Finding Sweet Rest in Smart Sleep Products

From intelligent mattresses to pillows for specific issues, India's sleep industry is getting inventive to meet customer demands

- Tanisha Saxena

The pursuit of rest has become an industry in itself today, with solutions ranging from meditation apps to high-tech sleep trackers. But beneath the buzz about eight-hour nights and circadian rhythms lies a quieter, transformative revolution: the reinvention of mattresses, beds, and sleep accessories. This shift isn't merely about comfort—it's about redefining sleep as the cornerstone of physical, mental, and emotional health. And consumers, increasingly aware of sleep's role in longevity and productivity, are spending more on their beds than ever before.

Ikea's most recent Global Sleep report, that surveyed 55,000 people across 57 countries, has some interesting data on what Indians like to spend on. Bedroom essentials, as per the report, are a must for the majority. To quote the report, "23% Indians swear by special mattresses and pillows for the perfect snooze, 16% counted on blackout curtains or blinds to keep things pitch dark".

The real eye opener, however, was discovering that "68% believe that an organised, tidy space is the key to better Zzzz's".

"I never thought spending on a mattress was logical," admits Priyam Desai, a 34-year-old software engineer in Delhi, who recently switched to a hybrid latex model. "After dealing with back pain and learning about how sleep affects overall health, it felt like a necessity."

Keeping up with customer demands, mattress companies who were relegated to the utilitarian bracket, are now at the intersection of innovation, sustainability and science. So, gone are the days when mattresses were slabs of spring-filled foam. Today, they're designed to align spines, regulate temperature, and even soothe anxiety.