When life gives you darkness at 5 p.m., the free market gives you a $200 sunrise in a box.
Driving the news: With over a billion people worldwide turning back their clocks this morning, businesses are trying to ease the adjustment with a suite of products, apps, and guides.
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Sunlight alarm clocks: With soft orange and yellow LED lights, these clocks are designed to simulate a natural and gradual sunrise, regardless of the time.
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Online guides and apps: Apps like BetterSleep have collections of meditations, soundscapes, and guided routines to help adjust to the time change.
- Smart lighting systems: Products like Govee smart lightbulbs can set sleep routines through automation and coloured lighting, helping boost your circadian rhythm.
Why it’s happening: Research has shown that changing our clocks twice a year can have a pretty serious impact on our health and productivity. One study found that the adjustment to daylight savings time can negatively affect worker productivity for up to two weeks.
Why it matters: Thanks to a growing number of fancy gadgets, sleep has become a commodity that people are willing to pay a lot of money for. Whether that’s a $3,500 EightSleep mattress cover or a pillow that stays cool all night long, a multibillion-dollar industry has emerged to help us get more shut-eye.
Zoom out: The sleep tech industry’s not going anywhere, but daylight savings might be. A bill was introduced in Ottawa last month, calling on provinces and territories to make like Saskatchewan and the Yukon and establish a permanent time year-round in Canada.—LA