The  Science Behind Mark Zuckerberg's "Sleep Box” 

Have you heard? It’s all over the Internet.The creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan had a problem. Chan wasn’t sleeping through the night since they became the parents of two young daughters. Unfortunately, this problem was affecting the entire Zuckerberg clan.

His wife would startle awake suddenly in the middle of the night thinking it was morning and that their two young children would be getting up soon. In order to help his wife get a good nights rest and gain a better perspective of the part of the night she was actually in, Zuckerberg constructed a sleep box. The sleep box he made emits a light during the hour the kids generally wake up.Just a slight sleepy glance at the box would let her know if it was time to get up or not.

Once she began to use the sleep box, she was able to sleep through the night. She did not have to fully wake to check the time on the clock which would stress her out.  If the light wasn't on, she knew she could go right back to sleep.

Visual Cueing: The Common Denominator

Eureka! The technology innovator was onto something big. Visual cueing is the science that is the foundation for Zuckerberg‘s sleep box success.The reason this invention is getting so much attention is not because of Zuckerberg’s celebrity status, it is because such a simple idea actually WORKS. When Chan saw the darkened box, she was able to go back to sleep quickly without ever fully waking. This is because her brain responded to the visual cue before she was fully awake. 

Deeper Still

According to an article in Psychology Today by Haig Kouyoumdijan, PhD the part of the brain that learns visually is much larger than the part of the brain that learns language or words. By the time Priscilla Chan comprehended the numbers on her bedside clock too much of her brain had come into play. She’d stay awake thinking about how much longer she had before the children were tumbling into their bedroom. However, her quick glance at the sleep box’s visual cue of the soft light required much less brain activity and allowed her to get back to sleep much easier. Actually, many parents may have seen this concept before in many early childhood learning tools such as sleep training alarm clocks for kids. 

Visual Cueing Is The Heartbeat of Tick Tock Turtle

The same sunrise light visual cue is employed in Tick Tock Turtle. As the child enters into the time you have set for rising, this smart kids alarm clock emits a sunrise light. This kick starts our bodies "wake up" hormones that are sensitive to light but also provides a visual cue that alerts the child that it’s almost time to get up. On school tutoring.com it is suggested that educators use visual cueing because their students process the information easier.  We never outgrow our comprehension of visual cues because we’ve had them before we had language. There also an inherent visual connection in our brain that associates sunrise to waking.

Imagine Your Children Settling Down On Their Own! 

Call it a sleep training clock, activity timer, or an enhanced kids alarm clock but the idea is the same, the use of visual cues to teach children how to tell time, manage their own time, and gain independence. Young children respond naturally to the countdown lights that alert them when an activity should be coming to an end. For kids when they complete a particular activity “on time“ without parental assistance, it is a huge confidence booster and it empowers them to feel like they can reach for their goals and be ready for any challenges they might face.