Sleep healthy
Between dream and technology: How well help sleeping trackers?
Sleep trackers promise to better understand our sleep. But how reliable are they? A look at methods, models and what you really measure.
People overlage around a third of his life. And although sleep is essential for our well -being, we often know surprisingly little about how we actually sleep. Are there seven hours or rather five? Are we waking up at night? Do we dream? And what about the notorious rem phases? Sleep trackers should clarify here. They want to make visible what happens in our body in secret – and help us to live healthier.
With sensors, algorithms and apps, watch our pulse, our movement, sometimes even our breathing. The trend is unbroken: sleeping tracking is no longer a niche for technology fans, but a topic for everyone who worries about their health or simply curious about what happens at night.
Why good sleep is so important
Sufficient and relaxing sleep is not a luxury, but a basic requirement for physical and mental health. As we sleep, our brain goes through cleaning processes, stores what experienced and processes emotional impressions. The body in turn regenerates cells, strengthens the immune system and brings metabolism and hormone balance in balance.
If this rhythm is missing regularly, far -reaching consequences: concentration weakness, irritability, increased blood pressure, weight gain or even an increased risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes or depression can result.
So if you drag yourself tiredly through everyday life, even though you have supposedly slept for eight hours, you are doing well to take a closer look – or listen to your own sleep with the help of a tracker.
What does sleeping tracking bring?
Sleep trackers promise to bring light into the nightly dark. They draw on when we fall asleep, how often we move, whether we snor, how regularly our heart beats – and classify all this data in so -called sleep phases: light sleep, deep sleep, rem. The next morning, the app will present a detailed report including “sleeping score”.
But why the whole thing? In the best case, the data helps to recognize patterns. If you get too little deep sleep regularly, even though you are in bed for a long time, you can rethink your daily rhythm. If you find that late meals or alcohol disturb your sleep, you can consciously counteract.
So sleeping tracking is not a therapy – but a tool. It does not replace a medical sleep laboratory, but it can be the first step to listen to your own body better.
What Tracker (not) can measure
The question of accuracy becomes critical. Because most trackers are based on motion sensors (actigraphy) and optical pulse measurement. This is enough to recognize rough patterns – but not to distinguish precisely between the different sleep phases.
Scientists and sleep doctors emphasize that only an EEG in the sleep laboratory can clearly clarify the phase in which the brain is currently. Tracker, on the other hand, derives their information from indirect signals. This means that the results can be useful – but also carry.
Another problem: Many trackers rate sleep with a score. But what does that mean specifically? A night with a score of 65 may not be “worse” than one with 80 – depending on how sensitive the device reacts. So here a awake look at the data is required – and the awareness that technology is not a substitute for body feeling.
Which trackers for which everyday life?
If you think about getting a sleeping tracker, you will quickly face an abundance of possibilities. The decision depends heavily on how visible tracking can be in everyday life – and which additional functions are desired.
A classic is the pulse measurement on the wrist. Models like that Drawing heart rate, movement patterns and breathing rate reliably – and at the same time offer classic fitness functions. If you want to think of your daily activity, stress levels and sleep quality together, you will find a solid solution here. Also the Going this way: With your AMOLED display and the possibility of analyzing health data in an overall system, she addresses people who want to consciously structure their everyday life. In contrast to the Fitbit, it is also a full -fledged smartwatch.
If you are uncomfortable to wear a tracker in your sleep, you can use devices that work completely without skin contact. The For example, it is simply put under the mattress and measures movements, respiratory frequency and even snoring from there. Data transmission is automatically to the smartphone. Such a solution is particularly suitable for everyone who wants to have your sleep recorded undisturbed.
If you like it very minimalist, you will find in (3. Generation) A compact alternative: the ring measures pulse, temperature changes and movements without landing on the bedside table or acting as a watch. This is a discrete solution, especially for people who do not want to wear a tracker on the wrist professionally or stylistically.
Classic smartwatches have long since offered detailed sleep analyzes. The For example, there is an extensive evaluation of chronotypes, sleep phases and individual recommendations to improve sleep quality – a sensible compromise if you wear a watch anyway.
Limits of technology: when trackers do not help
As helpful as sleeping trackers can be – they reach borders. Anyone who suffers from serious sleep disorders, for example sleep apnea or insomnia, should not rely solely on technical devices. Medical help is required here.
The psychological component should not be underestimated either: some people develop a kind of sleep tracking stress. They look at the app in the morning and are frustrated when the night was “badly” rated – even though they actually feel relaxed.
In such cases, tracking can harm more than benefit. Then the following applies: Better trust your own body feeling again – and deliberately take technical times.
Learn to understand sleep – a process
Sleep has a complex event. No device in the world can grasp the whole depth of our nightly experience – but many can give us impetus to better pay attention to it. A sleeping tracker does not replace a feel for your own rhythm, but it can help to recognize patterns. And sometimes that’s enough to develop new routines: go to bed earlier, more movement during the day, less screen light in the evening.
Anyone who understands the tracker as an impulse provider – not as a judge about good or bad sleep – can benefit from him.
*This article contains so-called affiliate links to products in online shops. If a user clicks on it and buys something, the publisher receives a commission from the dealer, not from the manufacturer. Of course, where and when you buy a product is up to you.
Source: Stern
I’m Caroline, a journalist and author for 24 Hours Worlds. I specialize in health-related news and stories, bringing real-world impact to readers across the globe. With my experience in journalism and writing in both print and online formats, I strive to provide reliable information that resonates with audiences from all walks of life.
