I Gave Up Sleep Tracking For A Week, And I've Never Felt More Rested

Fitness tracker on the left: morning walk on the rightSpeaking to HuffPost UK previously, sleep expert Dr Nerina Ramlakhan from Oak Tree Mobility told us that “there’s a form of insomnia that has risen... called ‘orthosomia’, a term for the obsession with getting a good night’s sleep.”It might affect type-A people and perfectionists more than others, she suggested, and could paradoxically make existing sleep problems worse. She added, “Alongside the strategies and supplements for getting better sleep that are flooding the market, trackers have joined the sleep bandwagon. Trackers can (up to a point) be helpful, but I think they’re driving an unhelpful obsession.” I have to confess that even though I know the importance of “clock blocking” and avoiding as much worry as I can at night, I’ve become obsessed with my own smart watch. But after a little bit of skin irritation and frankly forgetting to put it back on my wrist after a previous charge, I accidentally ended up following Dr Ramalkhan’s advice: I haven’t been wearing the fitness tracker that logs my sleep for a week.And honestly, I’ve already been impressed by how much more rested I feel.Why might sleep tracking make sleep worse?If trackers help you, that’s all the evidence you need to keep using them. But as sleep expert Kathryn Pinkham, founder of The Insomnia Clinic, told Which?, they might make those with existing poor sleep (like me) panic more about their poor “performance”. This stress forms a vicious cycle, ironically keeping worriers up at night. This happened to me most nights. I would anxiously tell my partner I’d only had four to six hours last night, and spend the rest of the day battling fatigue and panic in equal, exhausting turns. I’d avoid naps for fear of ruining my sleep cycle, then feel too awake, and too anxious at being awake, to fall asleep at night.But by day two of not using a tracker, I noticed I wasn’t thinking about my sleep as much – since then, I’ve woken up far more refreshed. This included nights I think my watch would have told me constituted a “bad” sleep. The less I knew about the supposed quality of my sleep – which some say trackers may not measure as accurately as experts like – the better I felt.Perhaps it might be as Dr Ramlahkhan said: “With sleep trackers, unless you’re having your data measured in a lab, you need to take it all with a pinch of salt.“Your tracker may say you didn’t get good sleep, but maybe you feel great. Check in with yourself before you check your data.” How can I tell if I should give up sleep tracking?Again, everyone’s different. But, per Dr Ramlahkhan, “An important thing is not to get too obsessed with the numbers, and take a break from tracking if you find yourself in that position.”She also said many of us might be looking at the data from trackers with overly short sight, thereby accidentally misunderstanding their insights.“Once you’ve been wearing it for a while (at least 6 months to a year), only then can you start to look at the trends,” she revealed.“For example, if you change some elements of your life such as cutting back on caffeine, exercising more, and drinking less alcohol, then it can be helpful to see this reflected on the tracker.” But if you think your tracker might be harming your sleep more than it helps, and if the data causes you more worry than curiosity, it might be time to put yours to bed.Related...4 Napping Mistakes A Sleep Doctor Would Never MakeThis 'Tart' Fruit Is Linked To Improved Sleep And ArthritisThe Sleeping Mistake A Surgeon Says People With Back Pain Should Never Make

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