Sleep Tracking via Smart Watch

Back in the day, if we wanted to know how we slept, it was pretty much a stab in the dark. Or alternatively, keeping a handwritten sleep journal.  

These days though, with wearable devices, we have a pretty easy, in fact, a totally effortless way to do this. Questions arose for me: do we need this? What benefits will this give us?

I worried that it would make me more obsessed with sleeping, or rather, not sleeping, than I already am. Goodness knows that is the last thing that I needed. I already spend so much time and energy thinking about it. Alas, curiosity, as always, got the better of me, and I dived in to find out more.

Choosing a sleep tracking device

Welcome to 2021 folks, the choice is yours. There are all sorts of brands, styles, and colours available. 

One thing I would be sure to look out for is that you buy quality. I would rather spend a little more now and get a decent device versus needing to replace it in a few weeks or months.

Mine is waterproof and stays on my arm unless it is charging. What I must tell you is that I chose a smart band instead of a watch for convenience. The battery lasts so long (3 to 5 weeks) and charges within 30 minutes when it is flat.

What are the benefits of sleep wearables?

For me, a really nice thing is to be able to actually see what is going on with my sleep. How much deep sleep are you getting versus how many hours of light sleep? How often do you wake up at night and for how long?

Having this information on hand can be beneficial to figure out how you can improve things in your life to target certain issues. I was rather surprised to learn that I sometimes do not wake as often as I thought I did.

However, on those nights, I had little to no deep sleep, which means for me that I need to target finding ways to improve that part. It could honestly also be that it just speaks to my inner nerd and makes me happy to know what is going on.

Discussions with your doctor

Sleep trackers are also really helpful to have when you discuss things with your doctor. Most devices link to an app that can pull reports and give you some really great information.

After having a chat with my doctor, he said that sleep trackers, while not 100 percent accurate, certainly help in tracking patterns, which can prove helpful when dealing with a diagnosis of more serious sleeping conditions.

Reminding myself that it's not just in my head

So being careful not to get too obsessed with checking my watch every day, when I am feeling extra tired, I look down. When I see that last night was indeed even worse than I thought, I am instantly reminded that it is not in my head and it is very real and tangible. I feel a little less wild minded, albeit still tired.

Do you use a tracker to keep an eye on your sleep? If so, do you have a preferred device? Have you found that there are any distinct advantages or disadvantages to using this? I would love to hear some feedback.