How can you get better sleep and truly rest? These are the new technologies that can help you achieve better sleep hygiene.

Getting a good night's sleep isn't a luxury or an afterthought: it's, in the words of sleep specialist Santiago Rojas, "the salary we get every night." For the expert, a good night's rest is the mechanism evolution gave us to repair tissues, detoxify the brain, and allow the body to be ready to face a new day. "Deep sleep is equivalent to a high-paying salary: it's what allows us to face the next day with renewed resources," he explains.

Rojas insists that it's not enough to sleep many hours; it's essential to reach deep and REM sleep phases. Key processes occur during these stages: physical repair, memory consolidation, and the release of emotional tension. If rest is constantly interrupted, the body doesn't achieve these benefits, and the person wakes up more tired than when they went to bed. Sleep, he asserts, shouldn't be considered wasted time, but rather the most valuable investment for physical, mental, and emotional health.

Psychologist Eliana Hernández, from the Colmédica Medical Centers, complements this view and points out that sleep is an essential physiological state. “Sleep is the basic nourishment of the nervous system; a person who sleeps well lives well,” she emphasizes. She explains that nearly a third of one's life is spent sleeping, reflecting its importance for mental and physical balance. According to the specialist, good quality sleep allows for both physical recovery and mental reorganization, and is an essential requirement for overall health.

Hernández adds that sleeping involves disconnecting from worries and concerns: when the mind remains alert, the body cannot achieve restorative rest. Therefore, he emphasizes the need to practice sleep hygiene: reducing screen time before bed, avoiding stimulants like caffeine at night, and creating routines that promote silence and darkness. Studies, he says, recommend between seven and eight hours a day for an adult, although the essential thing is that sleep be truly restorative. Failure to do so increases the risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, and mental disorders.

For Karen Rodríguez, general manager of Americana de Colchones, sleep has become a pillar of overall health, on par with a balanced diet and regular exercise. In her words, today it is understood that sleeping well is not an isolated act, but rather a habit that directly impacts quality of life, disease prevention, and the energy available to face daily life.

Rodríguez points out that, although a good mattress helps, rest also depends on other factors such as sleep hygiene habits and lighting conditions. Along these lines, the company has developed projects in partnership with the Colombian Association of Sleep Medicine and has incorporated complementary devices such as glasses that block blue light and red light bulbs, designed to promote melatonin production.

These elements seek to counteract one of the main obstacles to rest in modern life: overexposure to artificial lighting and cell phone and computer screens, which send incorrect signals to the brain and inhibit the sleep hormone.

The use of these devices responds to a basic principle of chronobiology: the human body is designed to synchronize with the natural light of day and the darkness of night. When technology disrupts this cycle, sleep disorders arise. Therefore, incorporating red light sources or blue light protectors into your nighttime routine allows your body to maintain its circadian rhythm and restores your rest to its natural and restorative nature.

From September 4 to 21, Corferias will be the epicenter of the Colombian mattress industry. The 2025 Home Fair will showcase the latest innovations in sleep, with an emphasis on health, personalization, and technology.

Renowned brands will present advances that respond to changing consumer needs. Serta, for example, is launching smart mattresses and bases that stand out for their thermoregulation systems, designed to achieve deep, continuous sleep. Dormiluna, meanwhile, is focusing on adjustable beds with a renewed design that combines functionality and comfort. Euromattress will be bringing three hybrid mattresses to the country with European technology, cutting-edge springs, and thermoregulation systems such as Zero Gravity and M Freeze, designed to maintain the ideal temperature throughout the night.

Ramguiflex, for its part, is launching a collection with cutting-edge foams, adaptive memory, and advanced ventilation systems. Finally, Americana de Colchones will bring innovative BlueTec technology to monitor sleep quality and will launch a mattress in Colombia with independent firmness adjustment and light therapy accessories, such as glasses and special light bulbs to avoid exposure to blue light before bed.

Amid the wide range of products on offer at the fair, one technology is emerging as the star: Instant Comfort, a North American patent that will be available in Colombia for the first time.

This mattress features an internal air chamber system that allows firmness to be adjusted in real time via remote control. Each user can choose from 45 support options, adapting the mattress to their weight, posture, and personal preferences. And for couples, each side can be configured independently.

“The most disruptive aspect is that this technology originated in hospitals, where mattresses face the toughest test: patients who must remain motionless for weeks, at risk of bedsores and lower back problems,” explains Karen Rodríguez. Now, this clinical innovation is being transferred to the home to offer benefits such as spinal alignment, pressure point reduction, improved blood circulation, and prevention of muscle pain.

In addition, Instant Comfort incorporates copper-infused foams—with antibacterial properties—graphite and tourmaline particles that dissipate heat, and hydrophilic materials that prevent moisture buildup. The result is a cooler, more hygienic, and adaptable mattress for each person.

"This is the first time Colombia has received technology of this level. We are convinced it will mark a turning point in the way Colombians understand rest," Rodríguez emphasizes.

The fair will host an exclusive launch, with special prices and the distribution of a "good sleep kit" that includes light therapy accessories and a healthy habits book written by Dr. Santiago Rojas.

Environment and Health Journalist