Pokémon Sleep: How The App Could Encourage Users To Get A Good Night's Rest

You’ve heard of "Pokémon Go," the mobile gaming app sensation which gained popularity even before its release, with die-hard fans of the franchise and newcomers alike looking forward to it back in 2016. After being release, its following grew exponentially and almost everyone had the app on their phone.

"Pokémon Go" was commended for getting people out of their houses and suddenly leading active lifestyles, all for the sake of catching Pokémon. Fast forward three years later, and the Pokémon Company and Niantic announced the development of Pokémon Sleep, which follows the steps of its predecessor in more ways than one.

Like "Pokémon Go," Pokémon Sleep is expected to help improve people's health. While "Pokémon Go" encouraged people to go out and be active, Pokemon Sleep is encouraging people to get a good night’s rest.

Nowadays, people don’t think twice about staying up to study, work, go out and so on and so forth. With sleep deprivation running rampant among teens to the point that it is now considered an epidemic, it’s time to reconsider just how unhealthy our sleeping patterns have become. Sleep deprivation can lead to a series of health risks, both mental and physical, but most people still don’t understand just how important it is to get enough sleep.

This is where Pokémon Sleep comes in. Pokémon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara has expressed that he hopes Pokémon Sleep will turn sleeping into entertainment much like how "Pokémon Go" made walking entertaining.

The app was announced at a Pokémon press conference, with many already looking forward to its release sometime in 2020. The app will track users sleeping data and is expected to be accurate as users would have to put their phones on their bedside pillow. The app then allows users to train their Pokémon as they sleep.

The app is mostly geared towards a younger crowd. This could prove to be promising as teens and young adults are usually the crowd suffering most from sleep deprivation. Hopefully, with the incentive that Pokémon Sleep is going to provide and the massive effect that "Pokémon Go" had, sleep deprivation becomes less of an epidemic.