A device that really worked to track sleep, Zeo, went out of business about 7 years ago because other less-accurate devices undercut the price. The Zeo sleep monitor worn on the forehead and measured brain waves, so you were able to measure deep, REM, and light sleep and time awake. I was a Beta tester for the Zeo when it first came out in about 2008. I've kept my unit going and still use it on occasion to check my sleep.
25
It’s hard these days but going to bed early always helps.
7
As someone who has both obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia/sleep continuity/early wakening issues (based on polysomnogram results) and has been under the care of physicians who are sleep specialists, I had to shake my head at this article, beginning with the incorrect assertion that there are 3 main stages of sleep. In fact, there are 4: Stage 1, Stage 2, Slow Wave, and REM. The latter two are what our brains and bodies need, but to get there our brains must pass through the first two stages. Gadgets like FitBit cannot measure these stages. They can only be measured via a polysomnogram.
Sleep is highly complex, and to date we have a limited understanding of it. That being said, there are many proven modalities for improving sleep, some of which include: sleep hygiene; cognitive behavioral therapy; and sleep restriction. Research has shown that alcohol induces drowsiness initially but interferes with sleep continuity.
If you are having serious sleep issues (including significant daytime drowsiness, cognitive impairment, etc.), lose the gizmos and see a reputable sleep specialist.
25
FitBit just switched the display on my sleep stats from average sleep for the week to something they call a sleep score. That's pointless for me - I need to sort out quantity before I care about quality.
4
For me the value out of the app that his article references is seeing how my lifestyle affects my sleep. I can easily look at the app after drinking and see that I'm not just hungover, but that my sleep wasn't as restful too. I can tell how sugar and other things in my diet also affect my rest. I can tell when my ex calls me before bedtime and gets me upset (okay I didn't need an app for that, but still interesting to see how it affect my rest)
21
Nothing will keep you awake more than obsessing about how much sleep you are getting.
14
Well, let's not forget the #1 benefit of all of this: companies get your data for free! They know when you sleep and when you wake. They record any and all sounds in your bedroom. That's got to be worth something to their customers (the ones buying your very personal data).
18
On a golf trip, my roommate said I was gasping and choking for air. So I finally went in and got one of those monitors that you wear overnight so that the sleep guys can later analyze and review whether you have sleep apnea.
It took me a couple of weeks before I finally strapped it on. I decided to do it two nights: one night after drinking like on the golf trip and one with no drinking. The difference was incredible.
The analyst said that the drinking night sleep had something like 5000 interruptions while the non-drinking night had like 70. If I had only done the one drinking night, he would have recommended me buying and using a CPAP sleep machine to aid my sleep.
Bottom line is: if you're not sleeping well, borrow one of these free overnight machines and try it on different nights with drinking, with coffee, with cheese (dairy stuffs me up a bit), and without any of that. Drinking probably is the worst causal factor for poor sleep quality (aside from caffeine). Next would be too much food at night or being overweight.
I feel great on the mornings after I don't drink but I still like a glass or two of wine. So, I'm keeping an eye on cutting back earlier in the evening. Because, between you and me, is the last glass of the night really all that tasty? Nope, it's not nearly as good as the first one.
31
A sleep tracker is not your mom/nanny. It is you and only you that can find and validate possible correlations between your sleep quality and your life patterns.
I wore my Fitbit for over six months before I was able to discover that two facts were sabotaging my sleep: drinking wine, any wine, even a ounce of it, and going to bed late.
It is now almost three years since I became a teetotaler and started going to bed at 10:30 pm. Since I sleep soundly for seven hours every night, I stopped wearing my Fitbit to bed.
I stay up later for some social events, as my friends and family are certainly worth a bad night, and I do not regret the wine at all, as I compensate with a good serving of ice cream.
The Fitbit helped me see that I always weak up at dawn, even with drawn curtains. Therefore, I could stay up longer in Winter, but I find consistency easier for me.
The author seams to put way to much faith in raw data. Data are only as useful as our analysis of them.
18
What, not a free ad for Fitbit or the Apple watch? Don't worry if you have invested in either or both. Because the data these dupes are giving away will be used for some money-making end, like the sinister personalized ads that Google throws us...
3
This article gets it about 50% right. I have an app that determined that, actually. Kidding.
