Technology

Americans in Hawaii, Nevada and Maryland Have the Worst Sleep Quality According to Leading Sleep Technology Application

Published

2 years ago

February 20, 2024

In Recognition of Sleep Awareness Week, Sleep Cycle Analyzed How Well Americans are Sleeping Across the Country

GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Feb. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Sleep Cycle, the leading sleep tracking application and one of the most widely used solutions worldwide to improve sleep health, analyzed over 15 million hours of sleep across the United States in recognition of Sleep Awareness Week® to better understand if Americans are truly getting quality sleep. The analysis uncovered that Hawaii, Nevada and Maryland have the worst sleep quality in the country, while Montana, Colorado and Vermont are sleeping the best.

“Sleep is integral to our mental health. As this year’s Sleep Awareness Week focuses on sleep health and its connection to mental health, it’s a perfect time for Americans to take a step back and think about where sleep is ranked in their lives,” said Dr. Mike Gradisar, Ph.D. & Head of Sleep Science at Sleep Cycle. “Practicing healthy sleep habits, such as meditation around bedtime and maintaining consistent bedtimes and wake-up times will elevate your sleep, is especially important as you manage stressors in your day-to-day life.”

According to the Sleep Cycle analysis of Sleep Quality across the country, the top ten states with the worst sleep quality were spread out across the nation and included:

HawaiiNevadaMarylandFloridaTexas New JerseyAlabamaMississippiLouisianaGeorgia

The ten states with the best sleep quality were:

MontanaColoradoVermontOregonRhode IslandIowaNew HampshireIdahoMassachusettsMinnesota

To see the full list of states, visit http://tinyurl.com/4e4m7jmj.

So what could be impacting the sleep of Americans? Dr. Gradisar says that one cause could be worry and stress, which could interfere with the ability to fall asleep, as well as one’s sleep quality and duration. A 2023 report by the American Psychological Association found that among the day-to-day stress categories, health-related stressors (65%), money (63%), and the economy (64%) were reported among the top significant sources of stress in adults’ lives.

Interestingly, with the exception of Hawaii, Maryland and New Jersey, among the top 10 states for lowest sleep quality, they all share commonalities in these stress categories. They all rank low for access to healthcare as well as high poverty rates and low for economic opportunities. While Hawaii, Maryland and New Jersey are outliers, the states rank among the top for high cost of living, which can certainly impact stress.

While stress can impair sleep by prolonging how long it takes to fall asleep as well as fragmenting sleep, Dr. Gradisar recommends the following novel tips to reduce worry and improve sleep while dealing with day-to-day stressors.

Mindfulness body scan practice: in a 2018 study people were asked to listen to a 15-minute mindfulness body scan at bedtime – and to practice this for 2 weeks. It found that people who regularly took more than 30 minutes to fall asleep, fell asleep about 50% faster after 1 week of practicing this technique.
Watch TV to distract from worries: yes. About 30% of people fall asleep watching TV before bed. In fact, there’s practically no relationship between watching TV and sleep. But keep in mind that this should be a temporary solution.
Find something that helps distract and relax your mind: in the end, you need to find something that redirects you from those racing thoughts and worries. For example, you can try the Sleep Program called ‘Relax the Mind’ within the Sleep Cycle app. This notion of redirecting your mind to more pleasant thoughts is a technique called ‘Cognitive refocusing’, which has been shown to be effective after a couple of weeks of practice.

Sleep Cycle is a mobile app that has helped millions of people in the U.S. understand their sleep habits and improve their sleep. The app helps users fall asleep more easily, tracks and analyzes sleep during the night, wakes the user in a light sleep phase and provides insight into how sleep quality is best improved. Sleep Cycle measures sleep quality by the amount of time spent in bed, the amount of time spent in deep sleep, the frequency of motion and intensity for each movement and the amount of times when the Sleep Cycle application registered its user as “fully awake”. For more information and to download the application, visit https://www.sleepcycle.com/.

METHODOLOGY
For this report, Sleep Cycle ranked average sleep quality from highest to lowest using data from over 14M sleep sessions in the US during 2023. Sessions lasting between 4 and 12 hours were included. Sleep metrics were averaged for sessions that began in 2023 and segmented by region (state), city, or gender where applicable. Only breakdowns with more than 1000 unique users were included in the analysis.

DISCLAIMER
The contents of this press release is of general character and intended for informational purposes only. The information is not adapted after individual sleep quality or health status. It does not constitute and is not intended to constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and should never replace any advice given by a physician or other qualified healthcare provider.

