By comparison, sleep trackers are less sensitive and more likely to produce inaccurate data. Unlike sleep trackers, polysomnography also collects brain wave data to determine how much time a person spends in the different stages of sleep.Īnalyzing brain wave data is the only definitive method for diagnosing sleep disorders. Sleep trackers collect a limited amount of data compared to polysomnography. Tracking sleep behavior trends may help a doctor monitor the underlying condition more closely.īelow are some answers to frequently asked questions about sleep trackers: How accurate are sleep trackers? Neurological conditions and sleepĬertain neurological conditions may cause sleep disturbances. Sleep disturbances can play a role in the onset or exacerbation of various mental health conditions, including:Ī person who experiences symptoms of any of the above conditions may wish to track their sleep disturbances and share the information with their doctor. This, in turn, may exacerbate mental health symptoms. Some mental health conditions may disturb sleep. underactive thyroid or overactive thyroid.People with chronic conditions that cause nighttime waking may find it useful to collect data on their sleep.

There are many possible causes of sleep disorders, including some physical and mental health conditions, that can cause people to wake easily and frequently.

Out of your recommended 8 hours, that works out to anything between 62 and 110 minutes.įirst up: if your phases of deep sleep seem to pale in comparison to your light sleep according to your tracker, don’t stress about it, Dr Revell says.A sleep tracker may help a person identify trends in their sleep behavior and may alert them to possible sleep disorders. How can I get more deep sleep?įor most healthy adults, 13 to 23% of your sleep is deep sleep. ‘This is when all the necessary repairs to your body take place,’ Dr Revell says.

No surprises, since this is when deep sleep is crucial for creating and storing new memories, physical renewal, hormonal regulation, and growth. You need this stage of sleep in order to feel refreshed in the morning. Your heartbeat, breathing and braiwaves slow to their lowest levels during the night and your muscles relax. ‘You’ll have more restorative sleep in the earlier parts of the night, and at the end of the night you’ll have more REM sleep.’ What happens during deep sleep?Īlso known as slow wave, stage 3 or restorative sleep, deep sleep this is where the magic happens. ‘These cycles repeat throughout the night,’ Dr Revell explains. During those cycles you go through light sleep, deep sleep, which is your slow-wave or restorative sleep, and REM sleep, or rapid-eye movement sleep. When you sleep at night you go through cycles that last about 90 to 100 minutes. ‘It pays to listen to it.’ What are the sleep stages? ‘There’s no better sounding board for the quality of sleep than your own body,’ he adds. So putting pressure on yourself to get the perfect eight hours is likely to lead to less sleep, not more.’ The stress of worrying whether you’re clocking up enough sleep could, ironically, be enough keep you awake, says Nick Littlehales, an elite sports sleep coach and author of Sleep. It’s when people go too far down the rabbit hole of various graphs and stats that trackers can become problematic. And now people are starting to really prioritise sleep, seeing it as a health goal, which is brilliant.’ ‘Historically in the UK, I think there has been this culture where people were proud of surviving on 3 hours sleep. A tracker that makes you think, ‘Do you know what, I only got to bed 6 hours before I had to be up today, I’ll try harder tonight’, can be valuable, she adds. ‘I think it’s good to be conscious how much sleep you’re getting and when you’re going to bed,’ Dr Revell says. ‘They can give us a good feel for rest-activity patterns.’ Are sleep trackers bad for you?Īs always, it depends. They’re also wrist-based trackers, not unlike some on this list. ‘When we want to look at people’s sleep at home, we use devices called Actiwatches,’ she says. Since most trackers only use sensors to track heart rate, movement and occasionally breathing, they’re not going to give you as comprehensive a picture of your sleep as a laboratory test – but that’s not to say there is no value in them at all, Dr Revell adds. ‘We place electrodes at various points in the scalp to measure your brain waves in different regions, on either side of the eyes to track eye movement and underneath the chin to track muscle tone, and we also put ECG pads on to track heart rate,’ she says. Go to Bed 16 Minutes Earlier Tonight – Here's Why

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