My Samsung Health App on my Gear Watch, in conjunction with my Galaxy phone is very good. Specifically, with Sleep, it is tracking a number of key metrics: length of sleep, quality of sleep (restful, restless, etc., but of course not REM) and bed/awake time. It reports this information in the morning -- even giving me digital "trophies" for doing well -- and also on a weekly basis. Myself, I check all of my stats each morning: sleep, exercise (steps), food intake, etc. and see how I am doing versus the previous day. I spend about 1-15 minutes doing that, then leave it alone.
I would argue that if someone, like the author, already has a Sleep Disorder, no, an App will not solve that. It needs to be treated by a Physician, using a proper Sleep Study and then the right therapies.
I have read quite a bit about the science of sleep, as of 2019, and it is clear that many factors influence how "good" our sleep is. In fact, duration, it turns out is less important than consistent sleep/wake times. Yes, duration is important because it allows for multiple sleep cycles, but time to sleep and time to wake is equally, if not more, important, because it affects Circadian Rhythms.
One more thing. Sleep Science and studies now show that Sleep, more than diet, more than exercise, contributes the most to Health and Well-being. It is far more important than the other two.
3
Just another way for Big Tech (Big Brother) to follow you and fill your email, FB with sleep supplement adds.
3
My Fitbit Charge 2 tracks my sleep great -- obviously better than the pricier Apple Watch -- and I find the data quite useful in getting better sleep.
3
Sleep tracking seems to be as accurate as “steps”, distance, and calories burned data. Each device gives you a different number, with the most variety appearing in “calories.” I should use this data to pick lottery numbers, as they appear sufficiently random.
8
A wonderful article and well written in a funny way.
"Sleepless in Seattle" came to my mind.
Or may be "Lost In tTranslation" as in too much data with nothing interconnected.
If all you needed was an Apple watch to sleep better - you may need an attorney as in a divorce one.
I am no luddite but I have seen folks checking their Apple watches constantly - that itself is a cause for insomnia.
I just turned 70 and I have read that older you get - harder to sleep.
I am glad I may be the exception that may prove that rule.
And probably, because I don't own a Fibit or an Apple watch.
3
Reading this article may be the best cure for my insomniac moments. Does the author expect a thermometer to likewise tell him the cause of his temperature or a blood pressure cuff with its readings?
Hint: next step, do the google and research possible hacks to help with your sleep habits....and articles.
10
I love your comment. Synthesis and sense of humor: a gem.
3
Earnest article, unfortunately laced with youthful confidence about journalism. It feels a bit like Mr. Chen's conclusions are naive and based on very little experience with the subject. There are scores of sleep trackers available on several platforms, and many of them are quite helpful to their users. Many of them also incorporate other data into their evaluations, which can often guide users to adjust their behavior to improve their sleep. Sorry, but I see this as just a fluff consumer piece about one product. Which is not really newsworthy. You can do better, NYT.
18
Holy cow. Sleep when you're tired. Get up when you have to. Nap whenever possible. Live your life.
10
why would you think an app would help you get better sleep? there's plenty of information on sleep hygiene on the internet, and probably from your doctor's office; if those suggestions don't work, then you may need to try something from either Eastern or Western medicine..... or ideally both.
3
The (huge) smelly tennis shoes next to the bed, in that illustration, are just wrong. The dog is fine. In fact, the dog belongs on the bed. But the shoes? Other room.
7
The only good thing about tech apps is they can tell you when to get ready for bed. Otherwise they can’t tell if you’re in REM or not.
This reporter only gets 5.5 hours of sleep?
That’s why he’s cranky or in a bad mood.
He’s a tech reporter not a real journalist hunting down leads & fighting a deadline.
You need adequate sleep of 8 hrs & do all things that promote sleep such as a cool 66F room, no blue light from your phone, tablet or TV. Read from a book.
Regular exercise regime definitely helps in regular sleep & health & mood.
7
Plus no wine at dinner: the chemicals in it destroy the quality of your sleep.
1
My best sleep technique is a nice fluffy cat sleeping in my arms or against me. My heart rate and respiratory rate slow right down and the cares of the day diminish.
16
Nice to be young and need data, we older people over age 80 are just happy to wake up.
59
Screens usually have an option to reduce blue light. That's true of laptops and phones. There are free apps.
This is worth doing, IMO. After a few minutes, if you return to the full light spectrum, the bluish hue will seem harsh.
I mention it here because the last paragraph of the article didn't.
