How and Why Can You Track Your Sleep?

How and Why Should You Track Your Sleep?

You daily fall asleep at 11 pm, and wake at 7 am in the morning, yet you feel tired someday in the morning. Do you know why? Did you ever track your sleep and your sleep patterns? Read on why it is important.

It has been said that getting 8 hours of what seems like good rest. But, many of us are complaining about feeling tired in the morning. It’s probably because you aren’t getting sufficient deep sleep to restore your body and mind truly.

Instead of guessing how many hours you’re getting or wondering if you tossed and turned all night, you can get hard data by tracking your sleep.

Track Your Sleep

Thanks to the latest technology, you can have access to sleep tracking functionality at home.

You can now buy wearable sleep trackers that will keep track of your sleep patterns so that you can become more aware of the length of time you sleep, the stages of sleep that you reach, and the quality of sleep that you’ve enjoyed.

These days, we can customize more things in our life than ever before. We can personalize our clothes, phones, and homes, so it makes sense to personalize your sleep patterns.

Not all of us need the same amount of sleep every night, but if you track your patterns, you can better understand how many hours is right for you.

If you’re having sleep problems, a wearable sleep tracker will help you to pinpoint the cause of your sleep issues. At one time, the only option was to go to a sleep lab to get a professional assessment.

Now, you can have similar functionality in your comfortable bed. With the accuracy and accessibility of modern sleep trackers, you can spot problematic patterns and change your habits for the better.

If you track your sleep patterns, you will also begin to wake at the optimal time. Many of the best sleep trackers have a smart alarm to wake you when you’re during the lightest sleep stage.

This stops you from waking groggy and irritable. Instead, you’ll feel ready and rested from the get-go for a more productive day.

Use of technology to track your sleep

It is good to keep your phone or any gadget out of your reach while you sleep, but if you’re already sleeping with your phone, make it work for you by tracking your sleep (1).

Sleep applications

Several apps use your phone’s accelerometer or sonar waves emitted from your phone to detect movement. All you have to do is place your phone on the mattress next to you.

Every morning, you’ll be able to see how long you slept and how much you moved while sleeping, which can indicate that you’re not getting enough restorative deep sleep.

The application you can use;

  • Sleep Score (Both android and IOS)
  • Sleep Cycle (Both android and IOS)
  • Sleep Time (Both android and IOS)

Nowadays, many phones have reminders to set your bedtime and wake up time. Once set, your phone will alert you when it’s time to go to bed to get the amount of sleep you desire.

You can see the data in the Sleep Analysis section of the Health app.

Fitness trackers

Many of these devices have already come equipped to track sleep. Several Fitbit models, the Apple Watch, the Motiv Ring, and others all track sleep efficiency by measuring your movements throughout the night.

They track your sleep based on how long you’re in REM cycle sleep or whether you move around a lot while you’re snoozing – you can use a fitness tracker.

But make sure these devices aren’t designed specifically for sleep; it’s a good idea to double-check their accuracy.

Smart beds and sensors

Nowadays, many smart mattresses or dedicated sleep sensors such as iFit Sleep HR or Eight Sleep Tracker are available to track your sleep.

Sensors fit under or over your existing mattress to track movement, plus heart and respiratory rates. They use that data to tell you how long it takes you to fall asleep and how long you spent in each sleep cycle throughout the night.

Though using apps is a great way to track your sleep, they’re not a perfect solution either.

Sometimes, the mobile apps or sensors can be thwarted by mattress movement, your phone can fall off the bed, and they can also cause your phone to overheat if it’s under sheets and blankets.

Analyzing the data

After several nights of tracking your sleep, you’ll end up compiling the data on how much “deep” vs. “light” sleep you’re getting, how often you move or wake up, time spent in each sleep cycle, or – in some cases – how much you snore, etc.

The sleep tracker application does not provide you the remedy on how to make changes to your sleep habits based on that data.

You can explore the below points to analyze your sleep patterns;

If you’re not hitting the number of hours you need: It’s time to adjust your bedtime or wake up call.

If you’re sleeping but not getting much deep sleep: It could mean your bedroom is too hot or cold or that you need to cut back on caffeine or alcohol.

If you have some underlying health condition: You might also have underlying sleep conditions, like sleep apnea or insomnia, that you should get checked out by a doctor.

If you wake up a lot at night or toss and turn: It could mean you’re sleeping too hot, that caffeine or alcohol is interfering with your sleep, or you’re dealing with stress.

The Benefits of Sleep Tracking

If you invest in a sleep tracker, you can improve your sleep quality and, in turn, the quality of life you can enjoy. More of us a stressed and anxious than ever before, so getting enough quality sleep is imperative.

If you are sleep deprived over extended periods, you are vulnerable to medical problems, both physical and mental. Heart disease, respiratory disease, and type II diabetes have all been linked with insomnia.

While we’re very aware of what we’re doing during the day, our routines often get lost during the night.

We’re used to monitoring behavior patterns during the day, from what we eat to how much exercise we get, so we should start to do the same during the nocturnal hours.

If you track your sleep, the greatest benefit is that you’ll start to spot links between your sleep patterns and overall wellness.

For example, you’ll discover whether drinking coffee or consuming caffeine impacts negatively on your sleep or whether the alcohol that you drink affects the quality of your rest.

You’ll also find out whether the time at which you exercise affects your sleep patterns, whether exercising in the evening or morning is most beneficial for you, as well as whether spending time outdoors improves or worsens your rest.

You’ll be able to see if there is a link between your use of devices and computers and the quality of your sleep, and how much your sleep, or lack of it, correlates with the stress and anxiety levels you experience.

You’ll even be able to determine whether eating late in the evening or whether certain foods affect your sleep, and for women, whether their menstrual cycle causes their sleep quality to fluctuate.

By pinpointing these patterns, you can then easily choose to adopt changes in your lifestyle that will help you sleep more effectively and help you be more productive, more fit, healthy, and more positive in all areas of your life.

My words

Sleep is a vital element for physical health problems such as hypertension and heart diseases, but it also affects mental well-being, leading to anxiety and depression. All these can cause you severe and lasting repercussions.

Whether you work shifts, have family responsibilities, or struggle to get all your school or college work done, fitting in enough rest can be a serious challenge.

So, how can you resolve that problem? The answer could lie in tracking your sleep patterns.

Do some necessary lifestyle changes to overcome poor sleep patterns. If you’re waking up exhausted all the time or having trouble staying awake during the day, go and consult your doctor.

You must read:

  1. How to sleep better naturally at night
  2. A warm glass of milk before bed
  3. 7 benefits of good sleep