Come May, we will have a doctor in the house. Dr. Mehmet Oz will join us for the Bedding Conference this year. Yes, I’ll say that once again, Dr. Oz will join us for this year’s conference.
Best known for his Daytime Emmy Award-winning show The Dr. Oz Show, he is an attending physician at New York Presbyterian-Columbia Medical Center where he still performs dozens of heart operations each year. A graduate of Harvard University, Oz holds a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School.
Known as “America’s doctor,” Oz signed a partnership with consumer goods company Maven, and last year the partnership gave birth to the Dr. Oz Good Life collection of mattresses, adjustable bed bases, pillows, toppers and top of bed products. However, his interest in sleep and the role it plays in overall wellness was sparked before the leap into the bedding industry.
Long a proponent of sleep as part of a holistic approach to a healthy lifestyle, Oz has said that Americans do not get enough sleep and that lack of sleep results in health problems. Sleep, he said, is a crucial to overall health and well-being.
According to the Center for Disease Control, sleep deprivation can manifest in other places of the body. A lack of sleep has been linked to memory loss, stomach issues, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, heart disease and mental health issues.
Studies have shown that adults who sleep less than seven hours a day are more likely to suffer those health problems, all of which can lead to long-term health issues.
During normal sleep, blood pressure goes down; however, when sleep is interrupted or less than the recommended amount, blood pressure remains higher for longer periods of time. High blood pressure is one of the leading risks for heart disease and stroke.
Insomnia — trouble falling to sleep, staying asleep or both — has been linked to high blood pressure and heart disease. It impacts a significant number of adults. One in two experience short-term insomnia, and one in 10 have long-term insomnia.
Over time, poor sleep can also lead to unhealthy habits that can harm overall heart health, including higher stress levels, less motivation to be physically active and unhealthy food choices.
It becomes a horrible cycle of poor health.
My conversation with Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, will examine key health benefits of sleep and, more importantly for our industry, how retailers can better engage consumers through an educated approach to ways to solve a problem: poor sleep and ultimately poor health.
Many consumers have no clue that poor sleeping habits can have such a detrimental impact on overall wellness. When RSAs share factual information, offer strategies for changing habits and showcase products that can help improve sleep hygiene, sleep-deprived consumers are eager to find solutions. Sleep is a super power that more people need to tap into, and Oz will provide our conference participants a wealth of knowledge to share with bedding consumers.
We’re looking forward to seeing you at the three-day virtual event that will be held May 18-20. Our conversation with Oz will be 11 a.m., May 19. Got a question for the doc? Feel free to email me at somara@furnituretoday.com with your suggestion, and maybe we will pose it to him.
See you there!
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