ABOUT SLEEP CYCLE
With millions of daily active users and over two billion nights analyzed in more than 150 countries, Sleep Cycle is the leading sleep tracking application and one of the most widely used solutions worldwide to improve sleep health. Sleep Cycle’s mission is to improve global health by empowering people to sleep better. Since its launch in 2009, Sleep Cycle has helped millions of people understand their sleep habits and improve their sleep. The mobile application helps users fall asleep more easily, tracks and analyses sleep during the night, wakes the user in a light sleep phase and provides insight into how sleep quality is best improved. Sleep Cycle is one of the world’s most comprehensive sources for statistics on sleep and contributes to research and reporting on sleep worldwide. Sleep Cycle is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm under the ticker SLEEP. The head office is located in Gothenburg, Sweden.

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SOURCE Sleep Cycle

Technology

VibeBeats Launches AI-Powered Music Streaming Service for Businesses globally

Published

35 minutes ago

July 24, 2026

Vibebeats AI gives cafés, gyms, retailers, bars and hotels fully licensed, AI-curated streaming music for business from any phone, tablet or browser — no hardware, no lock-in contracts, no licensing paperwork — from A$29 a month with a 7-day free trial.

BRISBANE, Australia, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — VibeBeats Launches AI-Powered Music Streaming Service for Businesses globally

VibeBeats gives venues fully licensed, AI-curated Music at a fraction of the cost — one app, one licence, one platform.

Most venues playing music through consumer apps are doing it on the wrong licence. VibeBeats, an Australian-built, AI-powered streaming music for business platform, has launched across Australia and worldwide to fix that — turning any phone, tablet or browser into a fully licensed venue sound system in under five minutes. One agreement covers commercial performance rights across OneMusic and APRA AMCOS in Australia, and ASCAP, BMI, PRS and other rights bodies internationally — the same platform serving a café in Melbourne or a gym in London.

The “Spotify for business” that actually exists

Every month, thousands of venue owners worldwide search for “Spotify for business” — a product that doesn’t exist. Consumer streaming accounts are licensed for personal use only, leaving businesses that play them exposed under copyright law in Australia and virtually every other market. VibeBeats fills that gap: a business music streaming service where the commercial music rights are handled under one agreement — no separate music licence for business paperwork to manage.

“The number one thing we see is venue owners assuming it’s fine to play their personal Spotify account in the café — most don’t realise a licence fee even applies,” said Damien King, founder of VibeBeats. “It’s not bad intent. Licensing is complex, and when you’re running a small business there are a hundred competing priorities. VibeBeats solves it with one app, one licence, one platform.”

What VibeBeats delivers

Fully Licensed for Commercial Use — one agreement covers the rights that would otherwise involve OneMusic, APRA AMCOS, ASCAP, BMI, PRS and more.No Hardware Required — any phone, tablet or browser becomes the venue sound system — set up in under five minutes.AI-Curated Background Music for Business — stations matched to venue type and time of day, from morning coffee trade to peak gym floor to late-night bar.Smart Scheduling — playlists by daypart, with music that keeps running through connection drops.Multi-Venue Dashboard — manage every location from a single account.Simple Pricing — from A$29 per month per venue with a 7-day free trial — no lock-in contracts.

Pricing and availability

VibeBeats is available now from $29AUD/$20US per month per venue, and globally, with a 7-day free trial at vibebeats.ai. Purpose-built stations are available for cafés, gyms, retail and in-store environments, bars and hotels.

About VibeBeats

VibeBeats is an AI-powered commercial music streaming platform for businesses, offering direct-licensed music for cafés, restaurants, bars, retail stores, gyms and hotels. One agreement covers commercial performance rights that would otherwise involve PROs, OneMusic, APRA AMCOS, ASCAP, BMI, PRS and more. Australian-built and available globally, VibeBeats AI streams to any device with no proprietary hardware required. Learn more at vibebeats.ai.

VibeBeats is not affiliated with Spotify.

Media Contact

Damien King, Vibebeats AI, 61 0408009067, hello@vibebeats.ai, https://vibebeats.ai

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SOURCE Vibebeats AI

Technology

Inside information: Valmet initiates a strategic review to evaluate a potential separation of its two segments

Published

35 minutes ago

July 24, 2026

Valmet Oyj’s stock exchange release (inside information) on July 24, 2026 at 9.01a.m. EEST

ESPOO, Finland, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Board of Directors of Valmet Oyj (“Valmet” or the “Company”) has decided to initiate a strategic review to evaluate a potential separation of its two core businesses, Biomaterial Solutions and Services, and Process Performance Solutions, into two standalone publicly listed companies. The review will focus on assessing whether a separation of the two businesses and their operation as separately listed companies on Nasdaq Helsinki would create additional value for shareholders compared with the current combined structure.

