The Sleep Market Is Being Redefined. It’s Time for Brands to Dream Big.

For consumers today, sleep is top of mind and closely linked to their other wellness goals, signaling opportunities for brands across the wellness spectrum. 

Most of us can agree: We’re tired. Many of us weren’t getting enough sleep in the first place, then the pandemic further wreaked havoc on our circadian rhythms. It’s no surprise that consumers are eager for sleep solutions. 

But sleep isn’t just sleep. The science shows that sleep and other areas of wellness are closely connected. Rest supports other aspects of well-being, while exercise, eating well, and relieving stress can improve sleep in turn. Similarly, the concept of sleep hygiene says that what we do throughout the day makes a difference at night. Our content illuminates these connections to bring audiences the information they need. 

We see an opportunity for brands from across the wellness spectrum to join the conversation. Below, hear from brand experts in the health and wellness space who are leading the way in meeting consumer enthusiasm for sleep and overall wellness. 

People Want to Learn More About Sleep and Wellness 

Audiences are eager for information that will help them meet their sleep goals: 

• 48% of Healthline users who are interested in health and wellness information say that getting quality sleep is an important goal for them.

• 21% of Healthline users interested in health and wellness information experience sleep disorders. 

• 35% of U.S. adults are interested in learning more about sleep as a health topic. 

That’s why our content strives to bring forward the connections between sleep and wellness and empower people to make sleep part of their journeys to health: 

• Certain foods like almonds and fatty fish may promote better sleep.

• Sleep boosts everything from immunity to heart health.

• Physical activity can help counter the impact of poor sleep.

• Less sleep can make it harder to feel positive emotions the next day.

Our partner brands are also striving to educate and empower consumers. Karina Kogan, Chief Marketing Officer at Ōura Health, explains that they want to help consumers “make the connections between sleep and other important health outcomes, such as better immunity, cardiovascular health, disease prevention, weight and stress management, among other things.” 

So far, they have seen a high level of engagement: “For example, whenever we are able to share published clinical research studies from our partners, like our recent TemPredict study, we see communities lean in to learn more.”

Naomi Hirabayashi and Marah Lidey, Co-Founders of Shine, are also choosing to emphasize sleep resources: “When we heard from our users in mid-2020 that trouble sleeping was one of the top issues they faced as a result of the pandemic, we knew we had to create more resources for them. Our team increased production of the content and tools we offer our community in the Shine app to help them get better sleep. That includes sleep meditations, calming sleep sounds, sleep visualizations, and adding a sleep timer feature.” 

The results have been positive. For their audiences, sleep seems to be “shifting from something they put at the bottom of their list to something they prioritize, knowing it will help them care for their mental wellness and have the energy to show up for the people and things they care about.” 

Consumers Look for a Connection to Sleep

Today, consumers are becoming more educated on the connection between sleep and overall well-being, and are looking for more ways to improve their sleep hygiene. To this end, they are responsive to brands that make restfulness an explicit part of their messaging, approach, and product benefits. 

At WW, sleep is considered fundamental to good decision-making in other areas of wellness: “Consumers tell us that they know when they sleep better, they feel better and have the mental space to make better choices,” explains Deb Benovitz, SVP Human Truths and Community Impacts. “When asked about achieving an ideal state of personal health and wellness, consumers globally tell us that sleeping better or getting more sleep ranks high on their list.” 

Benovitz says, “This is why we’re applying our proven behavior-change principles to the areas of sleep to help our members achieve a better sleep and, in turn, boost their overall weight loss and well-being.” In practice, this means, “WW provides the tools, educational resources, and community support that is needed to overcome any sleep roadblocks and help members stay inspired when it comes to getting good sleep.” 

Consumers are more than ready for products that speak to their desire for better rest. As Priya Rao, Glossy Executive Editor and Glossy Beauty Podcast Host, explains: “Though sleepless nights couldn’t be bought back in the midst of a pandemic, sleep-inducing supplements, lip masks, silk pillowcases, and more could, from brands like Hum Nutrition and Laneige at Sephora and Goop.” She sees this as part of a major shift in the market: “While a lipstick being sold alongside an essential oil humidifier would have seemed odd just 5 to 10 years ago, the lines have blurred so much that personal care and wellness are now synonymous with beauty.” 

The Sleep Market Has Room to Grow 

Our data suggests that people’s interest in sleep innovations (34%) is significantly higher than their current usage (22%), suggesting an opportunity for marketers to meet consumers’ unmet needs. In fact, we found that the sleep category had the biggest gap between interest and adoption, suggesting even greater opportunity compared with other wellness verticals like nutrition and fitness. 

Brands already established in the sleep vertical are building on this enthusiasm. Emilie Arel, President & Chief Executive Officer at Casper, says, “Consumers weren’t putting sleep in the same category as a core component of their overall wellness. In the last few years, particularly during the pandemic, we’ve seen a shift in consumers really prioritizing their sleep. To meet the newfound importance of sleep, we’ve introduced new products and solutions to directly address varying sleep troubles. For example, we launched our Cooling Collection last year to minimize nighttime overheating, and most recently launched our new Foam Pillow with Snow Technology as an extension of that collection.”

It’s Time to Stop Hitting Snooze on Sleep 

Today, more brands are joining the sleep conversation, and consumers are ready to listen. There’s an opportunity for sleep brands to offer more and for wellness brands across verticals to speak to their connection to sleep. 

Across our Healthline Media brands, we offer educational content that brings forward the latest science on restfulness and overall well-being. The new Healthline Sleep hub offers resources designed to further empower our readers to take action. With our audiences actively looking for answers, there’s always opportunity for our partner brands across the wellness spectrum to take part in the newfound market enthusiasm for better sleep. 

For more information on Healthline Sleep or to learn how we can work together to empower audiences to sleep well, contact your Healthline Media representative or email us today.