Author Abandons 24/7 Health Tracking After Hospital Scare Exposes Anxiety Behind Optimization
Updated
Updated · BuzzFeed · Jul 27
Author Abandons 24/7 Health Tracking After Hospital Scare Exposes Anxiety Behind Optimization
2 articles · Updated · BuzzFeed · Jul 27
Summary
Weeks of hospital tests earlier this year pushed the author to rethink a rigid longevity routine after an unexpected health scare came back clear but exposed how little control optimization really offers.
Dr Lucy Viney, a clinical psychologist, says health tracking turns harmful when awareness becomes over-monitoring, shifting self-care into threat-based checking, perfectionism and anxiety about every missed workout or poor sleep score.
That pattern can fuel “orthosomnia” — chasing perfect sleep metrics so intensely that the pursuit itself worsens sleep anxiety, irritability and the feeling of never being done.
The author says the response has been to “un-optimise” — allowing imperfect sleep, flexible eating and missed routines — as social media also shows a broader move away from rigid wellness metrics toward balance.