6
This article should go into the opinion section, but instead it is masquerading as valuable sleep tracking guidance. Sleep trackers are ALWAYS only part of the story. They provide data to inform how lifestyle changes are helping/hurting sleep quality. Just because you and the people you interviewed are not aware of the myriad tweaks to your lifestyle that can help optimize your sleep doesn't mean that sleep trackers are not a useful component on a journey to optimize one's sleep.
10
I use Fitbit and have found the data very useful in understanding my sleep patterns. Of course, it does not solve sleep problems. I have worn it during a sleep session in a lab and it was quite accurate.
5
I’m sorry to hear it didn’t work for you, but I hope your personal experience won’t scare off others before they try sleep tracking.
I’m a teacher and a natural night owl, a tough combo. I used to stay up late often, knowing the next day would be rough, because the late night time just felt so good and clear to me. (Not an insomnia issue fortunately/knock on wood; I can fall sleep when I decide to.)
When I started sleep tracking with Fitbit, I learned that I’d been chronically optimistic, always rounding up fifteen minutes at the start and end of my night. A night I might have estimated as 5 hours might actually be 4h 25m, and I was making that kind of error every single night, which really adds up!
I began sleeping more when I had to face the facts of my sleep deprivation in hard numbers. I’ve slept more in the past year and a half since I started tracking than during the rest of my career. I’ve learned to understand more keenly the value of sleep and its direct impact on my enjoyment of life, mental abilities, and weight. I no longer ever look at my step count because as a teacher it’s always at least 10k. But I am able to track sleep.
If I’d read your personal account before I started, I might not have tried sleep tracking! I hope others will still give it a chance.
16
@BCBC If you are only a moderate "night owl," you could probably correct that with some morning light treatment. A sleep doctor can tell you how it works. You would fall asleep earlier and wake up earlier, and not drag through your day. It does help! I was able to make it work for a while, but sadly my sleep disorder is profound and therefore mostly resistant to treatment.
3
Thank you for the suggestion! I’ve never heard about that before. I’ll look it up and see about looking into it. :)
1
"Ohhhhh, I haven’t slept for 20 days.
I should look an awful sight.
But it doesn’t bother me at a bit,
‘Cause I always sleep at night."-Q.D. McGraw
3
I use have used many meditation apps in the past, but one app works the best - the umindfit meditation app. The reason this app is different is their belief that technology / apps can't change lives, but technology can be the aid for a system / process to help deliver a method that can change your life. These apps HAVEN'T FIGURED that out yet, except for the umindfit meditation app that helps me with my meditation practices, which has helped me sleep better.
I tried Pillow and it really stressed me out. It kept saying I only got 9% REM vs. the 33% or so I was supposed to be getting. I tried Magnesium or Manganese or whatever because it was supposed to help with that but it just upset my stomach. I stopped after a few weeks...I'd never really had sleeping problems before I started tracking it...now I have insomnia at least one night a week since then. I was concerned about REM and after all that they are mostly admitting they don't know if you are in light sleep or in REM. Harms more than helps.
This is engineering 101 - do a DOE - Design of Experiments.
[sometimes DoX]
Change some variables - see how it affects output.
Co-vary some variables - see how it affects output [ie. sleep quality]
When I did this, I changed late-time: snacking, exercising, email behavior, falling asleep to white noise [courtesy my Google mini] etc.
5
Those of us with sleep apnea, and relatively current CPAP hardware have a wealth of information available to us. Philips Respironics, the company behind my particular unit has a smartphone app that gives a daily overview of one's apnea types as well as length of sleep, pressure from the device, and so on. The app gives rudimentary graphing for a week at a time. What I've done is to take the data and put it into Excel, giving me a much larger picture.
To go even further down to the real "nitty gritty" of how one has journeyed through the night is a software called SleepyHead. It analyzes the data from the data collection card and presents an amazing amount of information, both in statistical and graphical form. One can drill down to a minute-by-minute view of one's breathing pattern - and see where an apnea really does cause your breathing to literally flatline.
Granted, this is looking for apnea related issues, not the quality of sleep overall, but for us the two are very much connected and this is quite helpful. My best result so far is three consecutive nights of a perfect AHI score of 0, meaning no apnea events at all. And I keep working on besting that every night.
7
@Patrick
"Working on ... " sleeping. Kudos to you.
I've just decided I'd rather not know. Thanks.
2
Look for trends. Correlate effects of extra exercise, late eating, late alcohol, state of mind when going to sleep. There are usually observable differences in the results. For instance, found that hugging or spooning with my wife gives automatic periods of deep sleep.
