AI Leads the Sleep Revolution 2.0
I was honoured to be a guest speaker for one of the largest and most respected brands in China - DeRucci - Here is an extract from the presentation as we move into a new emerging technology sleeping world.
I am Nick Littlehales, a Professional Sports Sleep Coach and recovery innovator. For over two decades, I've been redefining how we approach sleep, working with elite athletes and organisations worldwide.
From Premier League football clubs like Manchester United, Manchester City and Real Madrid to Formula One Racing Teams, Tour de France cyclists and Olympic champions.
And Author of my best-selling book “The Sleep Revolution” and creator of the R90 Sleep Technique and Method.
I am very proud to be invited to talk to you today, on a subject that I could never have imagined possible when I started my sleep journey.
No one can deny that sleep is essential to our overall health and wellbeing. That's why I developed the R90 Technique.
Recovery in 90-minute Cycle Rhythms. A game-changing approach designed to address the modern demands and pressures we all face, helping people scientifically improve their sleep quality.
Today, after two decades of dramatic technological and social change, we find ourselves at an exciting frontier with the rapid advancement of AI technology.
And I'm particularly delighted to see how global leaders in sleep technology like DeRucci are pioneering innovations such as the AI Smart Mattresses.
What's truly remarkable is how these systems can now evolve autonomously, improving with each night's sleep—something unimaginable even just a few years ago.
My journey exploring sleep began with a fundamental question:?
How do we shift the perception of sleep from a passive, "just fit in" activity to a proactive health pillar aligned with our other essential activities?
By simply adding "ING" to sleep, we transform it from a state to an action: sleepING.
Just as we approach HydratING, EatING, and ExercisING as activities we actively manage, sleepING becomes something we do rather than something that happens to us.
In my opinion, this change in mindset is essential, and as we know, every first simple step is the most important one.
It allows us to develop a more human-centred performance approach, unlocking this vital fourth health pillar and revealing benefits that may have gone unrealized until now.
The R90 Technique builds on this active approach by recognizing several key principles about human sleep.
First, we naturally follow rhythms—our planet's 24-hour circadian rhythm regulates all our internal systems.
Second, we each have unique chronotype—whether we're morning people (AMers), evening people (PMers), or somewhere in between.
And third, humans originally followed polyphasic sleep patterns before artificial light, taking multiple rest periods throughout each 24-hour cycle rather than one long block at night.
This is why my technique focuses on 90-minute cycles rather than counting hours.
Ninety minutes represents the clinically measured time to develop the four sleep stages and complete one full cycle.
When we think in cycles instead of hours, we focus on the quality of our sleep rather than just the quantity.
We've now reached the point where AI technology is transforming the sleep industry at unprecedented speed.
The global sleep tech market is projected to grow from $20.5 billion to $64.7 billion by 2033.
For companies in the sleep industry like DeRucci, AI represents not just an incremental improvement but a fundamental reimagining of what sleep products can be.
AI technologies are shifting our approach from reactive tracking to proactive management. Instead of simply monitoring sleep after the fact, these systems provide real-time adjustments to temperature, position, and support throughout the sleep cycle.
What makes AI particularly powerful for sleep is its ability to personalize the experience. Each person's sleep needs are unique, influenced by their chronotype, physical demands, and recovery patterns.
This represents a transformation from static sleep products to dynamic sleep systems that adapt to individual needs throughout the night.
Beyond adaptive mattresses, we're seeing the emergence of complete sleep ecosystems where AI analyses multiple data streams.
From body temperature and movement to environmental factors like room temperature and ambient noise.
The most innovative companies are creating closed-loop systems that don't just collect data but actively respond to it.
This shift from passive products to active sleep partners represents the future of the industry.
Where the boundary between technology and human experience becomes seamlessly integrated.
The companies that succeed will be those that maintain this delicate balance between technological advancement and human-centered design, never losing sight of the fact that behind every data point is a person seeking better rest and recovery.
But the greatest potential lies not in AI replacing human expertise, but in enhancing it.
My work with elite athletes has always been about tailoring sleep strategies to individual needs.
AI amplifies this personalisation to levels previously impossible.
A perfect example is chronotype analysis. While I can identify if someone is a morning person or evening person through consultation, AI can detect subtle patterns in sleep data to recommend precise timing for peak performance periods.
For elite athletes, this partnership offers remarkable benefits: tracking optimal 90-minute cycles across time zones, predicting recovery needs based on training intensity, and adapting recommendations during competition seasons.
The real innovation happens when human coaching blends with AI insights.
The coach provides the "why" while AI delivers the "how" through continuous adaptation.
This is why I'm particularly excited about DeRucci's approach, which combines sleep science expertise with sophisticated AI capabilities.
In many parts of the world I raise the question?
Has our heightened sleep awareness over the last decade really made a difference?
When we observe the facts, probably not. But the answer is also yes because we have at least alerted the next generation to investigate what past generations have ignored, taken for granted, and continued to accept behaviours that clearly conflict with this vital health pillar.
Looking ahead, I see several transformative trends that will reshape how we approach sleep:
First, we'll see a return to polyphasic sleepING as we transition through each 24-hour period. This means no more focus on days and long blocks of sleep hours, but optimising our time, every hour, every cycle, every 24 hours without wasting it.
Second, personal sleepING pods, cocoons, bags, and outfits for home and away will become increasingly common, enabling individualised sleep environments wherever we are.
Sleeping more individually if not separately will become a health performance tactic.
Third, tracking technology will evolve to become not only more accurate but more human-sensitive.
Sleep is not a true performance factor that determines our actions and activities.
We still have to get our work done.
It is however a feeling great, emotional performance factor. Because we need to feel great to get our work done.
And Fourth, we'll develop sleepING surfaces that are ready for us anytime, under any circumstances, home and away. With Microtech sensors in our sleep wear, sleep room, our pillow and mattress.
Sensors focused on us, our body profiles, sensory influences, light and temperature management, at unprecedented levels.
Adapting to our needs rather than requiring us to adapt to them.
The most significant shift will be elevating sleep, using AI from the fourth health pillar to the first pillar of human performance.
My hope is that the next generation, using what they already have and know, will make this critical transformation.
The future of sleep lies in this perfect partnership between human expertise and AI capabilities, creating personalised approaches that adapt to our changing needs.
If we can keep AI and emerging technologies focused on helping us as humans and individuals, it will create an amazing world to be part of.
We don't need more reasons to be fearful, anxious, stressed, or intimidated by outside influences. Instead, we need to know and feel we're doing the right things more often than not.
Let's hope we make AI our friend. Something we love, trust, and sometimes need to advise and discipline.
So as we go forward into this exciting new era that's both deep in AI and deep in sleep, I leave you with this thought:
Let's GO SleepING! and make AI a true friend of our sleep.
R90-T Playbook 2025 available @sportsleepcoach.com