Both Valmet’s core businesses report as separate segments and they have grown into large, mostly independent profitable businesses, each with strong market positions and scale that allow them to succeed independently. With the recent completion of the Severn acquisition taking Process Performance Solutions to approximately EUR 1.7 billion in annual net sales and the renewed operating model now firmly in place, the Board believes this is the right time to assess whether a separation would unlock shareholder value by enabling each business to better realise its full potential.

The Board also notes that the two core businesses operate relatively independently as they serve mainly different customer industries, exhibit distinct business drivers, and have different capital allocation profiles. Biomaterial Solutions and Services is a global technology and lifecycle services business focused on the pulp, board, paper, tissue and energy industries, where its competitive advantage is anchored in a vast installed base, advanced technology, global presence, strong customer references and global services penetration. Process Performance Solutions is a mission-critical automation and flow control business serving a diversified set of industries. Over the past decade, it has evolved from a business primarily focused on pulp and paper into a diversified industrial platform, with close to 70 percent of net sales generated from other industries today.

Based on the Board’s initial assessment, a separation would allow each business to pursue sustainable profitable growth opportunities more independently and efficiently, with the potential for sharper management focus, greater agility, more tailored capital allocation, and more flexible access to external capital to support both organic and inorganic growth. The Board will also assess whether, if implemented, a separation would improve transparency, simplify governance, and allow capital markets to better recognize the full value of both businesses.

Pekka Vauramo, Chair of the Board, said:
“The Board continuously evaluates how to create the greatest long-term value for Valmet’s shareholders. Today, Valmet consists of two strong businesses with distinct markets, growth opportunities and capital allocation needs. Through this review, we will assess whether they can create more value as independent companies than they can together. We will only proceed with a separation if we conclude after detailed analysis that separation is clearly in the best interests of our shareholders.”

Thomas Hinnerskov, President and CEO of Valmet, said:
“Both of our businesses are well positioned, with strong customer relationships and market positions, as well as talented employees. The review reflects the strength and maturity of both businesses, which we have built through strong execution, organic growth and strategic investments into sizeable and successful operations with the scale, capabilities and opportunities to create further value both together and, potentially, as independent companies. This review does not change our commitment to our customers or our strategy. It is a priority for us to preserve the strength of our full offering and the value our customers gain from services, automation and technology working together. Throughout the process, our focus remains on serving our customers and delivering value for their success.”

Although the strategic review has been initiated, there is no guarantee that the review will result in any transaction, including a separation. The Board will only execute or recommend changes to the Group’s structure if clear evidence of enhanced shareholder value creation can be attained. Valmet will provide an update on the review latest in connection with the publication of its full-year 2026 results.

Further information, please contact:

For investors: Pekka Rouhiainen, VP, Investor Relations, Valmet, tel. +358 10 672 0020

For media: Valmet Communications, media@valmet.com

VALMET

Katri Hokkanen
CFO

Pekka Rouhiainen
VP, Investor Relations

DISTRIBUTION:
Nasdaq Helsinki
Major media
www.valmet.com

Valmet is a global technology leader in serving process industries. We work with our customers throughout the lifecycle, delivering cutting-edge technologies and services, as well as mission-critical automation and flow control solutions. Backed by more than 225 years of industrial experience and a global team of 18,500 professionals close to customers, we are uniquely positioned to transform industries toward a regenerative tomorrow.

In 2025, Valmet’s net sales totaled approximately EUR 5.2 billion. Our head office is in Espoo, Finland, and we have experts in approximately 40 countries around the world. Valmet’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.

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Technology

Securitas AB Interim Report Q2 2026 | January-June

Published

35 minutes ago

July 24, 2026

STOCKHOLM, July 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ —

APRIL–JUNE 2026

Total sales MSEK 37 843 (38 564)Organic sales growth 0 percent (5)Adjusted organic sales growth, 3 percent*Real sales growth within technology and solutions 5 percent (4)Operating income before amortization MSEK 2 824 (2 798)Operating margin 7.5 percent (7.3)Adjusted operating margin, 7.6 percent (7.5)*Items affecting comparability (IAC) MSEK –46 (–166) Earnings per share, SEK 2.88 (2.56)Earnings per share before IAC, SEK 2.94 (2.79)Cash flow from operating activities 87 percent (106)

JANUARY–JUNE 2026

Total sales MSEK 74 054 (78 170)Organic sales growth 0 percent (4)Adjusted organic sales growth, 2 percent*Real sales growth within technology and solutions 4 percent (5)Operating income before amortization MSEK 5 283 (5 323)Operating margin 7.1 percent (6.8)Adjusted operating margin, 7.3 percent (7.1)*Items affecting comparability (IAC) MSEK 138 (–243) whereof MSEK 213 (–5) related to divestitures Earnings per share, SEK 5.68 (4.86)Earnings per share before IAC, SEK 5.40 (5.15)Cash flow from operating activities 65 percent (56)Net debt/EBITDA ratio 2.2 (2.4)

*A new key ratio, operating margin adjusted for the government business within SCIS in the process of being closed down, was added as of the second quarter 2025. A new key ratio, organic sales growth adjusted for the same business, was added as of the third quarter 2025. Refer to note 5 for further information.

