Sleep Trackers: Friend or Foe?

Separating Hype from Reality - Are They Truly Worth It?

In a market teeming with sleep trackers—from Fitbit, Apple, Garmin, and Galaxy Watches to Oura Ring, Somfit, and beyond—the promise is to unveil the mysteries of our health and sleep patterns. Technological advancements in these gadgets have been nothing short of remarkable, evolving from merely detecting sleep to claiming precision in identifying specific sleep stages. But, do they truly live up to these promises?

A recent study by Miller et al. (2022) delved into the efficacy of popular devices. The findings revealed that while all six devices tested were effective in measuring sleep duration and timing, they fell short in accurately assessing distinct sleep stages. Before you get disheartened, however, it's essential to remember that technology is a relentless force of progress, and these assessments are likely to become more accurate over time.

So, they track sleep, but the real question is: Should they?

For those grappling with sleep issues, particularly insomnia and anxiety, the use of sleep trackers can unwittingly intensify these challenges. Instead of focusing on essential practices like sleep hygiene or diligently implementing CBTI homework, individuals may find themselves entangled in the web of analyzing and worrying over their sleep tracker data. But don't take just our word for it. In a study by Ojalvo et al. (2023), Ojalvo found that compared to traditional methods like tracking sleep with pen and paper, using sleep tracking devices not only heightened sleep-related worry but failed to contribute to an improvement in sleep quantity and quality.

At Sleep Tight, we believe that if you're grappling with insomnia, you don't need a tracker to tell you so. Nor will it alleviate the struggle. That's not to say these trackers don't have a wonderful array of interesting information provided to you at the touch of a button, but when it comes to sleep, we recommend you invest your time and efforts into tried-and-true strategies that not only allow you to monitor your sleep without added anxiety (hello, pen and paper) but also actively address the issue (cue comprehensive sleep hygiene protocols and CBTI). It's about making informed choices that empower rather than overwhelm, steering your journey toward restful nights and revitalized days.

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References

Miller D.; Sargent C.; Roach G. (2022). A Validation of Six Wearable Devices for Estimating Sleep, Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability in Healthy Adults. Sensors (Basel). 22(16):6317. doi: 10.3390/s22166317.

Ojalvo, D.; Pekkola, A.; Benedict, C. (2023). A useful tool or a new challenge? Hand-wrist-worn sleep trackers in patients with insomnia. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13883