The health and wellness movement in the mattress industry has become much more than just a trend.
And for the aging population or those with special needs, Dawn House Living, a division of Ergomotion that makes sleep systems equipped with under-bed lighting, a soft, inset base and voice activation, knows people want an in-home alternative to sterile hospital beds.
Recently, the company had the opportunity to participate in the NBC TV show “George to the Rescue” by providing one of its sleep systems to Jackie Pearsall, a woman recently diagnosed with ALS.
Bedding News Now caught up with Dawn House Living Senior Product Expert Jennifer Hall to talk about the chance to participate in the show as well as how the health and wellness movement is affecting the bedding category.
“I didn’t know a whole lot about ALS going in, but somewhere between like 50%-90% of people with ALS have sleep-related muscle cramps,” Hall says. “The Dawn House bed has the high-low bed adjustment, so that helps her transfer from her wheelchair to her bed more easily. It also helps her husband, Brian, as her caregiver to get her in and out of bed.”
Through the Dawn House app, the system also provides a sleep and health report that communicates to Jackie and Brian about her heart rate variability, respiratory rate and any changes in sleep. If they see changes regularly they may be able to pinpoint a problematic trend and what could be causing it.
Watch this video for more on Jackie and Brian’s story :
When it comes to health and wellness in general, an aging population focused on its health is what the Dawn House bed was originally created to address.
First, there are more than 46 million adults age 65 and older in the U.S., and by 2050 that number is expected to nearly double to almost 90 million.
However, the number of older adults is projected to increase by almost 18 million between 2020 and 2030 alone, when the last of the baby boomers turn 65.
“People are finally realizing that sleep is one of the major keys to health and wellness,” Hall says. “It’s always been about eating right and exercising, but sleep is just as important and people are starting to understand that. The industry is jumping on board because people are asking for more support and features and settings in their beds. These bases are becoming more than just this sort of platform to sleep on.”
Hall says that instead of focusing solely on the sleep, Dawn House is built around the idea of the dawn of a new day. It’s about what people need as they get older and how can they stay independent as long as possible.
What should the industry be thinking about when it comes to health and wellness as it gains popularity?
“With sleep being such an integral part of just our health, you have to think beyond the bed,” Hall says. “The industry needs to focus on the customer — what are the customer’s needs, how old are they and what’s their lifestyle like? Think about the tools that we can give them. It’s the industry’s responsibility to communicate how sleep influences their days and futures.”