The year 2020 rolled by so quickly, it may have felt you were in hibernation in the year that was defined by quarantine. With all of us dealing with a new adjustment to daily life, we may have slept on some news from the tech industry, the sleep tech in particular.

Although we are now in 2021, it may be worthwhile to take a look back at 2020 on what the sleep industry has come up with.

This article dives into the top sleep tech picks of 2020 presenting at CES2020. 

It was at CES 2018 that consumer sleep technology first made a splash, boosted by a pavilion hosted by the National Sleep Foundation. Since then, sleep-tech has established itself as a growing and innovative niche of the health and wellness technology industry.

Withings Scan Watch

Hybrid smart watch with sleep apnea smarts

Billed as ‘the most advanced health wearable ever designed’ the Withings Scan Watch is the latest offering from the French company. A revamp of its Steel HR line of hybrid fitness watches, the Scan Watch has a traditional clock face with two additional displays – Withings’ activity dial and a multifunctional PMOLED display.

The biggest innovation of the Scan Watch is the built-in ECG (electrocardiogram ) to monitor your heart health and send notifications when your heart rate is too low or high or if irregular rhythms are detected.

With an estimated 8 in 10 cases going undetected, the Scan Watch could prove to be an effective intervention to help tackle the huge problem of undiagnosed sleep apnea.

Our Verdict: Scan Watch is evolutionary, not revolutionary, but builds on the strengths and experience of the Withings smart watch range, ramping up the health smarts and providing an elegant solution to address cases of unidentified sleep apnea

Price and availability: Scan Watch is expected to arrive in Q2 2020 and will retail at $249

Technology meets meditation.. and now sleep

Muse came onto the scene in 2013 with the first ever brain activity sensing headband that helps you to meditate. Fast forward to 2020, and as well as help you to focus and make meditation easier, the company’s latest model, Muse S is their most comfortable yet, and for the first time adds sleep into the mix.

Muse S combines the functionality of Muse 2 with the sleep tracking features from the Softband which the parent company Interaxon debuted at last year’s CES. Instead of the backwards sunglasses styling of previous generations, Muse S is designed with a soft fabric headband enabling you to use in bed and fall asleep with its ‘forget-it’s-there’ comfort.

Our Verdict: It’s not cheap, but if you’re a meditation devotee who likes to be on the bleeding edge of technology, Muse S is a standout solution, now beefed up with extra functionality dedicated to sleep and relaxation.

Price and availability: Muse S is available now at $349

Smart pillow and anti-snoring system

Shortlisted for a CES 2020 Innovation Awards this year is Motion Pillow, an anti-snoring solution from Korean health-tech firm 10Minds  and comprises of a ‘smart’ pillow, connected to a bedside device, the ‘Solution Box’.

Data from the Solution box can be stored so you can monitor your sleeping patterns and trends, to track your progress over a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

This is the second-generation of the Motion Pillow. The main differences are that the new version has a built-in wireless phone charger within the Solution Box, and also V2 dispenses with a power button, as it activates automatically when it detects your head is on the pillow.

Our Verdict: We haven’t tested Motion Pillow yet, and the only thumbs up is if it works for you. But it’s encouraging to see V2 of this anti-snoring tech, increasing the competition for its only other competitor, Smart Nora.

Price and availability: Motion Pillow 2 is due to be out in Q2 2020 and is currently available at IndieGogo for a 50% discount ($210 USD instead of $420RRP )

Ebb Insomnia Therapy

FDA-cleared insomnia therapy using cooling technology

Previously available only as an FDA-cleared medical device, Ebb Therapeutics took the opportunity at CES to announce their Total Sleep System is now available to all everyone as a consumer item.

The idea for Ebb came from brain imaging studies conducted by Eric Nofzinger, M.D., Founder and Chief Medical Officer at Ebb Therapeutics. The device consists of a sofware-controlled bedside device that cools and pumps fluid to a forehead pad that is worn through the night.

Ebb is the result of years of research and scientific publications, culminating in a pivotal clinical study conducted at seven clinical sites across the U.S. The randomized, placebo-controlled trial collecting polysomnographic sleep measurements in 106 adults with primary insomnia and showed a statistically significant reduction in the time it takes to get into the first stage of sleep.

Our verdict: There’s no one size fits all cure for insomnia. But if you’ve tried pills, CBTi, willpower, and every other trick in the book, Ebb’s science-backed cooling therapy is a unique and welcome addition now available to all consumers who suffer with sleepless nights.

Price and availability: The Ebb Total Sleep System is available now at $499