8
REM sleep is critical. its the most restorative cycle. fitbit or apple could develop simple bluetooth sensors you attach to your neck, face and scalp, and probably make a profit at charging $25 retail for a set of 4 sensors.
4
The current devices to measure biometrics and the applications that draw conclusions are simply precursors to what the IoT for biometrics will become. The basic idea of monitoring and decision support on that data is simple: if you have a historical archive of information, you can determine what is normal and what is abnormal. So, for example, continuously monitoring a diesel engine will reveal what 'normal' vibrations are, so that when a ball bearing is starting to wear out, and vibrations starting to increase, the decision support mechanism will have a baseline to measure the deviation from.
So will be the future of biometrics. However, watches and any other mechanical devices that protrude are horrible interfaces to gather data, basically affecting the human 'task' of interest and thus biasing any data collected. These biometrics, whether or not they are mechanical, electrical, or chemical will need to be collected by sensor that need to be integrated into clothing, mattresses, possibly a mechanical or tracing chemical pill, motion detectors, etc. so that they do not interfere and modify the human's behavior. Once you have that situation, monitoring will become seamless and continuous and will provide the opportunity to define a baseline from which deviations can be measured.
All the current devices on the market are just validating how far we are from actual proper biometrics data collection for health decisions.
1
Your problem is, simply, that you are not sleeping long enough. Increase the length of your sleep, and the particular stages and monitoring them won't really matter.
10
@David easy to say, impossible to do. you don't just "extend" your sleep. for those with lifelong chronic insomnia, its not a choice
9
Why not just take the information that you are given instead of complaining about what you don't have? You sleep 5.5 hours per night. Go to bed earlier and/or wake up earlier. Maybe that will make you less grouchy.
16
Hi Brian, most health apps are worthless junk, as are most of the 'advances' made by tech companies in the health realm.
4
really, another digital device , this one to improve sleep? digital devices have harmed sleep for an entire generation now. want to sleep better? develop healthy sleep habits. want to ignore your sleep health but have something to post on facebook or twitter? get one of those devices. its really pretty simple, which world do you care about more, virtual or reality?
4
I have struggled with sleep since I was a little kid. I’m in my 50’s now. I have a Garmin watch for other reasons, not for trying to improve sleep.
What I learned from several months of getting much less detailed data from the Garmin watch was that I sleep longer and better if I just go to bed earlier. 10-10:30, instead of 11 or later.
Go figure. I never noticed that before I started wearing the watch.
15
The conclusion that an app, yet another app, still one more app, on any of the choices you might have for a device, does anything at all for your life only mirrors my own equally unscientific conclusion that self absorption does not do anything at all or even affect the 'self' at all and is but a diversion from real life, and to its detriment.
9
Having gone through a couple of real, in-lab sleep studies, I’m a little skeptical of much of the data gleaned from their far more sophisticated monitoring. Thanks to the highly intrusive and uncomfortable monitoring equipment on my body and face, my sleep was greatly altered and shortened by the actual study. I awakened many more times during the night than I usually do, plus I’m certain that I spent differing amounts of time in different positions than normal. Bottom line is that there is room for far less intrusive in-home measurements, and doctors need to be less sanguine about their results from “lab measurements”.
31
Checking the data on my Oura ring each morning and comparing with my activity the night before helps me become more and more clear about the ways the timing and type of food, activities, exercise, and everything I do during the day, impacts my sleep.
I track my sleep so that I can be an active participant in modifying my own behavior to maximize my sleep quality. I review it each day so I can connect it with what I did the day and evening before.
I don't believe the Oura data is completely "accurate" about sleep stages, but I do believe the trends it reveals in overall sleep.
13
The author should have looked into the strap made by Whoop. Much higher accuracy, based on hard science and a very high quality tracker. These other devices, Fitbit, Apple, etc are literally toys in comparison.
1
I bought a Fitbit 6 months ago, mostly for sleep tracking, and found that it recorded more sleep than I actually got. For example, I read an hour or so in bed before sleeping, and it recorded that time as "light sleep." Added to the fact that Fitbit tracks and sells our location data, I'm done and have given it away.
5
So my $99 device is not as accurate as the equipment used by researchers in sleep labs that cost tens of thousands of dollars. And that same $99 device can't tell me what a sleep researcher who has spent years studying can tell me. I am shocked!
