Doctors Warn Sleep Trackers Worsen Sleep Anxiety as 32-Year-Old User Describes 3-Year Obsession
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Sep 3
Doctors Warn Sleep Trackers Worsen Sleep Anxiety as 32-Year-Old User Describes 3-Year Obsession
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Sep 3
Summary
Doctors told the BBC they are seeing patients fixate on sleep-tracker data and develop signs of orthosomnia, with the anxiety itself worsening sleep even after reassuring medical tests.
Dr Alanna Hare said commercial "sleep scores" are not recognized in sleep science and were created by manufacturers, while experts say wrist-worn devices mainly infer sleep from movement rather than directly measuring the brain.
One University of Oxford study found fake randomized sleep scores still changed next-day functioning: participants told they slept badly felt more fatigued and were less mentally alert.
Jess Hill, 32, said her Garmin watch drove a 3-year obsession with chasing higher scores before she realized the readings often conflicted with her actual nights, including one 4-hour period awake labeled "great sleep."
Doctors say the better approach is simpler sleep hygiene—morning bright light, light exercise, a Mediterranean-style diet, and a bedroom kept coolish, darkish and quietish rather than perfectly optimized.