Sleep better, live healthier: AI for new prevention & sleep coaching

People who sleep well are more productive and creative at work. Colin Lawlor, CEO of Sleep.ai, shows how a sleep coaching app supports employees and saves companies money.

Originally featured in DUP Magazin.

Working through midnight and tackling the first call at 8 a.m. – this used to be considered a sign of tireless commitment. Today, it’s considered overwork and a serious health risk. “I learned the hard way how dangerous this is,” says Colin Lawlor. “A moment of sleep at the wheel after a long day at work made me rethink things.” From this experience, he developed a business idea with added value. Lawlor is the founder and CEO of Sleep.ai, a company specializing in improving sleep quality through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and contactless sonar technology.

Studies show that fragmented sleep not only promotes obesity, cardiovascular disease, and mental health problems, but also costs the German economy over €57 billion annually. Restorative sleep, on the other hand, is the secret ingredient for resilient employees, smart decisions, and tangible economic growth. It’s not a luxury, but essential for health, concentration, and productivity.

For more than a decade, the company analyzed millions of hours of sleep data to make sleep measurable and effectively improve it. The result: the app “Your Sleep by SleepScore” – digital, certified, and partially reimbursable. It enables a contactless method for individual sleep analysis.

The Sleep Lab for the Bedside Table

The smartphone is placed in the user’s immediate vicinity at night, for example, on the bedside table. Sound waves are emitted, reflected by the body, and picked up by the microphone – neither speech nor other sounds are recorded. The app tracks movements and breathing. Based on this, it can determine the respective sleep phases – light, deep, and REM sleep. The data is evaluated by the AI ​​in the morning. After about five to seven nights, it creates an individual profile. It provides personalized recommendations, tips, and targeted exercises – tailored to age, lifestyle, and sleeping environment.

“Your Sleep by SleepScore” is a 12-week preventive program for healthy sleep, certified under Book V of the Social Code (Sozialgesetzbuch V). Since the Prevention Act came into force in 2015, health insurance companies have been obligated to offer and financially support prevention and health promotion programs – a benefit for both companies and employees. IKK Brandenburg and Berlin already offers their insured members easy access to “Your Sleep by SleepScore” – with no upfront payment and full coverage. Discussions with other health insurance companies about integrating the program are already underway. “Improving sleep is the greatest untapped resource in preventive medicine,” says Lawlor. “It’s about working together to find ways to reclaim its potential.”