Perspectives regarding consumer sleep technology and barriers to its use or adoption among adults in the United States

Abstract

Objective

To explore perspectives about consumer sleep technology (CST) and barriers to its regular use and whether these vary by sociodemographic characteristics.

Methods

A multidisciplinary team developed a survey instrument which was disseminated to a national sample via an online platform. A mixed methods analysis using descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and thematic content analysis was employed.

Results

Among 897 survey respondents, mean age was 47.5 ± 16.9 years; 73.1 % identified as female, and 81.8 % as White. A total of 505 respondents (56.3 %) reported having tracked their sleep using CST. Concerns or barriers reported by respondents included cost (57.2 %), too many different types of CST (56.5 %), and data privacy/security concerns (38.7 %). Younger individuals (p < 0.001) and those with annual household income $30,000 to $57,999 per year (p = 0.006) or <$30,000 per year (p = 0.021) were more likely to report cost as a barrier in the adjusted analysis. Individuals with household income <$30,000 (p = 0.004) or identifying as Asian (p = 0.002) or Black (p = 0.004) race were more likely to report data privacy/security concerns. Among those who already owned CST, 12.3 % reported sleep-related worry/orthosomnia and 17 % reported not trusting the data. Qualitative analyses corroborated these findings, emphasizing concerns with data privacy/security, sleep-related worry, lack of trust in data accuracy, and physical discomfort.

Conclusions

Despite the growing popularity of CST, there exist several concerns and barriers to its regular use that may have health equity implications. Further research incorporating diverse stakeholders is necessary to address these barriers and promote optimal use of technology.