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Chinese consumer tech sharpens focus on helping young people get a good sleep, wake up fresh amid latest Covid-19 concerns
- Apps and gadgets to help people sleep are catering to hundreds of millions across China dealing with anxiety caused by the latest surge in Covid-19 infections
- Sleeping disorders are becoming more common among young people in China amid the latest outbreak
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When Beijing research institute employee Terry Xu first started using an app called CoSleep to help him get a good rest, it was to help deal with the stress of looking for a job about three years ago after graduating from university.
“With the Covid-19 pandemic in China recently getting worse, I would browse what people post on social media and often stay up late,” Xu said in a phone interview on Thursday. “Now I’ve started to use CoSleep more frequently.”
Hundreds of millions across China may be facing similar feelings of anxiety amid the latest surge in Covid-19 infections and enforcement of lockdowns as part of the government’s zero-Covid-19 policy, especially in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai.
The situation could see many turn to popular Chinese consumer technology as a means to get proper rest amid the latest outbreak, reminiscent of the state of affairs in 2020 when technology emerged as a lifesaver on many fronts: robots in hospitals, health code apps, online education and remote working.
Sleeping disorders are becoming more common among young people in the world’s second-largest economy. Nearly 40 per cent of people aged between 26 and 35 now sleep five hours or shorter, according to a survey published last month by the Chinese Sleep Research Society.
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