Unlocking Better Health: The Benefits of Tracking Your Sleep

Research has confirmed that sleep is as important to human health and survival as food and water. [1,2] Although most of us are fully aware that it's a necessary component of excellent physical and mental health, insufficient sleep is still highly prevalent in our 24-hour society. [3]

So, now that we know that lack of sleep is a problem…what do we do about it?

Even experts in the pharmaceutical community acknowledge that medications developed to help us get our necessary sleep can only take us so far. As with all medications, there can be significant side effects.

These may include reduced daytime alertness, constipation, or even overdependence. Healthy sleep requires a combination of good lifestyle choices, a restful sleep environment, and comprehensive, evidence-based guidance.[4,5]

At Sleepme, we’re passionate about the fact that knowledge is power.

An excellent solution to getting personalized information about how well we sleep is by using a sleep tracker.

Understanding Sleep Trackers

While the body is resting, the brain and related hormonal systems are anything but inactive. Sleep trackers provide a window to what actually happens internally during sleep by recording several critical metrics, including but not limited to:

• Overall heart rate.
• Heart rate variability (HRV).
• Respiratory rate
• Display Overall Sleep Score
• Body Temperature
• Deep Sleep
• Sleep Stages
• Wakefulness. [6,7]

Sleepme Sleep Tracker

There are other sleep trackers available, but ours contains advanced technology, making it an the most accurate one available. Combining it with the Chilipad Dock Pro Sleep System, it becomes the world’s smartest sleep monitoring advice that can provide real-time improvements to your sleep, automatically adjusting your bed temperature to accommodate individual sleep needs.  

Not only is it the best sleep tracker, but it offers a feature allowing users to wake up naturally when the Chilipad Dock Pro is paired with it. Replace the jarring alarm clock sounds with gentle warming that triggers your body’s natural wake response.

Read More: Non-Wearable vs. Wearable Trackers

Instead of waking up feeling groggy and irritable, you start your day feeling refreshed and energized, setting you up for a more productive and fulfilling day ahead.

Let's take a closer look at the benefits of sleep trackers.

Benefits of Tracking Your Sleep

Sleep monitoring has numerous advantages. If you're currently using one, you can expect to gain the following benefits from the experience:

Understanding Personal Sleep Patterns

Although we share numerous sleep characteristics, not everyone is the same regarding specific patterns. For example, the 24-hour sleep cycle (or circadian rhythm) isn’t the same for everyone. Some people have a rhythm that's slightly more than 24 hours, whereas others have slightly less. 

This could make a difference regarding whether someone is a night owl or a morning person. According to Harvard Health, some of these differences are (at least in part) determined by genetics. [8,9]

A sleep tracker can help us determine how we cycle through the nighttime circadian rhythm through its sleep-tracking capabilities, collecting heart rate, HRV, sleep duration, light sleep, different stages of sleep, deep sleep, respiration rate, and more. This sleep data can show whether we're proceeding normally through our stages of sleep.

Identification of Sleep Disorders

Regularly tracking sleep patterns can help identify potential symptoms of sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, insomnia, or restless leg syndrome.

By analyzing the data collected, one can detect any irregularities, such as difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings during the night, or excessive daytime sleepiness. Early detection of these symptoms can lead to timely and effective treatment, ultimately helping to manage these conditions better.

Therefore, incorporating sleep monitoring into your daily routine can be instrumental in maintaining optimal sleep health and enhancing your overall well-being.

Discovering Potential Sleep Problems

A very common sleep problem among adults is called sleep efficiency. It's the amount of time we spend in bed compared to actual sleep time. We often turn in early enough to get the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. [10] However, if we only get 5 out of 8 hours, our efficiency is about 63%. This is far below the normal efficiency rate of 85%. [11]

Various situations cause and/or exacerbate sleep concerns, such as excessive daytime stress or being too hot at night. The data points provides the necessary ‘yellow flags’ that alert us before problems get too serious.

Improving the Quality of Sleep

By monitoring, you can identify patterns and behaviors that impact the quality of your sleep. This information can help you adjust your habits, leading to more restful and rejuvenating sleep.

Gather data can reveal valuable insights into your sleep habits, and behaviors. By keeping track of factors such as the amount of time you spend sleeping, the quality of your sleep, and any disturbances or interruptions during the night, you can better understand how well you're resting.

With this information, you can make informed decisions about improving your sleep habits. This can include adjusting your bedtime routine, creating a comfortable sleep environment, or seeking medical advice for underlying sleep disorders.

Adopting healthy sleep habits can lead to better and rejuvenating sleep, which can positively impact your overall health and well-being.

Establishing Personalized Sleep Hygiene Habits

Sleep hygiene involves creating a set of practices that foster the ideal environment for quality sleep. Key aspects of this include:

• Keeping your bedroom dark
• Utilizing cooling sleep systems for optimal temperature control.
• Engaging in relaxing activities like yoga or meditation.
• Incorporating deep breathing exercises 

Determining which habits work best for you is a process of exploration and experimentation. Utilizing the data can be an invaluable tool in this journey, providing clear insights into the effectiveness of your sleep hygiene practices and indicating when adjustments might be necessary for improved sleep quality.

