Do sleep trackers help you get better sleep?
More than one-third of Americans have turned to apps or devices to track the quality of their sleep. But do sleep trackers help you get better sleep?
Now, more people than ever before have their eyes on their nocturnal goals.
Whether it's an Apple Watch, Fitbit, Oura Ring or apps, 35% of Americans are tracking sleep, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
When asked how often people take sleep trackers up, Fargo-based Dr. Seema Khosla said, "every single day, for years and years and years, every day, we'll toggle through, you know, they'll hand over their phone, and I'll toggle through, and we'll kind of compare."
Khosla says even she doesn't know exactly how the apps track sleep, as it's proprietary information. But they are getting more specialized, like Apple's new sleep apnea sensor. Still, she says gauging accuracy is tricky.
"So it's a very, very competitive industry, right? So, is Apple the same as Fitbit the same as Garmin? No, but can we really know what all the algorithms and signals are?" Khosla said.
Khosla added that she consistently sees correlations between the device data and her sleep lab data. As for the device users, a survey shows 77% of them found sleep trackers helpful, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
WCCO asked Khosla if she thinks devices lead to better sleep.
"I think a lot of it depends on why you used it," she said. "So if you used it because you're worried about snoring, and then you do a test and you find out you have sleep apnea, and then you get on treatment, then, yeah, I think that improves your sleep."
The problem, Khosla says, is when users start fixating on daily sleep numbers.
"It can make you obsessive, which is counterproductive to sleep," she said. "I think if you're worried about your sleep, like, for example, if you're snoring and your sleep is not restorative, don't wait for the tracker. We always want to bring it back to what you are experiencing."
Khosla says whether devices flag a problem or just keep someone accountable, they can bring a sense of peace, and that technology does appear to be getting more accurate.
There is also ongoing research into how new sleep-tracking mattresses will perform.
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