Editor's note: According to the "2022-2027 China Sleep Economy Industry Market In-depth Research and Investment Strategic Planning Research Report" by the Puhua Research Institute of the Chinese Research Institute, the insomnia rate of adults in China is as high as 38.2%. This means that more than 3 million people have sleep disorders. Such a large number of people with sleep difficulties are not only troubled by sleep disorders, but also create a huge market for sleep aid products. According to authoritative estimates, the overall market size of China's sleep economy is expected to exceed one trillion yuan in 2030. Tianyan inspection data shows that there are more than 3000,5 sleep economy-related enterprises in China. In the past five years, more than 400 sleep economy-related enterprises have been registered and established every year.

The sleep aid products on the market are also very rich, from sleep aid candy, sleep aid aromatherapy, sleep aid incense, to sleep aid audio, sleep coaxer, as well as sleep aids, sleep mattresses, sleep pillows... Can people who have difficulty falling asleep really get a good night's sleep after taking sleep aids, headrests, sleep pillows, holding sleep aids, and turning on sleep aid speakers? How effective can these sleep aids be for sleep? In the face of uneven sleep aid products, how should consumers choose? The reporter of "China Consumer News" conducted an investigation on this.

- Reporter Li Yanjing

In order to have a good night's sleep, people who have difficulty sleeping do not hesitate to buy a variety of sleep aid equipment. Carefully analyzing the sleep aid equipment market, the reporter found that its prices vary greatly, the functions are different, and the evaluation of consumers is also different, some say it is easy to use, and some want to refund due to invalidity. Is the "sleep aid artifact" useful? Can these devices really make people sleep until dawn?

Sleep aid products are constantly emerging

Recently, the reporter saw on major e-commerce platforms that the price of smart sleep devices varies greatly, ranging from more than 100 yuan to 45,000 yuan. These products are also used differently, some are held in the hand when sleeping, some are worn on the door of the head, and some are clipped to the earlobe. However, the working principle of these products is basically the same, they all use microcurrent stimulation to achieve the purpose of improving sleep, and claim to be "reducing the symptoms of difficulty falling asleep" and "alleviating sleep difficulties" in terms of efficacy.

The most commonly used technology in smart sleep device products is transcranial microcurrent stimulation technology (CES). The reporter saw a "Chunxiao sleep aid" with a price of 158 yuan on the Internet, the product is hand-held, the product introduction said, can stimulate the hand to achieve the purpose of stimulating the brain, play a calming effect, improve the secretion of various neurotransmitters in the body, thereby aiding sleep. Another "left point medical smart sleep device" is an ear clip sleep aid, the price is 1499 yuan, the product introduction says "CES physical therapy, using a certain intensity of low-frequency pulses, through a pre-set stimulation program to stimulate nerves or muscles... thereby treating or improving insomnia symptoms". There is also a product called "Siyoujia Medical Sleep Instrument", which also uses CES technology and costs 4380 yuan.

In addition to products using CES technology, there are also products on the market that work on the principle of brainwave frequency resonance. According to the business, the product uses the principle of physical resonance to implant the sleep frequency that people should have into the chip, and then the power supply releases resonance with brain waves to promote sleep. The price of such products is relatively expensive, all of which are more than 1,000 yuan.

In addition, more expensive sleep aid products have "medicine and device words". According to Liu Ting, a medical device registration consulting staff member at Beijing Sino Consulting Company, products with drug and device batch numbers have undergone clinical trials and are more reliable in effectiveness and stability, so the price is more expensive.

The reporter also found that many daily necessities on the Internet have also been developed into sleep aid products, adding sleep aid functions on the basis of the original functions, such as sleep aid pillows, sleep aid eye masks, sleep aid audio, sleep aid aromatherapy, etc. For example, pillows, some have slightly changed in structure, more ergonomic, some add Chinese medicine ingredients, and some add music functions in the pillow, which can turn on music while sleeping; Another example is the sleep aid eye mask, which adds music and hot compresses to the eye mask; The sleep aid speaker has built-in various white noises from nature, such as the sound of insects, spring water, and rain hitting plantains; There are also sleep aids and sleep sprays, which are claimed to emit a soothing aroma and help you sleep quickly. The same point is that these products labeled "sleep aid" are slightly more expensive than similar products.

Is it really effective or foolish?

Different prices and different technical principles, what about the efficacy of these sleep aids? The reporter browsed a large number of users' messages, some feedback effect is good, some say that it is somewhat effective, and some say that it is useless.

"Sleep aid products have the effect of regulating, alleviating and improving sleep disorders in some people within a certain range, but they will not have miraculous effects." During the interview, Liu Zhiming, a national psychological counselor, told the "China Consumer News" reporter, "The microcurrent therapy device, magnetic stimulation therapy instrument and other sleep aid equipment on the market are also used by hospitals. However, the output unit value of the products sold on the market is smaller than that of hospital equipment, and the safety is improved, but the treatment effect will be reduced. Transcranial magnetic stimulation technology products are generally used in hospitals to treat mental illnesses such as depression, and one of the effects is to relieve insomnia caused by mental illness. Therefore, when choosing sleep aid products, we should fully understand and choose carefully. ”

Zhang Han, a senior psychological counselor at Xiajing Psychological Counseling Center, told the "China Consumer News" reporter: "The causes of sleep disorders are diverse, some are caused by psychological problems, such as anxiety, and other diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to first understand the cause of sleep disorders before we can choose the way to alleviate the symptoms. Most people with insomnia and difficulty falling asleep are due to stress, nervousness, and anxiety during the day. Sleep aid products can affect people's sleep quality, but they cannot play a decisive role. ”

Zhang Han also said that it is not recommended for people without sleep problems to use sleep aid products, and the fewer conditions people need to sleep, the better. People who originally have no sleep problems, if they create a sound to assist sleep, they will become dependent for a long time, and they may not be able to sleep without it.

No standard makes it difficult to return

Recently, some consumers complained that they purchased a second-generation negative ion brainwave sleep device on an online called "ecological sleep conditioning store", which arrived on February 2 this year. Before purchasing, the merchant informed that if you are not satisfied within 2 days, you can return the goods and refund them without reason. On March 11, because the product was invalid, the consumer proposed a return and refund, but the merchant said that the transaction was abnormal and could not be returned.

After receiving the complaint, the reporter contacted the merchant by phone several times. However, as of press time, the merchant did not give a clear response.

The reporter's investigation found that different sleep aid products have a trial period ranging from 7 to 30 days, and they all say that "the trial is invalid and can be returned". However, many consumers have reported that some stores say that it is not easy to return goods.

"The main reason for consumer returns is that the effect is not obvious after use, because these products are advertised as saying that they can improve sleep, but there is no unified standard for the effect of sleep aids, and the effect of sleep aids can only be decided by the business." Relevant people told the "China Consumer News" reporter, "In addition to medicinal and mechanical products, there is currently no standard and specification problem in sleep aid products, and merchants say that the product can be sold as a sleep aid product." ”

The sleep economy is a large market, the amount of investment in recent years has been increasing, and the market has also appeared to be particularly active, but only the standardized market has greater development potential.