Promoting Good Health

Getting a good night's sleep is crucial for maintaining good physical health. Studies have shown that people who get enough restful sleep have a stronger immune system, which helps the body fight off infections and illnesses. 

Sleep also plays an important role in weight management, as it helps regulate appetite and metabolism. People who don't get enough sleep often find it harder to control their food intake and are more likely to gain weight. 

Furthermore, lack of sleep has been linked to an increased risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Therefore, monitoring and improving the quality of sleep can go a long way in promoting good physical health.

Did You Know: Dr. William C. Dement, considered the ‘father of sleep science,’ was among the first to describe chronic sleep problems and emphasized that our society of sleepiness was a major public health risk. [12]

Since his research in the 1950s, health experts have repeatedly confirmed that when we make sleep a priority, we can better manage and possibly prevent a host of medical conditions, including obesity, diabetes, and mood disorders. [13-15] 

SPECIAL NOTE: It’s understandably difficult to handle many types of sleep disorders, such as insomnia, sleepwalking, or hypersomnia (excessive sleep) on your own. Contacting your physician whenever you feel in need is always recommended.

Read More: 12 Strategies to Improve Your HRV

Best Practices for Sleep Tracking

Years of experience, collaboration, and research have allowed the sleepme team to develop a list of best practices for maximizing the benefits of tracking sleep.

Consistent Usage

If you want to gather accurate and comprehensive data, it is recommended to use your sleep-tracking device consistently every night.

This is important because the device tracks your sleep over time and provides a detailed analysis of your sleep patterns.

By using your device every night, you can better understand your sleep quality, the time you spend sleeping, and how often you wake up during the night.

This information can be used to change your sleep habits and improve your overall sleep health. So, use it every night to get the most accurate results.

Did You Know: Ours is a non-wearable sleep tracker that is easily placed under your mattress topper or sheet and automatically tracked every night. So, there is no charging, no wearing, and no worries about wearing it. All you need to do is sleep.

Be Patient

It is important to note that everyone's sleep needs are different and can vary based on various factors, such as age, lifestyle, and overall health. It is recommended that you take the time to carefully evaluate your individual sleep habits and needs by observing how you feel when you wake up in the morning, how alert you are throughout the day, and how easily you fall asleep at night.

This can help you better understand your unique sleep requirements and make any necessary adjustments to your sleep habits or environment to ensure you get the restful sleep your body needs.

Tip: It's important to be patient, as improvements in sleep quality may not be immediate. Your body needs time to adapt to new routines or environments.

Take Time to Understand the Data

It's necessary to take some time to familiarize yourself with the data your tracker provides if you want to improve the quality of your sleep. They usually offer a range of metrics, such as sleep stages, duration, and quality, which can help you better understand your sleep habits.

For instance, sleep stages refer to the different phases of sleep you go through during the night, which can help identify any disruptions or irregularities in your sleep cycle. Duration, however, refers to the total time you spend sleeping. Knowing how much sleep you're getting on average can help you identify any patterns or trends affecting your sleep.

Lastly, it measures how restful and restorative your sleep is, which can help you determine whether you're getting enough deep and REM sleep. By understanding these metrics, you can make more informed decisions about your sleep habits and take steps to improve the quality and duration of your sleep.

Tip: You may need to look at your data over a period of several days or weeks to understand what’s going on.

Avoid Sleep Anxiety

It is common for people to track their patterns of sleep. However, obsessing over nightly data can lead to sleep anxiety, which ironically can worsen your sleep quality. This can occur because you're constantly worrying about meeting sleep goals or achieving a certain amount of deep sleep, which can create stress and tension, making it harder to relax and fall asleep.

It is important to maintain a balanced perspective on the data and not let it dictate your emotions and behaviors. As mentioned above, being patient and understanding can fluctuate from one night to another helps prevent unnecessary stress about sleep.

Instead of focusing solely on the data, paying attention to other factors impacting sleep, such as stress levels, diet, and exercise habits, may be helpful. By taking a holistic approach to sleep, you can improve the quality and quantity of your rest while avoiding the adverse effects of sleep anxiety.

Achieving Your Best Self

When it comes to sleep, an excellent first step is acknowledging its wonders. Medical research continues to make amazing discoveries about what really happens to the body and mind as day turns into night. Innovation in sleep tracking devices such as the sleep tracker is but one of the exciting results. These innovations allow us to unlock our full potential in good health, high performance, and life satisfaction.

Final Thought

As we wrap up our exploration of the five important benefits of tracking your sleep, it's clear that this simple practice is the key to unlocking a wealth of insights into our health and well-being.

Remember, sleep is not just a passive state; it's a dynamic process that impacts every aspect of our lives. The benefits of sleep tracking are profound, from improving the quality of our sleep and gaining a clearer understanding of our unique sleep cycles to identifying potential sleep disorders and boosting our overall physical and mental health.

Also, this practice teaches us the importance of patience and mindfulness in our approach to health. It reminds us that small changes, observed over time, can significantly improve our daily lives.

Now might be the perfect time to start if you're not already tracking your sleep. It's not just about catching more Z's; it's about empowering yourself with knowledge and taking control of your health and well-being. Here's to better sleep, brighter days, and unlocking your full potential!