Sleep as a whole is a vital process for a person in all aspects of life. From negative impacts on immune function to mental function and health, sleep is necessary to promote health and wellbeing. When assessing sleep disorders the gold standard is polysomnography testing. This testing allows healthcare professionals to assess sleep quality through monitoring of brain activity, eye movement, body movement and positioning, snoring and respiratory activity.
But what about those little devices we wear on our wrists? How accurate are they in assessing sleep?
Wrist-worn devices have many advantages, from accessibility, cost effectiveness and user friendliness. It is easy to see the benefits of their use. But, does this mean that they are the better choice?While the technology for these devices is rapidly improving, the effectiveness and validity of their use in diagnosing sleep disorders has yet to proven. The accuracy and validity of results is not verified, and issues of privacy and data access have been raised.
While these devices can offer insight into sleep, polysomnography is still the best method of diagnosis.
References:
Jeong-Lee, Y., Yong Lee, J., Hoon Cho, J., Jin Kang, Y. & Ho Choi, J. (2025) Performance of consumer wrist-worn sleep tracking devices compared to polysomnography: a meta-analysis. Journal of clinical sleep medicine. 21(3). DOI: https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.11460
