Sleep tech wearables—yay or nay? 💤

Asia is going through a sleep crisis, worse than anywhere else in the world, leading to a growth in the market of sleep wearables. But how much do they help?

November 14, 2024

Feature of the week

Can tech help us sleep better? 🥱

Sleep is one of the most vital mechanisms of human life, yet many adults in Asia can’t seem to get enough. According to research, Asians only average about six hours of sleep each night, and sleep 30–60 minutes less on weekdays than their colleagues in Europe and Oceania.

As such, many Southeast Asians are turning to technology to address this; donning ‘smart wearables’ that measure sleep duration, timing, efficiency, and regularity. Some of these devices are even linked to apps spouting a “sleep score,” giving users a quick overview of how well or poorly they slept the night before. But can these devices truly help us sleep better?

News and events

Guess what? Asian Scientist Magazine shines at this year’s Asian Media Awards! ⭐️

The magazine won Best in Magazine Cover and Best in Healthcare Reporting for its issue on extreme heat

Asian Scientist Magazine has added another feather to its editorial cap—bagging ‘Best in Magazine Cover’ and ‘Best in Healthcare Reporting’ at the 2024 Asian Media Awards. The Singapore-based science publication was recognized for its recent coverage of extreme heat and human health, with the winning cover story ‘Too Hot To Work’ spotlighting the harmful impacts of rising heat on outdoor workers.

Organized by WAN-IFRA, the prestigious Asian Media Awards recognizes the best and brightest editorial talents in the news publishing industry. Since its inception, hundreds of newspapers and magazines in Asia-Pacific, South Asia, and the Middle East have participated.

Editorial highlights

HEALTH

Scientists in Singapore have demonstrated that different sleep patterns produce varying effects on adolescent students' cognitive function and glucose tolerance.

TECHNOLOGY

This will help in tracking and reducing methane emissions to fight climate change.

PRINT

A growing FemTech market in Asia is empowering women to manage their reproductive health.

Meet the Asian Scientist 100 Community

The University of Tokyo | Japan 🇯🇵 | Aerospace & Astronomy

Tominaga was chosen as the winner of the 18th L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Japan Fellowship Awards for her work developing observational methods for researchin the origins of the universe, the diffusion process of elements and the final stage of the evolution of matter.

Singapore National Eye Center | Singapore 🇸🇬 | Biomedical Sciences

Listed as part of the Top 100 most influential ophthalmologists in Asia-Pacific in 2023, Aung is currently leading a multi-disciplinary and multicenter effort awarded by Singapore’s National Medical Research Council to reduce glaucoma blindness with emerging technologies.