, on average, at least one nap
during the week, with one-third (35%) reporting that they
take two or more naps.
-
About
one-half (47%) report that, on weeknights, they stay up
later than they planned or wanted to at least a few nights
a week. Three in ten adults (30%) say that they rarely or
never stay up later then anticipated. Those who stay up
later than they planned at least a few nights a week are
about twice as likely than those who rarely or never do so
to be on the Internet (about 34% versus 19%) and/or doing
work related to their job (23% versus 11%).
The
Opportunity for Sleep Service Providers
Sleepweb
analysts have defined the
“sleep aids market” to be comprised of the following
sub-segments:
-
sleeping pills/drugs (over-the-counter
retail and prescription)
-
sleep labs/sleep centers
-
sleep aid devices: earplugs, CPAPs
(continuous positive airway pressure devices), breathing
masks, mouthpieces, light therapy boxes, eye covers, etc.)
-
premium mattresses and pillows
The Treatments
Sleeping pills/Drugs
Sleep drugs could be the next antidepressants - moderately useful
drugs turned into blockbusters by aggressive marketing.
Says Sepracor CFO David Southwell, sleep is "like depression before
Prozac".
Three major new prescription sleep drugs are slated to make their
debuts in the next year; Estorra, Ramelteon, and Indiplon.
There's almost no public funding for for studying sleeping pills, -
which means that information about these drugs comes almost solely
form company- sponsored research.
There's a huge financial incentive for drug companies to turn the
volume up full blast. With few breakthroughs in the
pipeline and several blockbusters- the cholesterol medication Zocor
and the antidepressant Paxil, for instance - about to lose their
patent protection, big pharmaceutical companies are desperate for
new revenue streams. Compared with the $11 billion spent yearly on
antidepressants, according to the pharmaceutical consulting firm IMS
Health, the $1.7 billion sleeping pill market is virtual virgin
territory.
Psychiatrists and gerontologists are most likely to write
prescriptions for sleep aids.
Specialty Mattresses
A number of forces and
messages are converging on the consumer to reduce the time
of the replacement cycle and to increase the price of the
replacement. Innerspring mattresses have been the standard,
but the industry is turning toward new materials and
technologies such as foam, gel, and air chambers.
These new mattress
technologies are important, but what's also new is how
companies have begun marketing - promoting the benefits of
sleep rather than the mattress components. Noting that
people spend one-third of their lives in bed, mattress
company messages are using research on sleep, sleep
deprivation, and consumer attitudes to incorporate
mattresses into the refuge and sanctuary that consumers'
bedrooms have become.
Since 2000, the market
value of the wholesale mattress industry has increased
nearly 40%, climbing to $6.4 billion in 2005, according to
the International Sleep Products Association.
However, it’s the luxury
market that’s behind much of the trend. Premium priced
mattresses (those priced more than $1,000) accounted for 21%
of sales in 2005, the latest data available, up from 14% in
2000.
Furniture Today
says the figure may be even higher. According to the
magazine’s survey of shoppers, about 56% of the dollars
spent on bedding went for products that cost more than
$1,000. That’s up from 37% in 2000, according to the
magazine’s survey.
Sleep Labs/Centers Studies
P olysomnograms
are performed at special sleep laboratories with academic or
hospital affiliation, or in independently located and
operated facilities. Sleep labs are often set up to resemble
a bedroom, in order to help participants feel at ease. A
sleep technician hooks patients up to the monitoring and
recording devices, and then monitors the patient throughout
the study. If a problem is noted, a second sleep study will
be schedule to determine the best method of delivery.
A t
the sleep lab, you'll be fitted with various sensors, then
attempt to go to sleep as you would on any other night. The
sensors then transmit information such as oxygen levels and
air movement to recording equipment. The whole process
usually takes 7 to 12 hours.
If
the sleep technician confirms that you have sleep apnea in
the early part of the night you may have what is called a
‘split-night study' (half diagnosis, half titration). After
about 4 hours of observing how you sleep, the technician
will wake you up to initiate CPAP (continuous positive
airway pressure). While on CPAP, the technician will
continue to monitor you and measure the effectiveness of
this treatment. This process can be done over two full
nights in some cases.
After
your night in the sleep lab, a qualified sleep specialist
will analyze your sleep study. This involves isolating any
irregularities in your sleep patterns or your breathing.
Often they will be trying to determine if you stopped
breathing while you were sleeping and if you did they will
count how many times this occurred.
Source: Sleepweb.com, Marketdata Enterprises, Inc.
*page last updated 04/25/2008
|
|
-Alcohol
& Sleep
-Anxiety
& Sleep
-Aromatherapy
-Better Bedrooms
-Books on Sleep
-CPAP Devices
-Dreams
& Dreaming
-Earplugs
-Exercise
& Sleep
-Insomnia
-Jobs in the Sleep Field
-Light Therapy
-Menopause
& Sleep
-Naps
& Napping
-Pillows
& Sleep
-Polysomnograms
-Seasonal Affective Disorder
-Seniors
& Sleep
-Sex
& Sleep
-Sleep Apnea
-Sleep
& Weight Gain
-Sleep Deprivation
-Sleep Hygiene
-Sleep
Lamps
-Sleep Pods
-Sleep
Tips
-Sleep Websites
-Teens
& Sleep
-Travel
& Sleep
-Truckers
& Sleep
-White Noise Machines
-Links
and Resources
|
