Sleep used to be simple. Now it’s a status symbol, a science, and—if you scroll through Reddit long enough—a full-blown obsession. As wellness culture crowns sleep the new cornerstone of health, the market has outgrown its humble fitness-tracker roots. Smart rings, under-mattress sensors, and bedside monitors now promise to decode the mysteries of your midnight self, mapping everything from oxygen dips to heart rhythms.
In the age of sleepmaxxing—the idea that rest can be measured, hacked, and perfected—nights have become laboratories. Redditors trade bedtime regimens like recipes: blackout curtains and magnesium supplements, thermostats, and every twitch logged by a glowing screen. “Taping my mouth changed the way I live,” wrote one, swearing by a strip of 3M Nexcare Gentle Paper Tape to stop nighttime tossing and morning brain fog.
The trend, born in the internet’s darker corners in 2024, is the sleep equivalent of looksmaxxing and starvemaxxing—each a pursuit of self-optimisation bordering on fixation.
But behind the buzz lies a worldwide sleep crisis. ResMed’s 2025 Global Sleep Survey, spanning over 30,000 people across 13 countries, paints a grim picture and India fares worst. A staggering 94 per cent of employed Indians fall sick weekly due to poor sleep—far above the global average of 71 per cent.
For Delhi-based Babita Chaurasiya, 28, sleep has become a project. “I have an anxiety disorder. Deep sleep was elusive, so I began experimenting with hacks—pillows, mattresses, anything that promised relief,” she says. Her nightly routine reads like a science experiment, powered by equal parts hope and exhaustion.
Gen Z, though, has turned this quest into a creed. “Unlike older generations, they view sleep optimisation as non-negotiable,” says Dr Harish Chafle, sleep specialist at Gleneagles Hospital, Mumbai. A 2025 study in the Journal of Young Pharmacists found that among Gen Z students in Andhra Pradesh, nearly 40 per cent get irregular sleep, causing higher anxiety, depression, and lower productivity.
And as the sleepless search for answers, the market obliges. Cognitive Market Research reports India’s sleep-aid supplement sector, worth $216.69 million in 2024, is set to grow at roughly 10 percent annually through 2031. But not all that glitters in the wellness aisle is gold. “Proper sleep-wake timings, avoiding caffeine or screens at night, and regular exercise are crucial,” Dr. Chafle reminds. Hacks such as nostril expanders or constant data-tracking are hard to resist. "But they carry hidden costs that can eventually take a toll on sleep,”he adds.
“Some interventions may provide temporary relief,” warns Dr. Inderdeep Singh, ENT consultant at Jupiter Hospital, Pune. “But restricting breathing pathways could lead to oxygen deprivation, especially for those with undiagnosed sleep apnea.
Even melatonin—the world’s darling sleep aid—comes with fine print. Studies show it helps people fall asleep faster, but France’s food safety agency ANSES caps safe intake at 2 milligrams and warns children, teens, and pregnant women to steer clear. Labels, however, often lie. “It’s no panacea,” Yale Medicine cautions. “Use only under medical guidance.”
The tech industry, sensing both opportunity and responsibility, is dressing this sleep revolution in luxury. “Our role is to go deeper—translating signals into personalised, clinically aligned lifestyle interventions,” says Dr Sajeev Nair, founder of Bengaluru-based biohacking startup Vieroots. His soon-to-launch TRIGR smart ring promises data-driven insights without the guilt spiral. “The goal is empowerment, not obsession,” he says.
Amit Khatri, co-founder of Noise, echoes that sentiment. “Our lifestyle products are built for everyday wellness and intentionally avoid diagnostic claims,” he says. Privacy, validation, and user consent are their buzzwords.
Studies show that constant monitoring can lead to “orthosomnia”—the ironic condition where worrying about sleep keeps you awake. “Sleep anxiety often appears as bedtime overthinking or worry about next-day fatigue,” says psychologist Arpita Kohli of PSRI Hospital, Delhi. “Relaxation, mindfulness, and avoiding the clock can help. Reframing sleep as natural, not a performance goal, makes all the difference.”
Sleep has become the ultimate hustle. We chase it with the fervor once reserved for careers or gym gains—armed with wearables, pills, and the conviction that perfection is just one more hack away. But perhaps the real trick is simpler: stop trying so hard.
