Experts Say 1 in 2 Irish Wearables Misread Sleep Stages as Users Chase 8-Hour Scores
Updated
Updated · Stuff · Aug 12
Experts Say 1 in 2 Irish Wearables Misread Sleep Stages as Users Chase 8-Hour Scores
3 articles · Updated · Stuff · Aug 12
Summary
Sleep researchers said smartwatches and rings are only moderately good at estimating total sleep time and are poor at measuring deep, light and REM stages.
Polysomnography remains the gold standard because sleep stages are identified with brain electrodes, eye movement, muscle tone and breathing—signals wrist devices can only approximate through heart rate and motion.
That gap matters because daily sleep scores can fuel anxiety and “hyperfocus,” with experts and sleep consultants warning that trying to optimize sleep can itself make sleep worse, especially for teenagers.
Wearables can still help by showing long-term trends and reinforcing Sleep hygiene, but experts said subjective refreshment on waking is a better guide than an app’s nightly score.
Broader concern about sleep quality has grown with research linking disrupted sleep to conditions including stroke, dementia and Parkinson’s, even as clinicians stress that common disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnoea need proper diagnosis.