June 17, 2019
Should You Be Using a Sleep Tracker?
Sleep tracking is all the rage now. Whether it’s an app, a Fitbit, apple watch, or other, tons of people are using devices to understand their sleep a little bit better. Should you be using a sleep tracker?
If you’re interested in your sleep patterns, but don’t have any specific concerns, feel free to go ahead and use one! A sleep tracker could tell you when you’re most restless at night or help you to understand your personally circadian rhythm. You could even use an app like SleepCycle that will use this information to wake you up at your most alert state before your alarm setting (closer into how you would wake up naturally).
If you’re concerned about a sleep disorder, haven’t been getting quality rest or need accurate information about a sleep issue, a sleep tracker is not going to be the way to go. Most trackers are only really measuring movement and using that to create a projection of your night’s rest. A sleep tracker will not catch if you are suffering from something like sleep apnea (an estimated 90% of sufferers aren’t even aware that they have it). If you feel that your sleep is suffering for any reason at all, make sure to talk to your doctor about potential causes.
If you’re interested in your sleep patterns, but don’t have any specific concerns, feel free to go ahead and use one! A sleep tracker could tell you when you’re most restless at night or help you to understand your personally circadian rhythm. You could even use an app like SleepCycle that will use this information to wake you up at your most alert state before your alarm setting (closer into how you would wake up naturally).
If you’re concerned about a sleep disorder, haven’t been getting quality rest or need accurate information about a sleep issue, a sleep tracker is not going to be the way to go. Most trackers are only really measuring movement and using that to create a projection of your night’s rest. A sleep tracker will not catch if you are suffering from something like sleep apnea (an estimated 90% of sufferers aren’t even aware that they have it). If you feel that your sleep is suffering for any reason at all, make sure to talk to your doctor about potential causes.