New Delhi, July 11 -- Software engineer Abhimanyu Nagdev started the year with a resolution to be a "sleepmaxxer", someone willing to go to extreme lengths in pursuit of better sleep. Seven months in, his goal of getting a perfect night's sleep remains a dream.

It's not that Nagdev, 36, is not making an effort. The Delhi resident has tried everything from indoor air quality monitors and earplugs to sleep trackers and calming music. He regularly goes to the gym, has changed the mattress, propped his nostrils with dilators, sprayed comforting mists on pillows. He and his wife even sleep in separate bedrooms so that her movements don't disturb him.

"I can't keep this damn thing on silent," Nagdev says, pointing to his phone. "This is the m...