1. Utopia: 3 day work week and people have more downtime for play and having fun. The entertainment and gaming industry are flourishing with the technological evolution, introducing more types of immersive gaming, VR and AR experiences. Research shows that current entertainment apps such as Netflix and Youtube are already over-stimulating our occipital love with overload of information and visual stimulation. In a future with excess recreational time, people are bound to experience boredom and will engage in more digital media consumption. The stimulating effects from these prolonged interactions make it difficult for their brains to switch off, delaying body’s internal clock and suppresses the release of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, causing difficulty to fall asleep.
2. Dystopia: Society is playing catch-up with AI as more jobs become vulnerable and irrelevant. Constant up-skilling requires emotional stamina and strong mental performance. Burnout from work and constant struggle for work-life balance creates desires for downtime, people indulge in digital media for convenience and fast entertainment. The society is becoming more sleep-deprived than ever as they use digital media to escape or relieve negative moods (dread going to work the next day), they are in need of better restorative sleep in order to recharge and maintain their well-being.
In both scenarios, people find it difficult to detach from their digital media consumption before bed and they require a pre-sleep system to help them fall asleep and recharge fully.
Some interesting ideas that I may explore:
- Bubble meditation: Blowing bubbles that incorporates the 4-7-8 breathing techniques
- Brushing teeth - toothpaste with melatonin
- Project stories on the ceiling that allows you to imagine you’re at a tranquil beach, sitting on a mountain among the clouds, etc. there will be music surrounding also. Hypnosis ceiling images. mental vacation
- Cooling eye masks
- Waterbed topper therapy
- Weighted water blanket - cooling/warm wraps
- Self-soothing tips - cannot sleep chant (sleep paradox), twiddling techniques, foot rub, putting legs up, sing yourself to sleep (earphones that block out noises for the other partner)
- Vitamin Z pyjamas - comfy sleepwear that makes you sleepy, fragrance releasing fabric, fabric cooling technology.
- A rocking chair - a rocking hammock? something like hammocks for babies.
- Chillows - cooling pillows
- Security blankets, comfort objects, - recreate your chouchous / smellys
- A bedroom of differentness, a peace haven with soothing experiences - scanner gate - detects mobile devices, prevents anything that is mentally stimulating, scans your body condition, sad happy anxious etc and offers suitable therapeutic feel-good measures - a beach vacay, float in clouds, it acts as a psychology thing, that you enter a new dimension and you believe its going to help you feel good and sleep. like how went go on vacations we always sleep better, because we know our worries are far far away from us.
- A sleeping tent, portable sleeping bag, portable nap pod with easy to doze off technology
- A breathing pillow - motorises breathing mechanism, expand and contract so breathing will sync with it.
- Watercomfort beanbag
- Sleeping bag for mobile phones
Andreas shared The Sleeping Lab project with me and I thought its pretty cool. It was held at Arndale Shopping Centre for 10 days in 2016 where shoppers were given the rare opportunity to step inside a haven of calm to recharge their batteries in cyclical restorative sleep sessions throughout the day.
Images by Sleep Lab
I also had discussion with my classmates and some of them said that maybe I can look at sex toys and play since it activates a variety of senses from my 'Senses' table. Releasing endorphins is a well-known way to help people relax and the act of having orgasm can cause sleepiness. I did some research and found some examples of sex therapy tools on Dezeen, here, here and here, which the sex aids may be effective to induce sleep too. I'm still brainstorming for ideas and I'm not sure if I will take this route.
Images by Helder
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