Sleep - Using wearable to track sleep

It is an exciting time to be a healthcare professional. There is an influx of scientific information, innovation, and a growing interest from people seeking guidance into how to become healthier and live longer, more active lives.

We have an unprecedented amount of quality data and information about how sleep directly impacts so many aspects of our health as well as many innovations to support quality sleep. One such innovation is wearables, which have become a major trend among people that want to track their metrics to optimize their overall health and performance.

As a health advocate, I am all for people taking control of their own health and looking for as many ways as they can to create positive habits and lifestyles, but a question arises: Should everyone be utilizing a wearable to track their sleep?

There is no one size fits all strategy in improving one’s health. The best outcomes come from tailoring a plan that fits an individual’s lifestyle, personality, goals, and creates an environment that allows the changes made by the person to more easily turn into a consistent behavior. Wearing a tracker can create an opportunity in which one can learn how certain habits, actions, and environments can directly impact their sleep. This information can be valuable in order to develop better habits, make better choices, and create a better sleep environment in which to give you the best chance for quality sleep.

Some people can use their sleep score just as that, a score that can help them make better choices, notice if they are getting off their normal routine and adjust, or to determine if they need to make changes in their sleep environment. If you fall into this category, utilizing a tracker can be beneficial for you.

For others, wearing a tracker can trigger some possibly negative behavioral traits that may create a negative impact or relationship around sleep. Below are some characteristics that may cause you to reconsider if wearing a tracker for sleep is for you:

• Preoccupation with sleep tracker data- ruminating and anxiety/shame around the data
• Obsessive compulsive- frequently checking the sleep tracker
• Unable to disassociate the data from the tracker to how you actually feel- understand that the algorithms utilized to create these scores are not completely accurate
• Anxiety or stress if unable to use the device to track your sleep

These all fall under the category which is termed orthosomnia, an obsession with pursuing optimal sleep at any cost. This can lead to even more anxiety and even greater loss of sleep when you end up missing the mark. People that display this characteristic may oftentimes manifest insomnia-like symptoms, such as difficulty falling asleep at night, waking up throughout the night, waking up too early, not feeling well rested, tiredness throughout the day, anger, anxiety, and difficulty paying attention just to name a few. If you are aware of any tendencies of perfectionism or obsessive compulsion in other areas of your life, utilizing a tracker of any kind may not be the best option for you. Link

If you are unable to utilize a tracker for any reason, there are still some options available to you. Creating a daily journal on how you feel, estimated hours of sleep, and any difficulties you may have encountered can give you an understanding of how actions, feelings, or decisions in your day may have influenced your sleep. Creating a realistic sleep schedule that you can stick with that gives you the opportunity to get around 7-9 hours of sleep, as studies have shown that sleep regularity has a huge positive impact on decreasing risk of all-cause mortality. Figure out what works best for you and supports a positive relationship with sleep. Link

In the end, remember there is no such thing as perfect. There are multiple ways in which you can create habits and an environment that promotes sufficient and quality sleep. The tools you utilize should support your efforts and not create anxiety or increase your overall stress loads, as this will contribute to the opposite of what you are looking to achieve.