SleepScore Labs said it has received the first permanent certification for reimbursement for its Sleep improvement program. The Carlsbad, California-based health and wellness company said this is a significant milestone based on its groundbreaking program, named the “Dein Schlaf Dein Tag powered by SleepScore Program.”The company has received permanent certification in Germany and will be accessible to 74 million insured individuals. SleepScore Labs plans to expand the program across the European Union in the near future.The permanent reimbursement in Germany came after a randomized controlled trial conducted by SleepScore Labs. The study involved nearly 500 participants and demonstrated a significant improvement in sleep quality among users of the program’s mobile application after six and 12 weeks, compared to the control group.GamesBeat Next 2023Join the GamesBeat community in San Francisco this October 24-25. You’ll hear from the brightest minds within the gaming industry on latest developments and their take on the future of gaming.“Sleep is finally recognized as a major area of focus for preventative health investment – the second-largest healthcare market in the world now mandates reimbursement for all insured individuals (74 million people),” said Colin Lawlor, CEO of SleepScore Labs, in an email to VentureBeat. “That is also a big market for us since 74 million people can use our services and their insurance company is required to pay by law – no requirement for prescription or approval.”The results of the study are currently being prepared for publication and can be found on the ClinicalTrials.gov registry.It comes at a time when there is growing global recognition of the importance of healthy sleep for overall well-being. Approximately four billion people wake up tired every day, and the economic cost of poor sleep accounts for nearly 3% of the GDP in countries like the US and Japan.“More than half the population does not get sufficient restorative sleep in many countries,” said Lawlor. “Evidence-based sleep improvement programs which can be distributed digitally to large populations are key to improving health outcomes.”Germany, the world’s second-largest healthcare market, passed the Digital Healthcare Act in 2015, positioning itself as a leader in driving transformative healthcare through a focus on preventive care. This Act has paved the way for more preventative health programs throughout the European Union. The inclusion of sleep in the Digital Healthcare Act underscores Germany’s recognition of healthy sleep as essential for stress prevention and overall health. Successful pilot programs with employers and one of the largest U.S. insurers have already shown that participants in the SleepScore Program benefit from an additional 10 to 26 hours of sleep in a typical month, while also improving other outcomes such as fitness activity by up to 48%. These programs have also demonstrated high levels of engagement and participant retention rates that are significantly higher compared to other health and wellness programs.The SleepScore program is primarily delivered through a smartphone app available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. The program offers in-app sleep tracking using sonar technology, which is considered industry-leading, and validation studies have compared its performance against PSG, the gold standard in sleep measurement. By eliminating the need for costly wearables or devices, SleepScore’s in-app sleep tracking provides a convenient and accessible solution. However, the program also supports and integrates data from third-party wearables and devices. Its strength lies in its superior accuracy and personalization, which are essential for fostering a deep understanding of sleep patterns, ongoing engagement, and long-lasting objective outcomes.SleepScore Labs, founded in 2016 by a team of sleep experts from renowned companies and institutions such as ResMed, Apple, Philips, and Harvard, is dedicated to improving sleep based on science and cutting-edge technology. Over the past six years, SleepScore Labs has analyzed more than 260 million hours of sleep data. The company offers enterprise solutions that enable leading organizations and companies to enhance their health and wellness services, resulting in improved sleep and overall well-being for their audience, including consumers, members, patients, and employees. SleepScore Labs does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment through its service or available functions.Lawlor said the company focused on building evidence based interventions from the beginning and the permanent reimbursement is based on the results of a randomized controlled trial required by the regulator.“It is also big news because it adds weight to our push at home in the U.S. where employers, insurers and regulators are taking note and finally beginning to realize that an investment in preventative measures in sleep delivers strong ROI both short and long term,” Lawlor said.The company has 39 people between Carlsbad, California, and Dublin, Ireland. The Dublin team enables the firm to comply with EU and German regulatory requirements. SleepScore Labs restructured as an independent venture backed startup in late 2019 and have raised about $13 million since then.“As a company we have strong revenues and have been reducing burn year over year,” Lawlor said.As for the data learnings so far, the company looked at 1.225 million nights of data on adults sleep in the U.S. and found that there are marked improvements in sleep quality during the colder, darker winter season. “This has caused us to look at the relationship between sleep and climate and we see some stark issues – as temperature rises, sleep decreases so we are beginning to see the direct consequences on human health from climate change,” Lawlor said. “This builds on another earlier study we published which showed that room temperature is a big driver of sleep quality.”SleepScore also published a study on sleep in 34 countries on World Sleep Day 2021. The study found that the Finns get the best sleep in the world (the average is 7.5 hours per night) whereas the U.S. sits midway on the table (6 hours and 47 minutes) and India sits near the bottom with 6 hours and 25 minutes. Then the company correlated that data with the United Nations Happiness Index and the correlation is amazing,” Lawlor said.“Honestly, there is a lot more, and our focus from these is to drive interventions to address the problem and we believe that is a $100 billion market where we can help great companies bring proven solutions,” he said.GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. Discover our Briefings.Enjoy access to special events, private newsletters and more.© 2023 VentureBeat. All rights reserved.