8
This article was a bit overreaching with expectations. I've had wonderful results - given that my expectations were adjusted for what it is. I've used the GARMIN one attached to my activity tracker for a few years. I thought I was getting 7 hours of sleep. Nope. The device kept reminding me that my nightly routine took an extra hour with distractions. So I was getting 5-6 hours of sleep during the week. I like the weekly chart to remind me to be tucked in at a good hour and don't do bills before going to sleep!
8
I disagree with the author. I love my Fitbit sleep tracker. It correlates well with the logs created on a positive airway pressure device (CPAP) that I use and leads me to believe it is pretty accurate. And those "gold-standard" sleep tests are overkill anyway unless you have some serious health issue, particularly some neurological problem that interferes with your sleep. For basic everynight sleep tracking the Fitbit is sufficient. You will see, for example, that it even picks up the effect of that second glass of wine that makes you more restless in the middle of the night ;-) You knew that happened anyway, but having it tracked and visible on the daily/weekly/cumulative report is good biofeedback and helps you make better choices if you're trying to improve sleep. And the Fitbit is a lot less clunky than that Apple watch.
24
I’ve been using an Oura ring for the last year and it has been a great help figuring out exactly how numerous variables, such as room temp, meal timing, alcohol, exercise, regular sleep routines, etc., affect my sleep and my recovery and readiness for exertion the next day. Granted that the precise measurement of sleep stages is not as accurate as you would get in a sleep lab, but the algorithms use data such as body temp, respiration, heart rate variability, and movement to provide actionable information about sleep quality and physical recovery from exertion. I can see how people might get obsessive with the tracking, and the tech shouldn’t be used to diagnose sleep disorders, but I’m convinced that it’s a useful tool that has given me insight into my sleep patterns that I wouldn’t have just from subjective experience.
16
I do not get a negative bias and conclusions of the author of this text. No one ever said that those gadgets will fix your sleep issue, if there are some, or that they are miracles of technology that faultlessly measure all the parameters of your sleep. They are an interesting piece and you may want to try them on, it is fun if nothing else. What exactly you do with the data and how you see them is most certainly not the responsibility of the manufacturer. All they can do is make sure the technology they sell is reasonably accurate and there was a widespread belief that is largely correct.
From a Versa owner.
9
By simply wearing my apple watch and using Autosleep, I came to realize I was actually getting a lot less sleep than I presumed. Last December, I averaged about 5 hours a night. If you asked me what I thought it was, I would have guessed 7-8. That alone has been a revelation and helped me adjust my schedule.
25
I found my Fitbit very useful. It told me that I'm a restless sleeper, getting six hours of sleep in an eight hour period. I lengthed my sleep period and got much better rest. Made a huge difference in my life, would have done a lot better at school with that knowledge.
14
An entirely overthought article. The reviewer seems to want something to help him sleep— not just measure it. He therefore misses a broad range of benefits. 1) I have more restful sleep without sleeping pills—which produce light sleep for me. Heloful, actionable info 2) One glass of wine hurts my sleep. 3) I have sleep apnea so this can be a broad indicator for f need for adjustment. 4) If I’m in sleep deficit, I take naps.
9
It's better by far to go to a sleep specialist, get a device designed to track your sleep, and get the results from that. It;s more cumbersome, but also more accurate and useful.
4
@Simon DelMonte
Agreed, if it's that big of a problem, try a sleep clinic. The devices aren't designed to provide solutions.
3
@Simon DelMonte These measuring tools on your wrist are not considered a replacement for a "sleep specialist". If you have a medical problem see a doctor. If you want to tweak your sleep these devices could be what you're looking for. If you're hungry do you go find a 5 star chef or do you make a cheese sandwich at home? A place for everything.
7
I bought a FitBit a month ago and absolutely love it.
I look at my weekly sleep averages, along with mood tracking apps and journals and can better understand what factors play into my emotional well being. I’ve started going to bed earlier and bought a sleep machine in order to inch those numbers upward and it’s made a difference.
I don’t see a great argument here for not having the data. What you choose to do with it is up to you.
9
@Evan Exactly, a tech journalist who does not see the intrinsic value of data. But perhaps he should have worn a Wi Fit, which shows your own average against others, and next to all the other health data collected. Sleep data then becomes a data point to judge your overall health. For example, you might be able to see how exercise promotes sleep, or not. Things like that... but for 30 bucks and the small hassle of charging and wearing, it's worth having all the data (sleep, exercise, heart rate, etc.).
