Addressing the burden of insomnia with a drug-free treatment app (Slumber Technologies)


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Read the full description in my post at the EA forum: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/ztrYNRJ66NQeMpS64/insomnia-with-an-ea-lens-bigger-than-malaria

Hi all! I’m Sam, a US-based web developer & designer. Some basic research has led me to think that insomnia is a neglected, burdensome problem on a global scale with a tractable solution. Specifically, based on assumptions laid out in the article linked above, I think insomnia has a burden of ~130 million QALYs lost annually (compare to malaria’s 55 million for scale). Furthermore, I think a (technically simple) implementation of a proven therapy intervention can drastically reduce the above number. I’m building a project to attempt the very thing (www.slumber.tech) and am looking for some EA aligned team members.

Introduction to Slumber (an attempted solution)

Using my existing design & development expertise, I’m creating an app that does drug-free treatment with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i) - automated, personalized treatment, ideally like a sleep therapist in your pocket (with human support).

Have only run a few people through my prototype so far but initial results are mostly on par with the meta-analysis on human therapists. One user went from moderate severity insomnia to no clinically significant insomnia within 6 weeks (sleep efficiency 60% > 94%, sleep duration 5.6 hours > 6.6 hours).

I’m not profit driven on this, so am looking for alternative legal structures for maximum positive impact (such as a steward ownership structure). Have been working on it unpaid full-time since May/June 2019, living extremely cheaply.

I’m actively looking for cofounders on this project to help me speed up development & iteration. If you’re a mobile developer who’s impact-motivated (and possibly interested in sleep science), or know anyone who fits that description, please reach out - am ready to offer an equal equity split (with cliff etc) to the right person(s).

Contact email: sam@naritai.co

  • Category Other
  • Created by Sam Stowers
  • Submitted 07 Mar
  • Last updated 14 Sep