SLEEPWELL LAB™ · BY APPLICATION OR INVITATION
I'm looking for about 50 people who want to help me build this carefully.
SleepWell Lab™ is a small voluntary research program inside SomniAI LLC. The deal: you give me real tagged data and honest feedback, I give you lifetime Pro VIP, device discounts, and a seat at the table when we decide what to build next.
Currently accepting applications · Phase 1 cohort: 50 Members · ~70% acceptance rate so far.
Why I'm doing this instead of just collecting reviews
Most sleep apps publish "user case studies" without telling you who those users are or how they consented. Or they aggregate fake-sounding star ratings. Or they pay influencers and call it a testimonial. I don't want to do any of that.
SleepWell Lab is the structure I picked instead:
- Real users who explicitly volunteered for research
- Signed Member Consent Form covering every data use
- Featured in case studies only with their preview and approval
- Acknowledged in academic papers as a program, not as individuals
This way, when you read a case study like "Mike, 40, software engineer, cut weeknight wine and his BRI dropped 9 points" — you can be confident Mike is a real Lab Member who chose to share his data. Not a composite. Not a fiction. Not a paid actor.
What you get
Lifetime Pro VIP
Free SomniSense Pro subscription for as long as the company exists. Yours even if you leave the Lab later.
Member-only device discounts
20–50% off retail on partnered intervention devices: anti-snore pillows, nasal sprays, CPAP supplies, positional therapy gear. The list grows as we add partners. We don't take affiliate cuts on these — the discount is the actual partner discount, passed through.
Beta access
Try new SomniSense features 2–4 weeks before public release. Tell me what's broken. I'll fix it before anyone else sees it.
Annual sleep report
A personalized PDF on your birthday each year — including how your data compares to other Lab Members in your demographic (anonymously). For Lab Members, this report is more detailed than the standard Pro Doctor-Ready Cadence™ briefings.
Founder office hours
Monthly 30-minute office hour with me and the algorithm team. Bring a question. Bring a complaint. Bring a feature request. The product is shaped by these conversations more than by any roadmap document I've ever written.
Optional Member community
Discord channel where Lab Members talk to each other. Some Members never use it. Others find it the most valuable benefit. Up to you.
What I ask in return — and what I don't
The commitments are real but not heavy:
- Tag at least 15 nights per month. The data is only useful if I know what you did that night (alcohol, side-sleep, late workout, etc.).
- Complete a quarterly 5-minute survey. Lifestyle, how you've been feeling, honest feedback on what's working and what isn't.
- Sign and honor the Member Consent Form. Covers data use for algorithm improvement, public case studies (with your preview & approval per case), and academic papers (program-level acknowledgement only — no individual names).
- Be honest. Don't fake tags to "help" the data. Don't share Beta features publicly before launch. Don't speak on behalf of SomniAI LLC.
That's it. No quotas. No "engagement requirements." No upsell on top of the membership.
What this is not
Worth being explicit, because some of these are real concerns I'd have if I were applying:
- Not a clinical trial. No IRB. No medical oversight. Voluntary research using a wellness app.
- Not paid work. No cash for routine participation. (Time-intensive things like a video interview may include a small honorarium, disclosed when offered.)
- Not co-author credit on case studies. Members appear under pseudonyms; the article is by the SomniSense team. The Lab is acknowledged as a program in any future paper, not as a list of Member names.
- Not employment, equity, or shares. SomniAI LLC is a Wyoming-registered LLC; Lab Members are research volunteers, not employees or investors.
- Not medical advice. I'm not your doctor and SomniAI LLC isn't a clinical organization. If your data shows something concerning, the right move is still your sleep specialist — we can give you a Doctor-Ready PDF to bring.
Your data, plain English
The full Consent Form has the legal version. Here's the human version:
- What I collect from you: sleep events (snoring, breathing irregularities), Lifestyle Lab™ tags, optional Apple HealthKit / Google Health Connect data you choose to share, quarterly survey answers.
- How I store it: your name and email live in a separate database from your sleep data. AES-256 encryption at rest. The two databases are physically isolated.
- How I use it: algorithm improvement (anonymized), case studies (only with your per-case preview and approval), academic papers (group-level acknowledgement only).
- How you leave: Settings → SleepWell Lab → Leave Lab. Future data collection stops immediately. For past contributed data: keep it (de-identified) or request deletion within 14 days.
- What I'll never do: sell your data, share with insurance / employers / advertisers, use HealthKit data without your specific opt-in. None of that. Ever.
The Member Consent Form is on /sleepwell-lab/consent.pdf (link goes live once the legal review is complete — the form is currently in active preparation).
Who I'm looking for right now
Eligibility — you're a candidate if any of these are true:
- SomniSense Pro user for at least 30 days
- 30+ tagged nights in your data (the more honest your tagging history, the more useful you are to the program)
- Targeted recruitment outreach from us (specific demographics — see below)
- Founder or trusted-circle referral
Application review: 2–7 days. Acceptance rate so far: ~70% on open applications, 100% on targeted recruitments.
Where I'm under-recruited (you'll likely hear back fast)
Sleep breathing varies a lot by demographic, and the data is only as broad as the membership. I'm specifically looking for more of the following groups right now:
- Adults aged 55–64 and 65+ (current cohort skews 35–55)
- Women diagnosed with OSA (women remain underrepresented in sleep apnea research generally)
- Members already using a CPAP — to track residual events on/off mask
- Non-white US ethnicity groups
- Members in Asia, Europe, Latin America (we currently have heavy US skew)
If you fit any of these and apply, you'll likely hear back within 48 hours.
How to apply
The application form is short. I read every one personally for now, because the cohort is small enough that automating that would be a mistake.
Email [email protected] with:
- Your SomniSense User ID (Settings → About → User ID)
- How long you've been using SomniSense Pro
- ~3 sentences on what you'd want from a research program like this
- Whether you're 18 or older (eligibility requirement)
I'll reply within 7 days. If accepted, you'll receive the Member Consent Form to review and sign. The lifetime Pro VIP activates the moment you sign.
Common questions
- Is this a clinical trial?
- No. It's voluntary research using consumer wellness app data. We don't diagnose, treat, or run anything that requires an IRB. If we ever do run a clinical trial in the future, that would be a separate program with separate consent.
- Will my real name appear anywhere?
- No, unless you give explicit additional consent for a video interview or named quote. Default: pseudonym + age range + city level only. The Mike and Lina you see in our case studies are real Lab Members who reviewed and approved the exact words used about them.
- What if I want to leave?
- Settings → SleepWell Lab → Leave Lab. No friction. Future data collection stops immediately. Past contributed data: you choose to keep it (de-identified) or request deletion within 14 days.
- Why is the program called SleepWell Lab and not SomniSense Lab?
- Because if SomniAI LLC ever adds other products beyond SomniSense (we're not there yet), the research program shouldn't be tied to one product name. "by SomniAI LLC" makes the relationship clear.
- Are Member benefits considered compensation?
- Yes. Per FTC Endorsement Guides, lifetime Pro VIP + device discounts count as compensation for any case study or testimonial featuring you. Every public quote from a Lab Member is disclosed accordingly.
- What if SomniAI LLC is acquired?
- Member data rights transfer with you, not with the company. Any acquirer must honor existing Member consent terms or delete your data. We commit to this in writing in the Consent Form.