This is Orion Sleep

Added: 2026-05-13

[00:00:00]Let me ask you something. And I want you to be honest with yourself. How'd you sleep last night? I'm not looking for you to say fine. Seriously, did you wake up feeling restored and refreshed? Did you have the energy to do the things you actually wanted to do today? If the answer is no, believe me, you're not alone. And here's the thing that frustrates me. After 25 years of doing this, most people think bad sleep is just something that they have to live with. I'm here to tell you it's not. Hey everyone, I'm Dr. Michael Bruce. I'm a double board-certified clinical sleep specialist and chief sleep officer at Orion. After 25 years of studying how people sleep, one thing is clear. Sleep isn't a one-sizefits-all kind of thing.

[00:00:46]Your body has a biological clock, a chronoype that determines when you should be sleeping, eating, working, literally everything. And most people are fighting against it every single night. But there's something most people completely overlook. And honestly, it's the thing that changed my entire approach to sleep medicine. In order to fall asleep, your core body temperature has to drop about 2°. That's not a suggestion. That's your biology. Sleep onset is most likely to occur when your core body temperature decline is at its steepest. Your body does this naturally in the evening. It warms the skin of your hands, your feet, and these are like your radiators to dump heat from the core out into the surface. And when that gradient between your skin temperature and your core temperature hits a certain point, that's when your body's signal it's time to sleep. Now, here's where it gets kind of interesting. It's not just about falling asleep. Temperature controls your entire sleep architecture, the structure of your sleep cycles throughout the night.

[00:01:50]Deep sleep, what we call slowwave sleep, is your body's sort of repair shop.

[00:01:54]Research shows that direct contact body cooling during sleep increases deep sleep by about 7 and 1/2 minutes per night and lowers your resting heart rate by 2 to three beats per minute. A calmer cardiovascular system means deeper physical recovery. Now, REM sleep, that's where your brain does its work, like memory consolidation, emotional regulation, and even learning. If your bed is too warm, REM gets crushed.

[00:02:21]Studies show that exposure to heat through sources like bedding or pajamas decreases both slowwave and REM sleep.

[00:02:29]And here's the part nobody talks about.

[00:02:31]Chronic thermal sleep disruption activates inflammatory pathways. And this shifts your immune signaling, increasing your risk for infection and chronic inflammatory disease. So when people ask me, Michael, what's the single most controllable factor in sleep quality? I say temperature. Not your pillow, not your supplement, not your meditation app. It's temperature.

[00:02:55]Because temperature is the master switch that controls when you fall asleep, how deeply you sleep, and how well your body recovers. It turns out that body temperature is the number one controllable component of sleep quality.

[00:03:07]So, the question is, how do you actually control it? Your bed can't. No mattress, no matter how expensive, has that built into it. That's exactly why we created Orion. The Orion Smart Cover goes right over your existing mattress. Built into the cover are highly sensitive sensors that track your biometrics and sleep patterns all night long. The Orion reads what your body needs and adjusts your body's temperature for the best sleep quality. It can cool and heat from 50 to 115° F. That's cold enough for the hottest sleepers, people who throw the covers off every night, and warm enough for the ones who sleep in socks with three blankets in July. And if you share a bed, Orion is dual zoned. Your side runs independently from their side. No more thermostat negotiations. But here's what separates Orion from everything else. Before you even start using it, Orion runs what we call a sleep disruption test. This is a one night diagnostic that analyzes your sleep disruptions and builds your perfect night's sleep. Your results are pre-programmed into the Orion sleep system that's personalized based on your biology, your body, your data, your temperatures. Every person's biology runs on a different clock. Your thermal rhythm is unique to you. Orion learns it, works with it, not against it.

[00:04:31]Studies have shown that temperature regulation can boost REM, boost deep sleep, reduce wakeups, and significantly improve overall sleep quality. Setting up the Orion Smart Cover takes just a few minutes. It fits right over your existing mattress. Just unfold it, make sure that it's the right way round, and secure the edges. That's it. Your bed is now ready to be a temperature-cont controlled sleep system. Next, place the Orion control tower nearby. Connect the tubing from the cover to the base unit.

[00:05:02]It may require a bit of force, but it should click right in. This is what circulates temperature controlled water through the cover all night. Now, fill the reservoir with distilled water.

[00:05:12]Distilled is recommended. It keeps the system clean and prevents mineral buildup. Drop in one of the included water tablets, then seal it up. The app will remind you if you need to fill more water later. The Orion sleep disruption test is easy to apply and tracks your sleep all night long. Peel the backing, place it on your body just under your side or on your arm, and press to secure. This allows Orion to track your sleep and personalize your sleep system based on your biology. Open the Orion app and follow the pairing prompts. The system will find your tower automatically. Once connected, you'll see your dashboard. This is where you'll set your preferences, run your sleep disruption test, and see your sleep data every morning. Your first night, Orion runs the sleep disruption test. This is a one night diagnostic that maps exactly how your temperature fluctuates, measuring interruptions you've had throughout the night. By morning, Orion has built a thermal profile that's unique to you. Every morning, your app shows you exactly what happened overnight. your sleep stages, your body movements, heat and breath vitals, and a sleep score. Every 90 days, you will want to add a fresh water tablet. People ask me all the time, "Dr. Bruce, there are other cooling systems out there. Why should I choose Orion?" Trust me, I get it. I've tested every temperature product on the market, and I believe Orion is the most effective. Here's the difference. Orion is personalized to you based on your biology from an actual sleep test and has no subscription required. Your body has a microclimate underneath the covers, which is why air conditioning really isn't all that effective. Orion targets your body's thermal regulation directly, not just the air around you. It's also dual zoned, allowing you and your partner to sleep at the perfect temperature. Using a sleep disruption test on night one means you're not spending weeks dialing it in or guessing. The system is personalized to you based on your unique thermal profile. I've spent my entire career helping patients sleep better.

[00:07:23]And the one thing that I learned in my practice is that body temperature is the number one controllable component of sleep quality. At Orion, we designed a product I wish existed for the last two decades of my practice. Our goal is to make six hours feel like 10.