1
I've read several sources that claim a room should be 68 degrees for optimal sleep. IMHO, that is about 10 degrees too hot. I suspect that if people cooled their room and wore warmer clothing or had heavier blankets, they would sleep a lot better.
23
@Spaypets
Impossible in South Texas most of the year.
2
Blanket recommendations like this also disregard personal differences, medical conditions, etc. If my bedroom is much below 70 degrees, I won't be able to stop shivering. Which is not very conducive to getting a good night's sleep.
2
Data can be interesting in and of itself, but its utility lies in interpretation and whether it informs actions. I was able to use the sleep function on my tracking bracelet to do some experimenting with timing of taking medications, eating, use of earplugs, etc. and their effect on how well I slept at night. But I had some understanding of how and why such variables might influence the outcome. Through experimentation, I was able to rule out some as irrelevant, while discovering that others were strongly influential. If you don't know what factors might be affecting your sleep, however, all the data on how you sleep is merely interesting.
4
The reason people are not sleeping or sleeping well these days has everything to do with technology. Lose the technology if you want to sleep better. SIMPLE.
1
I use the Apple Watch and Autosleep and its companion app AutoWake. I don't have problems sleeping, been in the Marine Corps 15 years. I can sleep anywhere. I like the AutoWake because it wakes me during a light sleep cycle so I don't feel as tired. This time is usually about 15 min or less before my alarm goes off. I wake up at 0500 M-F and with AutoWake, my watch will gently buzz sometime before that. I've noticed that since I've started using it for that functionality, I feel more rested when I wake up. Presumably because I'm not being woken up during a deep sleep or REM sleep cycle.
3
I love my Oura ring and have worn one since they first came out. I never expected it to be as accurate as a medical device, but paying attention not to the numbers but rather to the patterns that occur has definitely helped me to improve my sleep. There are patterns that remain consistent when I am consistent about the last time I eat each day, do or do not drink a glass of wine, exercise during the day, and the time I go to bed. I have done my own bit of research by comparing how the different variables relate to the patterns so I do have my own evidence, although only with a sample of one. The feedback from the results has encouraged me to keep up the good work. And when I get off track it clearly shows up on the patterns on my ring. It is a reminder to pay attention. I work with the ring to improve my health. By the way, I have no connection to the Oura ring company
25
Nice article, but I love my sleep apps! They are only a small part of my personal program to improve my sleep. I don’t rely on the apps themselves to fix my insomnia, but I include them as part of my regimen to determine what works best for me. I don’t really need an app to tell if if I feel more rested in the morning, but I do find it interesting to see my stats. These apps are improving every year and I believe they will only get better with time.
13
I think the author has missed the point of these sleep trackers.
1) many people have no idea how much or how well they sleep.. so any data feedback that gives them information (even if not clinically accurate) is beneficial as it gives them something to measure and adjust to.
2) Proper use of sleep trackers is NOT to use the data in detail down to minutes and when.. but rather to use it at a top level to understand how many hours of sleep they are getting and is it deep sleep, light sleep, and does it run in normal human cycles or is their sleep pattern in some way atypical.
In other words.. data can help provide context for making lifestyle adjustments to improve overall quality of sleep.
45
Please be aware that sleep tracking software records and uploads your sleep data to third-party trackers who, in turn, sell your data to the downstream firms who build and sell your health and personality profiles to the highest bidders.
13
@Col Wagon Um... so what?
1
@Sasha When a sleep tracker reveals that you suffer from, let’s say, obstructive sleep apnea or hypersomnia or other serious sleep disorder, and this information is sold to your health insurance company, there is nothing to prevent that insurance company from raising your premium or even declining to renew your policy.
4
Good sleep starts with good nutrition, more exercise, and less screen time before bed. Three things that I think a lot of Americans are not willing to work on consistently.
On top of that we have a culture that encourages people to live unhealthy lifestyles. People like to brag about how little sleep they get or how much coffee they consume in a day. I remember a friend in my MBA program asking me how much sleep I usually get and him being genuinely surprised when I told him I averaged close to 8 hours a night. I was holding down a full time job, dealing with a family, and still doing well in school. It's a lot easier to get stuff done when you're actually well rested - caffeine and sugar are no substitutes for sleep.
