Chinese startup touts software panacea for 200m insomniacs – Nikkei Asian Review
BEIJING — There are more than 500 million insomnia patients in China, over 200 million of whom are chronic sufferers, according to a 2016 report by the China Sleep Research Society. In other words, nearly all Chinese households are dens of sleep deprivation. Now a startup is offering an artificial intelligence solution that it calls “asleep.” Zhengan Keji’s digital therapeutics, or DTx, prescribes software to patients much like doctors prescribe medicines to patients. The prescriptions can be made anywhere anytime, and the treatments are relatively cheap, the company says. Insomnia has become a major issue in China, but medical solutions were uncommon until recently, and the country does not have enough sleep specialists or diverse treatments. Therefore, many Chinese insomniacs either do not seek medical care or seek help from random doctors. Insomnia causes significant psychological and physiological damage. It makes people more likely to develop anxiety, depression, chronic ...