Comments from the President and CEO

“Continued profitability improvement”

Organic sales growth in the second quarter, adjusted for the close-down of the SCIS government business, was 3 percent. Organic sales growth in North America was supported by both the Guarding and Technology business units, while active portfolio management had a hampering effect on organic sales growth in Europe.

Real sales growth in technology and solutions reached 5 percent in the second quarter, supported by good performance in Technology in North America. Commercial activity remained healthy in the global technology business with strong growth in installation order intake and backlog.

We execute on our strategy with the share of technology and solutions increasing across all segments but we are not fully satisfied with the overall growth. We have built a strong and differentiated technology-led offering and we are intensifying our efforts to commercialize the capabilities we have built.

We delivered an improved adjusted operating margin in the second quarter, reaching 7.6 percent (7.5), driven by both the technology and solutions and the security services business lines. Operating income increased 3 percent and earnings per share 7 percent. For the first six months earnings per share increased 11 percent.

Cash generation was good, corresponding to 87 percent (106) of operating income in the quarter, and 65 percent (56) for the first six months of the year. The net debt to EBITDA ratio was 2.2 (2.4).

THE TRUSTED PARTNER IN INTELLIGENCE-LED SECURITY

Our recently announced 2030 strategy positions Securitas as the trusted partner in intelligence-led security, combining global presence and deep security expertise with advanced data, analytics and technology. By leveraging actionable risk intelligence and a more consultative approach, we aim to move further up the value chain, delivering proactive, insight-driven security and strengthening our role as a strategic advisor to clients. In an increasingly complex risk environment, growing demand for professional security services supports our continued growth and competitive position.

The close-down of the SCIS government business is progressing according to plan and is expected to be concluded by year-end. As no further activities remain, the strategic assessment program was concluded in the second quarter of 2026.

The shift toward technology and solutions continues to drive profitability improvements. We are also strengthening the performance of our security services business and, as of the second quarter of 2026, have completed portfolio management actions related to underperforming contracts in Europe. Going forward, portfolio optimization will continue as part of normal business operations, with a sustained focus on contract profitability.

CREATING LONG-TERM SHAREHOLDER VALUE

In conjunction with the launch of our strategy, we have updated the Group’s financial targets for the period through 2030. The revised targets include a new headline target of achieving 10 percent average annual earnings per share growth over a business cycle, alongside targets for cash flow, leverage and dividend policy. With a strong focus on quality and innovation, we are accelerating our transformation and remain confident in our ability to deliver sustainable earnings growth and create long-term shareholder value.

Magnus Ahlqvist
President and CEO

PRESENTATION OF THE INTERIM REPORT

Analysts and media are invited to participate in a telephone conference on July 24, 2026, at 9.30 a.m. (CEST) where President and CEO Magnus Ahlqvist and CFO Matteo Dall’Ora will present the report and answer questions. The telephone conference will also be audio cast live via Securitas’ website www.securitas.com

To follow the audio cast of the telephone conference via the web, please follow the link
www.securitas.com/en/investors/financial-reports-and-presentations/

A recorded version of the audio cast will be available at www.securitas.com/en/investors/financial-reports-and-presentations/
after the telephone conference.

For further information, please contact:
Micaela Sjökvist, Vice President, Investor Relations +46 76 116 7443

ABOUT SECURITAS

Securitas is a world-leading safety and security solutions partner that helps make your world a safer place. Nine decades of deep experience means we see what others miss. By leveraging technology in partnership with our clients, combined with an innovative, holistic approach, we’re transforming the security industry. With approximately 322 000 employees in 44 markets, we see a different world and create sustainable value for our clients by protecting what matters most – their people and assets.

Group financial targets

Securitas has the following financial targets:

Average annual earnings per share growth of 10 percent over a business cycle, excluding items affecting comparability and adjusted for changes in exchange rates, with a >10 percent operating margin ambition long-termOperating cash flow of 80–90 percent of operating income before amortizationNet debt to EBITDA below 2.5xDividend policy of 50–60 percent of annual net income over a business cycle, with excess capital returned to shareholders once stra-tegic growth priorities are met

Securitas AB (publ.)
P.O. Box 12307, SE-102 28 Stockholm, Sweden
Visiting address:
Lindhagensplan 70
Telephone: +46 10 470 30 00
Corporate registration number: 556302-7241

www.securitas.com

This is information that Securitas AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation.
The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above,
at 8.00 a.m. (CEST) on Friday, July 24, 2026.

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