Device from Japan measures sleep quality
08/04/2010
A new creation from a Japanese health monitor manufacturer could help people to get better bed rest on their mattresses at night, by providing them with a "sleep score" that they can improve, quite literally, at their leisure.
Sleep Scan is an inch-thick pad made by Tanita, which slips under the mattress and monitors a sleeper''s body motion, breathing and heart rate over a series of nights before presenting the user with a rating indicating the quality of their rest.
The high-tech gadget stores its data on a 2GB digital card capable of recording over 500 sleep cycles of data and showing the results of a sleeper''s rest in graph form when the information is uploaded onto a PC.
Initially to be marketed in Japan this May, Sleep Scan will be priced at $395 (£260).
The device may be particularly useful for schoolchildren, after research by Idaho State University suggested that poor sleep in the early years is linked to drug and alcohol misuse in adulthood.
Posted by Matt Gardner.
