The term 'pillow talk' just got a whole new meaning, with Japanese researchers having developed a cushion that offers pointers on how to get a good night's sleep.
The pillow, called 'Sleep Doctor', analyzes slumber patterns and subsequently provides 40 kinds of advice and encouragement on a miniature screen. Made of soft urethane fabric, it has sensors measuring head and body movements to calculate how much "pleasant sleep" you've had on a scale of 30 to 95 per cent.
"If you've been sleeping badly for several days, the pillow will tell you, for example, 'why don't you take it easy tonight. Try taking a long bath,'" says Naomi Adachi, head of lofty, a company that sells the product designed by Japan's sleep research institute.
"Or else on good sleeping days, it will bombard you with things like, 'you've been sleeping great, keep it up.'" The pillow can also record sleeping patterns over a two-week period, and is designed to make a person aware of sleep habits, and improve them.
"But this pillow is not designed for you to fall asleep easier or better," warns Adachi.
The company plans to sell the pillow in September in Japan and overseas, including parts of Asia and North America.
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