THE SLEEP REPORT
The What’s What and Who’s Who of Sleep — JUNE 2025 Edition
✈️ Written from 35,000 feet on the way to SLEEP 2025
FROM 35,000 FEET TO SLEEP HQ
I wasn’t planning to go. Three of my colleagues were already booked to represent us at SLEEP 2025, the premier conference for all things sleep science and innovation. But yesterday I found myself scrolling through the agenda and thinking: this looks too good to miss. So I grabbed a last-minute ticket—and here I am, writing from 35,000 feet, halfway between New York and Seattle.
This is my first time attending SLEEP, and I’m genuinely excited. SLEEP is the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC (APSS), which is a joint venture of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society (SRS). Acronym soup, I know, but long story short, this is where the top sleep docs and researchers from around the world gather each year to share their latest findings with each other.
We’ll be there with a Loftie booth, demoing products, talking to doctors and researchers, and soaking up as many insights as we can. These are the kinds of conversations that shape what we build—so we can make your nights smarter, gentler, and better rested.
This month’s report is a little different. Yes, we’ll get to the science (including kiwifruit and a note on the TikTok viral morning shed phenomenon), but first I want to talk about something that’s not technically about sleep—but very much about screens, and what happens when we let online behavior reshape how we handle real-life conflict.
WHEN BLOCKING LEAVES THE SCREEN
Earlier this week, I read a Wall Street Journal article I couldn’t stop thinking about. So I posted it to Instagram with highlights—not because it was funny or feel-good—but because it was honestly unsettling.
📖 Read: “College Students Are Using No Contact Orders to Block Each Other in Real Life”
The story dives into how students are using No Contact Orders (NCOs)—originally created to protect victims of assault or harassment—as a sort of campus version of a “block” button. One student filed an NCO over stolen bagels. Others over awkward roommate interactions or social media shade.
It’s a troubling trend. In college, I met people from all kinds of backgrounds. Sure, there were folks I didn’t click with—and I’m sure the feeling was mutual. But we figured out how to co-exist, talk it out (or just gave each other space), and grew through the awkward parts. That’s how real life works. And frankly, I worry what happens when this generation graduates into a world without deans and disciplinary offices to enforce emotional boundaries. When a “block” no longer comes with a form and an official stamp—what then?
At Loftie, we think boundaries are essential—but resilience is too. That’s why we’ve built tools to support both. Our newest feature, Rest, which launches this month, helps you block apps during wind-down, sleep, and wake-up windows. Because frankly, in many cases, blocking social media apps and cutting down the impact they have on our lives, might just save us from having to go to extremes in the real world.
For those even younger, blocking these apps some of the time is not enough. Young brains aren’t ready for hyper-comparison, in and out groups on steroids, and all the other perils of social media. We created the Not Yet Pledge, inspired by Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation. It’s a way for parents to align on delaying smartphones and building childhoods grounded in real-life social skills.
📵 byloftie.com/not-yet
Our belief is simple: strong, well-rested humans have to grow up in the real world. We can’t swipe our way to emotional maturity.
KIWI, MEET PILLOW
Here’s a study I can get behind: researchers in Taiwan found that eating two kiwifruit one hour before bed for four weeks helped people fall asleep 35% faster, sleep longer, and wake up less often.
Why? Kiwis are packed with serotonin, antioxidants, and folate—all of which may play a role in sleep regulation. It’s a small study, but the results were compelling enough that I think I’m going to try this when I’m back from Seattle.
🥝 Study link – Lin et al., 2011
TL;DR:
2 kiwis
1 hour before bed
Repeat for 4 weeks
Report back
THE “MORNING SHED” & MOUTH TAPING
A Wall Street Journal piece on nighttime beauty routines recently went viral for good reason. It’s hilarious. People going to bed looking like “swamp monsters,” wearing chin straps, collagen masks, and salmon sperm serums (really). But one accessory caught my eye—because I actually use it: mouth tape.
I was skeptical too. But this winter, while staying in Wyoming, I kept waking up with a painfully dry throat. The air was so cold and dry I had to chug water just to fall back asleep. Luckily, I had some Loftie mouth tape with me and started using it after the first night. And it worked. I slept through the night. My throat was fine. And—yes, I’ll admit it—my pillow wasn’t soaked from drooling (side sleepers, you get it).
As someone who uses a CPAP machine for sleep apnea, mouth breathing always felt inevitable. Turns out, it’s not. Make sure to talk to a doctor if you’re going to combine CPAP and mouth taping, but I’ve personally found it to be a great combo.
Loftie’s mouth tape is simple, gentle, and easy to use—
🩹 Loftie Mouth Tape
Sometimes the best upgrades come from small changes. Not salmon serums. Just better sleep.
That’s it for this month—from the clouds to Seattle convention halls, and back to your inbox. I’ll be reporting more soon from SLEEP 2025, including the best ideas, weirdest gadgets, and top takeaways from the frontline of sleep science.
Until then, may your apps be off, your kiwis be ripe, and your pillow—blessedly dry.
Sleep well,
Matt Hassett
Founder & CEO, Loftie