02 Dec The Impact of Sleep Trackers and Orthosomnia: Balancing Technology and Sleep Health
In recent years, sleep trackers have surged in popularity, helping users monitor their sleep quality with devices like smartwatches, fitness trackers, and bedside sensors. These tools offer insights into sleep duration, stages, and other metrics like heart rate and breathing disturbances. For many, this data is a valuable resource, helping them identify sleep patterns and improve habits. However, an emerging concern is the phenomenon of orthosomnia, a condition where individuals become overly focused on the data provided by sleep trackers, striving for “perfect” sleep and potentially exacerbating sleep issues.
The Rise of Sleep Trackers
Wearable devices like the Oura Ring and WHOOP 4.0 track movement, heart rate, and sometimes oxygen levels to give detailed reports on sleep duration and stages. For individuals dealing with sleep disturbances, these trackers can help pinpoint irregularities in sleep patterns and support decisions for better sleep hygiene. They can be especially useful for active individuals, providing insights into recovery and overall health.
However, these trackers aren’t flawless. While they offer helpful data, their accuracy can vary, and without proper context, users may misinterpret the information. This can lead to frustration, especially for those who are already concerned about their sleep quality, potentially contributing to orthosomnia.
What is Orthosomnia?
Orthosomnia refers to a condition where an individual becomes obsessed with improving their sleep score, driven by the belief that they must achieve “perfect” sleep. The obsession with tracking can distort one’s perception of their sleep health, leading to anxiety, stress, and even worsening sleep quality.
Key factors contributing to orthosomnia include:
- Overreliance on imprecise data: Sleep trackers use algorithms to interpret biological signals, but they often lack the ability to fully capture the complexity of human sleep. Trackers may misclassify wakefulness or fail to account for psychological factors like stress, leading to inaccurate conclusions about sleep quality.
- Misplaced sleep goals: Focusing too much on improving metrics such as sleep duration or deep sleep can result in behaviours that harm sleep quality, like lying still for extended periods to “improve” the score even when awake.
- Distrust of professional sleep studies: Some individuals may come to favour tracker data over formal sleep studies, which are more thorough and capable of diagnosing sleep disorders like sleep apnoea.
- Anxiety and stress: The pressure to achieve ideal sleep scores can lead to sleep-related anxiety, creating a cycle that worsens sleep issues.
The Role of Research in Orthosomnia
While orthosomnia isn’t officially classified as a medical disorder, research into its effects is ongoing. Experts are concerned about the psychological impact of obsessing over sleep tracker data, particularly among individuals with pre-existing sleep issues. As sleep tracker use continues to grow, there is a need for more studies to understand how these devices influence long-term sleep patterns and mental health. The World Sleep Society is working to standardize sleep metrics to provide more reliable data and help users interpret results more accurately.
Addressing Orthosomnia and Improving Sleep Health
Despite the potential drawbacks of sleep trackers, there are several ways to avoid orthosomnia and improve overall sleep health:
- Understand the limitations of sleep trackers: It’s important to view tracker data as a tool rather than an absolute measure of sleep quality. Sleep trackers are not perfect and should be used as part of a broader strategy for improving sleep, including consulting healthcare providers for professional guidance.
- Improve sleep hygiene: Practices like maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, creating a calming bedtime routine, and avoiding electronics before bed are key to good sleep hygiene. These habits can lay the foundation for better sleep, regardless of tracker data.
- Manage stress and anxiety: High levels of stress and anxiety can interfere with sleep quality. Mindfulness practices, meditation, or professional therapy can help reduce these factors. Cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is an effective treatment for addressing thought patterns that contribute to sleep disturbances.
- Consult a sleep specialist: For persistent or severe sleep issues, it’s crucial to seek advice from a sleep specialist who can conduct formal studies and provide a comprehensive evaluation. Unlike trackers, sleep specialists offer more accurate insights into conditions like sleep apnoea and narcolepsy.
Conclusion
Sleep trackers can be useful for identifying patterns and improving sleep hygiene, but when users become fixated on achieving “perfect” sleep, the phenomenon of orthosomnia can emerge, potentially worsening sleep quality. It’s important to use sleep trackers as part of a holistic approach to sleep health, which includes recognizing their limitations, maintaining good sleep hygiene, managing stress, and seeking professional help when necessary.
As technology continues to evolve, further research into the effects of sleep trackers will help ensure they are used effectively, without undermining the quality of sleep or mental well-being. Ultimately, achieving good sleep is a complex, individualized process, and while technology can offer insights, it should complement expert advice and a balanced approach to health.