2019-07-19 14:44:56gdsec399

Sleep trackers tend to be inaccurate

We’re all well aware that getting a good night’s sleep can do wonders for our overall health and well-being. It can make you more alert and more creative. It can strengthen your heart, your mind and your mood. 
It’s no wonder people have become obsessed with tracking their sleep. Nearly 22% of U.S. adults use a wearable sleep tracking device, and about half of the nation’s population would consider buying one.
But even though sleep trackers have become increasingly popular in recent years, many health experts think they’re kind of, well, bogus. Not only are the tools fairly inaccurate, but they also don’t offer a deep, comprehensive look at our sleep patterns.
“The common use of commercially available sleep trackers by the general public should be done so with a clear understanding that these are very limited tools that at best can tell you a bit more about your sleep duration and sleep timing,” said Dr. Jeffrey Durmer, a sleep medicine physician and chief medical officer of the sleep health company FusionHealth.
Here’s what you should know about sleep trackers and why they might not be all they’re cracked up to be:
Sleep Trackers Tend To Be Inaccurate
Richard Shane, a behavioral sleep therapist." alt="The basic methodology behind sleep trackers is that when you're awake, you move more, and when you're asleep, you're still. But that's not always the case, according to Richard Shane, a behavioral sleep therapist." 
Sleep trackers typically measure how long you’re sleeping based on your movement throughout the night. The basic methodology behind the tool is that when you’re awake, you move more, and when you’re asleep, you’re still. 
This might be true, generally, but it isn’t always the case, said Richard Shane, a behavioral sleep therapist and developer of the Sleep Easy method.
“Somebody could be, let’s say, a serious insomniac and they have trained themselves to lay very still when they’re not sleeping, and the activity monitor or motion sensor will record that as being asleep,” Shane said. “Likewise, somebody could be sleeping but very restless in their sleep, and their device might measure that as being awake.”
Consequently, these trackers don’t get a laser-sharp look at how long you’ve been asleep. In certain cases, people who may be zonked out might assume they’re missing out on z’s based on false data. And what’s even more concerning is that people with actual sleep disorders may be fooled into thinking their sleep is deep or healthier than it really is, Durmer said.
They’re Also Pretty Limited
Not only do most sleep trackers tend to be inaccurate, but they’re also fairly limited. To get a solid understanding of your sleep quality, you need to evaluate much more than the duration of your snooze. 
Mapping out your brain waves is the best way to monitor what stage of sleep you’re in (like REM sleep, for example) and determine if you may have a sleep disorder, Shane said. Eye movement helps, too, as do breathing patterns and blood oxygen levels — all things an app or wearable can’t track. 
The insights that sleep trackers provide — such as a report saying you got “light sleep” — aren’t considered to be clinical or medically sound definitions. Rather, this is more or less the company’s way of interpreting and making sense of your sleep data, Durmer said. Additionally, the trackers also don’t share the reasons behind your sleep patterns or potential steps you can take to improve your sleep.