Better sleep with Dreamsville!
We talked with Jevgeni Pärg and Ottomar Tamm from Dreamsville. This time the topic was something we all can relate to - sleep. We discussed why sleep matters and how can one improve it. They also told us about their fundamental decision to use environmentally friendly materials for their products and how Dreamsville's journey in the world of sleep has evolved as well as what are the plans for the future.
What is the problem Dreamsville is solving?
"Let's face it. We suck at sleep. And when we are awake, we suck at being awake too," Jevgeni said. He continued: "Health, mood, relationships, productivity, and creativity suffer if we don’t get quality sleep. No imagination is needed to picture the effect this has onpeople's lives and the world as a whole. An estimated 60% of the world's population is
suffering due to the problems which may be relieved by better sleep. Sleep studies demonstrate that adults who were short sleepers (less than 7 hours per 24-hour period) were more likely to report 10 chronic health conditions compared to those who got enough sleep (7 or more hours per 24-hour period)." Ottomar added: "People don’t sleep well and they sadly don’t know how to improve their sleep. We are here to change that!"
How are you solving the problem?
"First and most important: Dreamsville is all about giving you the tools, knowledge, and support to systematically get better at sleep which in turn improves your health, mood and productivity. This means that you can be the best version of yourself when you are awake. In addition to our products, we aim to raise awareness and are building the
knowledge base for better sleep advice. We are also creating a community where people can share their learnings and best practices," said Ottomar.
Jevgeni added: "The second significant problem we are solving is product-related. We
design our products so that all resources are maximally used and the life-cycle of the products is increased. This way, we reduce the need for consumption, CO2 emissions,
energy usage and keep materials and products out of the landfills. For example, our new pillow and blanket (launching soon) will be made of only natural and recycled, biodegradable materials. This means we don't create any microplastics and the materials will break down into natural elements in the landfills, wastewater, and oceans.”
Why did you decide that you want to solve the problems around sleep and environment? Why is it important to you?
"I have been working almost half of my life in the bedding industry, and I feel that this
industry can do a lot better. We need to rethink how we design and produce our products, how we use them to solve actual problems, and finally, if we need to dispose what we have consumed, then we need to do that without harming the environment," Jevgeni said.
"Retailers and bedding mass producers don't spend much time on researching and coming up with products that are helping people to solve their sleeping problems nor focusing on developing materials that are better for the environment. I can see that there is a great opportunity for us to be the change we want to see." concluded Jevgeni.
What have you achieved so far?
“During 2020, we developed weighted blanket and mattress connectors. We launched our products in August on Amazon US and Northern European markets. Today, around 3000 people are sleeping better with Dreamsville products. Studies have shown that weighted blankets improve sleep and reduce stress. We have covered it more in our blog ," said Ottomar. Jevgeni added: “Due to the materials we use, we can conclude that we have saved 70,000 plastic bottles (70,000 plastic bottles were recycled to produce wadding for our weighted blankets) entering our landfills or oceans. With Softrend cooperation, we have turned production waste into packaging. We have redesigned our first weighted blanket, and today, we use Fresh antibacterial treatment. This allows to wash the blanket less frequently in order to save time, energy, and most importantly - extend the lifetime of a blanket. It is part of Dreamsville's long standing commitment to provide sleepers with clean and safe products which deliver a healthy sleep environment. Our adjustable and fully biodegradable pillow is about to be launched soon as mentioned earlier.
The team behind Dreamsville
How has corona impacted your startup?
"The pandemic has reshaped our lives and our business for sure. In a way, corona has brought new opportunities. As many studies have found, adults are reporting negativeimpacts on their mental health and well-being, such as difficulty sleeping or eating,
increases in alcohol consumption or substance use, and worsening chronic conditions, due to worry and stress over the coronavirus. We also know that quality sleep helps to decrease that stress. Having that in mind, we changed our priorities for 2021. We will
focus not only on product development that supports well-being and the environment, but also work on the community which supports people to overcome stress and anxiety," Ottomar said.
Tell us about your future vision for the next 5 to 10 years in the
sleep industry.
Tell us about your future vision for the next 5 to 10 years in the
sleep industry.
"I feel that sleep tech will grow and in 5 years the market size will double. Sleep products will become more personalised and adjustable for couples, families, and different spaces. End-consumer awareness will increase, and that will increase demand for more
sustainable and customised products," Jevgeni said. "We hope that people will move away from chemical sleep aids and will use more natural ways to improve their sleep and consequently increase their life quality with the right nutrition, lifestyle and bedding choices. Technology will help people to keep on track." he concluded.
Which are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that Dreamsville contributes to? Which one is the most important one?
"There are two main SDG-s Dreamsville is contributing to. First is the Goal no 3: Ensure health and wellbeing. We want people to live better quality lives and they can achieve that by having better sleep. We aim to help people with that, " said Ottomar.
“And the second one is the Goal no 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. In our production we aim to use materials with minimal footprint to our planet. May it be using recycled materials, minimising production waste or using fully
biodegradable materials." added Jevgeni.
If you want to learn more about how to sleep better and what Dreamsville is all about check out their website!