34
Tracking my sleep has been helpful. It made it clear that I got better sleep when I went to bed earlier. Sounds obvious, but it did help. A friend of mine tracked her sleep and noticed a steep drop in her heart rate during the night. After checking with a doctor she was diagnosed with a serious heart issue. She believes that tracking sleep helped her address what was a problem.
11
I got an Apple Watch and started using Auto Sleep a month ago. My interest in the data captured at night is not how long or well I slept; I already knew that. It's the heart rate data I find very valuable. For athletes or general fitness tracking, if your average HR at night trends up, it's a good sign that you are over training. There is a statistic in Auto Sleep called "Heart Rate Dip" which compares the difference between your daytime AVG HR and sleeping AVG HR; you should be seeing a dip of 10% or higher at night; another way to measure sleeping HR.
6
So this entire article is to criticize apps for features that they're not designed for. I actually do use one of these apps to track my sleep and deliberately make sleep decisions based on the results. Over the past two months my sleep time has increased from an average of 6.5 hours to 7 hours a night and my average 'sleep quality' has gone up over that time. I do feel more refreshed in the morning thanks to the actual work of monitoring my sleep.
Its the same thing with food. Track what you eat and make adjustments. The authors advice on weight loss based on this article would likely be ' Eat less and ask yourself if you feel lighter'.
20
It's funny how my body tells me how much sleep I got--measured in cups of coffee needed the next day. How my clothes fit, and gym attendance are a good proxy for weight, and caloric intake, too.
3
Just a misleading article. Wearing an Apple Watch never indicated that it would create better sleep or cure a problem as the author summarized. Now, It does provide measurables to help someone 'plan' to get better sleep. These 'tech' watches/bands and the apps can provide insight into how caffeine and alcohol intake, exercise, food intake can affect one's sleep. It does create measurables for those who seek to do better but nowhere does it indicate by wearing you will. That's just silly.
4
I don't think the intent of a sleep tracker is to provide you with data and actionable insights to get more sleep.
I use my Fitbit ionic everyday for exercise, steps, sleep tracking etc. I love it. I set a goal for myself to get more sleep, at least 6.5 hours per night. the tracker helps keep myself accountable to this goal. additionally you can see how well you slept using the % of time in light sleep, deep sleep, REM etc.
Do i take all of this information as 100% accurate? of course not. but it does help me to give an idea of how much i slept each night and a trend over time.
2
I use the fitbit sleep information daily. It’s helped me trim down late night procrastination before going to bed. It’s helped me learn to get out of bed in the morning when I’m partially awake to maintain consistency during the week’s sleep pattern, especially on weekends.
The REM information is probably not accurate, although I’ve read that it rates close to more advanced monitoring. The article mentions a “scientist” who defends fitbit. I find the REM reporting odd at times, but overall I compare it to the other items, deep sleep, awake times, and light sleep to get a reasonable approximation of my sleep quality.
If I have a lot of deep sleep, I tend to feel more balanced and relaxed during the day. If I have a lot of REM sleep I feel agitated and irritable. Actually, my feelings and mood don’t seem to corollate to the data all the time.
Ultimately, it’s the other disciplines that improves sleep: regular scheduled sleep times, not eating for a couple of hours before sleep, avoiding screen time an hour before sleep, and yes, sexual orgasm.
Fitbit has never hampered my sleep nor has it manipulated me.
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I'm a researcher who has been using activity monitors to assess sleep for 25 years. Activity is good at measuring sleep versus wake relatively well, but in general overestimates wake a little bit. Estimation of sleep stages is questionable/poor. This is for research-grade devices/software.
Consumer devices *probably* are not as accurate, but should do a decent job at telling you sleep versus wake. As the author notes, what to do with the information is an entirely different matter.
Like any health condition, if it is impairing your function in some way, seek professional help or good non-professional help (of course, it is hard for lay-people to detect the latter - there's a lot of crap on the internet regarding sleep). There is much good help available for sleep-physicians, as well as from behavioral health practitioners. There is no one thing that works for all.
Again, like any health condition, be persistent and find what works for you. Also be aware that what works can change over time.
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I love mine. It gave me insight and helped me to see the effect of a few small changes that improved my sleep and the quality of my life. As to "And the data did not help me answer what I should do about my particular sleep problems". My screw driver didn't come with instructions on what I could fix with it either. Duh. that's what Google's for.
