![]() With decades of first-hand experience dealing with anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, she’s always on the lookout for new (and research-backed) products, techniques, and services that can help people cope with stress and other mental health challenges.Earlier this month, at Apple’s 2022 Worldwide Developers Conference, the company announced improvements to the Apple Watch OS 9, including the addition of sleep stages to the smartwatch’s Sleep app and tracking capabilities. Those measurements alone won’t solve the problem-but, importantly, they can raise awareness and suggest important conversations with our doctors to screen for sleep apnea and other sleep-related concerns, or even added stress, anxiety, or other mental health concerns, that could be indicative of larger health problems.”Īs a seasoned health writer and editor with a special focus on mental health and well-being, Elizabeth Yuko understands how powerful stress-relieving activities can be for many people-as well as the fact that they’re not one-size-fits-all. “While sleep trackers are not diagnostic, their monitoring capabilities can detect snoring and demonstrate patterns of restless sleep cycles. “For individuals with chronic insomnia or parasomnias, I recommend they schedule a sleep study to learn whether they have sleep apnea or any other sleep disorder,” she says. Magavi explains, noting that they’re not as accurate as sleep studies. It’s important to keep in mind that these commercially available sleep trackers aren’t tested or regulated for accuracy, Dr. “Think of your sleep tracker as if it's a person, asking you: ‘It seems like you sleep well and with normal proportions, does this seem accurate?'” he advises. Doescher says that you can fool a tracker by lying quietly while awake. Sleep trackers measure our movement patterns and heart rate quite accurately but still rely on prediction models to build assessments, so they aren't 100 percent accurate. While all sleep trackers will provide you with the same basic information on sleep length and movement, others take other factors into account, including sound and temperature.ĭo you want a device that is designed specifically to be a sleep tracker, or are you looking for something that can perform other health-related functions? Other features can include a pedometer, a pulse oximeter, and/or menstrual cycle tracking. Some under-the-mattress sleep trackers come with two sensors, recording data for two people sleeping in the same bed. If not, you may want to opt for the kind placed under the mattress. Before investing, think about whether you’d be comfortable wearing something on your wrist or finger all night, every night. Stephenson, a physician and expert in functional medicine, recommends a sleep tracker that "will interfere with your actual sleep the least." And that can mean different things for different people. Wearable sleep trackers typically come in the form of watches or rings. In addition to all the usual features, the Tempur-Pedic tracker also monitors the air quality, humidity, and temperature in the bedroom. If you prefer an under-the-mattress option, you may want to invest in the Tempur-Pedic Sleeptracker ( view on Tempurpedic)-especially if you share the bed with another person. Really, it depends on whether or not you prefer a wearable tracker while sleeping. To help make your decision easier, we spoke with the experts to find the best sleep trackers on the market. ![]() ![]() These items also vary on the number of people they support, the type of data collected, and other features available. ![]() The right type of sleep tracker is a matter of personal preference but the rule of thumb is to choose whichever model will cause the least amount of interference. Whatever the cause, it can be helpful to be able to track your sleep to see what you get up to at night and what adjustments you can make to improve your overall sleep quality and potentially even your mental health.įortunately, you no longer have to spend the night in a sleep lab to get data like that because there are a variety of sleep trackers available, either as wearables or other forms of technology. There are also situations where a person might think they’re sleeping well, but, following observation, find out that their sleep is disturbed regularly by everything from nightmares, temperature fluctuations, or conditions like sleep apnea. For a wearable pick that's loaded with extra features, reach for the Fitbit Sense Smartwatch. The Withings Sleep Tracking Pad is easy to install, can detect disturbances in breathing, and works with an app that can share a PDF of the data collected. ![]()
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