“If the baby doesn’t sleep, nobody sleeps.” That’s the challenge that faced Kulala, a brand that creates sleep solutions for the baby and the whole family.

Sofia Axelrod, Founder and Chief Science Officer of Solaria Systems (parent company of Kulala), had insomnia for much of her early life. Her struggles led her to study behavioral science, where she researched the fundamentals of sleep.

How Babies Sleep: The Gentle, Science-Based Method to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night

“I wrote a book about it, and the book has been a big success in many countries,” Sofia says. “I thought, what else can I do? … I started a company developing lighting and other technologies to help us sleep better.”

The brand aimed at helping babies sleep is Kulala – a word meaning “sleep” in Swahili. Ultimately the company – Solaris Systems – will create other products to help adults sleep better.

“It’s hard to quantify how much sleep you should be getting,” Sofia says. “There’s a lot of messaging around that that seems contradictory. The good news is that we have many answers from a scientific perspective. And that’s why I started a company.”

According to Sofia, about 60 percent of Americans report they don’t sleep well some of the time and over a longer time, sleep deprivation can make you sick by increasing your risk for diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and more.

Sleeping pills – a traditional and easy-to-obtain approach – will cause people to get tired and fall asleep, but she says they don’t leave you well-rested.

“Ultimately, that’s where I have specific thoughts and a specific method and priorities of what’s important and what’s not important,” she says.

In Part 1, Sofia talks about:

* Gratitude to New York City for providing the right environment for her to thrive in her career,
* Her early struggles with insomnia influenced her career path.
* How sleep deprivation affects a person.
* Why sleeping pills aren’t the cure.
* The differing schools of thought about baby sleep.
* The importance of recognizing your total daily sleep needs.

Join Ramon Vela and Sofia Axelrod as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.

For more on Kulala, visit: https://kulalaland.com/ 

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.

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