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Great article! Count me in that group that wore a FitBit to track my sleep only to become anxious about the disconnect between what I thought was a good night's sleep and FitBit's analysis that I had a crappy night's sleep. I couldn't get rid of that thing fast enough. #nothelpful
It's all about good sleep hygiene - no clock on the nightstand, no TV in the room, no computer or iPhone within 30 minutes of bedtime, and duh, no alcohol.
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Some years ago your newspaper published a Jane Brody column about sleep issues. What I remember is her advice that, for most people, worrying and obsessing about one’s sleep duration and quality made the problem worse. I believe she advised not freaking out about it, catching up with short naps and, if still tired, seeing your doctor about a sleep study and other testing. I don’t need or want a device to tell me I’m tired. I now have a CPAP machine that provides a daily report of apnea related data on the company app. I’ve learned to look at weekly and monthly trends rather than daily ups and downs. Feels much saner.
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Magnesium glycinate and cortisol manager supplements are doing the trick for me.
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Maybe the problem isn’t the device but the people who use it. If people aren’t sleeping because they are anxious, then the devise just gives them one more thing to fret about and this will further add to their anxiety. We are all complicating our lives so much, no wonder people can’t sleep.
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I wouldn't dismiss sleep trackers completely, they can have health benefits... I started tracking my sleep cycles with "Sleep Cycle," which I read about in an article in your newspaper and recommended by Wirecutter, your product evaluation service. It runs on my iPhone, which rests on my night table as I sleep. A great feature is that it tracks my snoring. I was able to make an undeniable correlation between snoring and alcohol. One drink at dinner and I will snore 3 to 4 times at least during the night. More drinks, more snoring. When I don't drink at all in the evening I simply don't snore. Tremendous benefit from this software! My deceased wife would have appreciated this...
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I’ve been using Apple Watch and Auto Sleep for a year now and my sleep went from 3.5 to 7.5 hours per night.
In addition to analyzing the data from Auto Sleep, I adopted practices from CBTi, learned that alcohol destroys sleep my (and most people’s) patterns, and learned how to obtain more sleep after sleep disruption (common in people after their 40s).
Modern health devices won’t help if you can’t make use of the data to guid your behavior. I guess orthosomnia is an issue for some.
But one should be careful not to dismiss sleep tracking out of hand. Doing so is sort of like saying odometers do nothing to help motorists stay within the speed limit.
The result will depend on what you (can) do with the data.
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@mistersquid Odometers do not measure speed they measure distance traveled. Speedometers measure speed.
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We need to be increasingly skeptical around claims that further embracing and adding technology and tracking into every element of our lives stand to optimize and improve it. More and more we are seeing how this has been a convenient fantasy that has failed to pan out.
I work in alternative healthcare, trying to support people in managing the stressors of modern living. I’m pretty sure that my patients with the Apple Watches start to get more frazzled as time goes by. I remember reading on the NYTimes a while back that every time you get a ping or an update or a text message or phone call, your system is flooded with stress hormones. Our gadgets flood us in stress juice on a continual basis. Oftentimes this technology contributes more to the problems than solving them.
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@Bmk5891
Couldn't have said it better......how can ANYONE sleep
well when we are swimming in an Olympic sized pool of data every single day (and night)!
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I have been recently working with a sleep coach dr in Seattle regarding my insomnia issues.
Brian’s research on sleep in this article, and his drs recommendations make sense from what I have learned so far. However, it is possible he is actually getting the amount of sleep he needs, even at 5.5 hours, and that the expectation that he should be sleeping more is actually causing him to get less sleep than he would if he could let go of this “ negative sleep thought” or NST, as coined by sleep researchers and drs.
I was referred to two excellent books by my dr, both well written and obviously based on solid research.
“Quiet Your Mind and Get to Sleep; , solutions to insomnia for those with depression , anxiety, , or chronic pain.” by Carney and Manber. Despite subtitle, this book is for everyone.
Say Goodnight to Insomnia, ; the six week program”, by Gregg Jacobs
Both of these books are down to earth, no wasted words.
I wish everyone good luck in working with their insomnia. I have noticed a remarkable improvement so far in only 3 weeks, and I still am actually sleeping less than 5 hours and not using sleeping medication any more. This exploration has upended all my past understanding of sleep cycles and sleep hygiene.
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A whole article on sleep without a single mention of circadian rhythm? The natural sleep cycle start with the secretion of melatonin when the sky darkens. The overnight hormonal cascade then starts. Interrupt that circadian rhythm and you guarantee poor sleep. All the gizmos won't help, the author is right about that.
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