The first sleep tracking device, Beddit, was developed by a Finnish-based tech company that makes sleep-tracking devices and apps to monitor sleep patterns. The company was established in October 2006 and in May 2017 was acquired by Apple. Since the device launched, it has quickly grown in popularity as it provides an opportunity for sleep-deprived individuals to measure, manage, and improve their sleep. But, does their sleep really improve?
Around 10% of US adults use a wearable fitness or sleep tracking device every day, and 50% would consider buying one. However, there’s an increasing number of patients who are seeking treatment for insufficient sleep duration and quality as a result of their sleep tracker data.
This new kind of digital age insomnia is called orthosomnia. “It’s when you just really become fixated on having this perfect sleep via the tracker, and then you start worrying about it, and you wind up giving yourself insomnia,” explained Seema Khosla, the North Dakota Center for Sleep’s medical director.
Sleep trackers come in the form of wristbands, rings, watches, and mattresses. The gadgets measure how fast your heart is beating, how you breathe, how much you’re tossing and turning, and even how much you snore. With all that data, it then produces a sleep score, typically via a smartphone app. Though, some people become so obsessed with perfecting their sleep score that they lose sleep over it.
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Some of Khosla’s patients come to her office stressed-out and complaining about how they keep aiming for a “100” sleep score but are only getting 80, and it’s keeping them up at night. “I’ll ask them just to put their tracker away for a couple of weeks,” she said, was her solution.
According to the CDC, one-third of Americans reported that they don’t get the recommended seven hours of sleep a night. That’s why products that promise to help people improve their sleep are skyrocketing. The “get better sleep” market is worth tens of billions of dollars, with all kinds of different products, including meditation headbands, white noise sound machines, tech gadgets, trackers, and weighted blankets.
Not sleeping enough can intensify the risk of conditions such as heart disease or depression. Sleep doctors claim technology is to blame for bad sleep habits — mainly the smartphones that keep them always connected, engaged, and stimulated. “We are just on our phones too long. We are not getting enough sleep or not prioritizing sleep or staying up late because of work demands or parenting or whatever demand,” Khosla stressed.
Here are some tips on how you can get better sleep naturally, without using any technology:
- Leave your phone or tablet away from the bedside table, preferably leave it outside the bedroom
- Waking up early and not taking naps during the day, makes it easier to fall asleep at night
- Don’t over-sleep, but don’t under-sleep, getting at least seven hours of sleep at night is recommended
- Avoid drinking coffee after 12 pm
- Take a bath or shower before you sleep
- Drink a hot cup of herbal tea, such as chamomilla near bedtime can help your relaxation
