SleepSpace’s Innovative Technology Provides Unmatched Support For Co-Sleeping Couples

If you live with your partner or often have sleepovers, you likely get into a bedtime routine with them. Maybe one of you likes to read before bed while the other scrolls endlessly on TikTok, or maybe you both like to watch a few episodes of your show together before you drift into dreamland. On the other hand, if you and your partner have found yourselves with opposing bedtime or sleep habits, that may spell trouble in paradise. 

You’re certainly not alone if you have found your sleeping habits are at odds with those of your partner. In fact, more than one third of Americans have chosen what is now known as “sleep divorce” — a mutual agreement to sleep in separate beds. While, historically, this hasn’t been the traditional arrangement for most couples, it’s a growing trend of which both relationship therapists and sleep specialists have taken notice.

Sleep divorce can be a great option for people who just can’t seem to get a peaceful night’s rest in the same room, but it doesn’t always have to be the answer. If you and your partner are finding some conflict in things like the temperature you prefer to sleep in, the type of bedding, or whether you need to sleep with the TV on, don’t be dismayed: There is hope. You can still enjoy each other’s overnight company — with a little help.  

SleepSpace, a new sleep tracking app, provides couples experiencing sleep incompatibility a chance to meet both their needs and catch plenty of Zs at the same time. The app’s innovative features make it a standout among the dozens of sleep apps available, and their Smart Bed technology is a unique method for the most accurate and helpful insights about you and your partner’s individual sleep patterns.

Move Over, Melatonin

If you’ve ever struggled with insomnia or even just a sleepless night or two, chances are you’ve heard at least one person recommend melatonin. While the hormone occurs naturally in our bodies, many people have found that taking melatonin supplements helps them achieve faster, deeper sleep. 

You can’t pop into a grocery store or pharmacy without seeing tons of melatonin gummies or capsules sold on the shelves, so it’s safe to say that a lot of folks see it as the answer to their pillowtime prayers. That said, some experts in the field of sleep medicine have found that taking melatonin regularly isn’t the best solution — technology is. 

You may be saying “But everyone tells me to not use my phone before bedtime!” But using your phone in a different way at night can actually have incredible perks when it comes to the quality of your sleep. SleepSpace and the Smart Bed technology have helped plenty of people achieve their dreams (the literal kind) while sharing a bed. 

Just take it from the founder of SleepSpace himself: sleep scientist Dr. Dan Gartenberg, PhD. He and his wife both use the Smart Bed technology to track their sleep patterns and help them form better sleep habits. Although its name may suggest otherwise, the SleepSpace Smart Bed is actually not a bed at all, but rather a product that attaches your cellphone to your bed. While you sleep, the Smart Bed app tracks your sounds and movements and uses both light and sound features to help you fall asleep and wake up at optimal times. 

“It’s hard to navigate the sleep environment, there’s a lot of nuance to it. We explicitly made SleepSpace so it can work with each partner,” Dan said. “My wife has SleepSpace on her side of the bed, and I have SleepSpace on my side of the bed. The phone plays sound quietly on my side of the bed, because my wife likes a louder sound machine than I do. So it’s basically designed for the sleep partner in mind.”

SleepSpace Has Features for Everyone

Any old sleep tracking app can help you learn more about your snoring patterns or whether your partner talks in their sleep, but SleepSpace’s Smart Bed technology is unmatched when it comes to actually improving your sleep. Dan explained that you can think of the Smart Bed product as a sort of phone charger with an awesome twist.

“Most people charge their phone on their nightstand every night. What if you could also have something that enhances your sleep while you’re doing that? We pick up on micro-motions through the mattress. And I think we’re the only app that adjusts sounds in real time based on these micro-motions to play sounds specifically designed for your sleep stages,” he said.

The small metal Smart Bed looks like a phone stand and charger combo, and its sleek profile simply slides under your mattress. Once you’ve put SleepSpace in place, voila! Your bed is now a Smart Bed — and ready to both track and enhance your night of counting sheep. 

In terms of the sound features, Dan explained that the app serves as a “smart sound machine” as opposed to the traditional white noise machines you’ve likely heard about. While typical noise machines play the same sound at the same volume all night, SleepSpace’s Smart Bed technology responds to the phase of sleep you’re in and plays different sounds at the volume needed to help you through your sleep cycles all night. 

The lighting features are particularly important, as well. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably been guilty of scrolling on social media in bed for way too long some nights. The blue light coming from your phone can have negative effects on your brain’s ability to fully wind down and fall asleep, so SleepSpace’s connection to a smart bulb would be especially helpful to get you drifting off for the long haul. 

“Any bright light at night is giving your brain the wrong signal — you want it to be completely dark. If there is light, it should be very dim and red,” Dan shared. “Part of the ‘wind down’ ritual is something in sleep science called stimulus control, where you want to create a wind down before bed. [My wife and I] have a process where all of our lights turn red and ocean waves play for 20 minutes while we read in bed. And then we have a smart wake up with the lights that sort of emulates a sunrise.”

Using the LIFX smart bulb with the SleepSpace Smart Bed provides you the opportunity to train your brain to fall asleep and wake up whenever you need. Using the red light in combination with the app’s meditations or sleep sounds can help you fall asleep, while the sunrise light and bird sounds or miracle tones can wake you gently and get you ready for the day. As a bonus, you and your partner can use two separate smart bulbs on your respective sides of the bed if you prefer to maintain separate wind down and wake up schedules.

Sweet Dreams With Your Sweetheart Are Possible

If your partner’s floor-shaking snores or the boiling heat from being wrapped up in blankets together are keeping you up at night, there are solutions to your problems. You and your partner can still achieve a peaceful, fulfilling night’s sleep together. Beyond using SleepSpace’s incredible technology, Dan has some tips for couples experiencing restless nights. 

When it comes to the temperature at night, some people like to feel toasty and warm laying under a light quilt, while others prefer to keep their A/C at arctic levels while wrapping up like a Chipotle burrito in their fluffy comforter. These vastly different situations don’t exactly mix well, so Dan suggests keeping separate blankets on the bed. 

“I have this paper in the Huffington Post called ‘split blankets, not beds.’ I know that it’s fun to snuggle with your partner and stuff like this, so there’s a way of doing that while still having your own personal bedding.”

If the solution to your sleep troubles isn’t as simple as splitting up blankets or turning down the A/C, Dan noted that there are other resources out there for you. 

“If you or your sleep partner are having problems falling asleep and staying asleep, the recommended treatment is not a sleeping pill, it’s not taking alcohol; it’s changing your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors around sleep,” he explained. “That’s called cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. One of the main things it’s based on is if you can’t fall asleep for 20 minutes or more, get out of bed, disassociate from the environment, and then go back to the bed when you’re sleepy.”

Above all, products like SleepSpace and their Smart Bed are now widely available if you and your partner want to continue sharing your nights together, but in peace. Rather than reaching for the melatonin, evaluate your environment and what habits you both can change. Teamwork: Sweet dreams are made of this.