Sleep Or Die Founder Lauren Sudeyko Is Rebranding The Sleep Industry

"The sleep industry is asleep at the wheel. For years, sleep products have relied on the same visual shorthand: lavender tones, serene bedrooms and women smiling peacefully in bed. Sudeyko believes the industry often glosses over the reality of sleeplessness. Struggling to sleep, she says, isn't peaceful or smile-inducing—it's frustrating, exhausting and leaves people walking through the day feeling like zombies."

"The pain points of the industry are not properly articulated or visualized by what it actually feels like to struggle with sleep. Rather than presenting sleep as a serene ritual, she wants Sleep or Die to acknowledge the frustration, while creating a product that women feel proud to display on their bedside tables."

Women face disproportionate sleep challenges compared to men, driven by hormonal changes, caregiving duties, and chronic stress. The sleep industry has historically marketed products using generic imagery of peaceful bedrooms and smiling women, failing to acknowledge the genuine frustration and exhaustion of sleep struggles. Lauren Sudeyko, founder of Sleep or Die, critiques this approach as inauthentic and disconnected from actual sleeplessness experiences. She describes her audience as a community of "zombies"—exhausted women navigating daily life without proper rest. Sleep or Die aims to reframe the conversation by honestly depicting sleep struggles while offering products women feel confident displaying, moving beyond traditional wellness marketing conventions.

Read at Forbes