Move over Canyon Ranch (which actually has had a sleep lab for several years now), and welcome the newest hot trend in sleep diagnostics -- sleep spas.
True, we have seen sleep labs in hotels (an idea that seemed to be a bit before its time). Who could resist the idea of a free USA Today and a continental breakfast after a grueling night hooked up to a computer via 27 electrodes?
The big problem happened when the labs could not stay full, or doctors said to themselves “I just do not like sending my patients to a hotel for a medical service."
But a sleep spa may be a different story. What if the spa was not trying to treat a sleep disorder, but rather, my passion -- disordered sleep?
Here you could have a non-clinical situation, where people with crappy sleep, but not so bad as to qualify for a sleep study, could come, learn about sleep, learn relaxation strategies, and take these ideas home with them after a night of real rest.
I agree there is a market for the sleep spa service. I am not the only one saying this: Millennium Research Group (MRG) found that increased awareness of sleep disorders in the US has sparked one of the hottest spa trends in 2007. These data are discussed in the group’s US Market Opportunities for Respiratory and Sleep Management Devices 2007.
So what are we in for, in the future? I think you already know. Not only will we be able to go someplace to be pampered and to relax, but we will also go to learn how to sleep better.
Sweet dreams.
The more sleep spas the better. I'm waiting for the transcranial magnetic caps to be available in the sleep spas. If anything the magnetic stimulation option might take away some of the anxiety that contributes to insomnia. Not only could the customer work on relaxation techniques and learn about disordered sleep but they could also be "plugged in" for a quick power nap.
Stephanie
Posted by: Stephanie Enders | May 30, 2007 at 12:08 PM