Sleep trackers have been around for several years, but they haven’t always been mainstream or well-known. Nowadays, though, there are lots of different options to choose from with different features and functions. If you’re considering buying one to use while you sleep, here are some benefits that might make it worth your while.
Solve Sleep Problems
If you are having problems sleeping, a sleep tracker may be able to help. Many trackers can sense whether you are in REM or deep stage 4 sleep. If it senses that you aren’t going through these stages at an optimal rate, it can wake you up without disturbing your natural circadian rhythm and causing grogginess when you wake up in the morning. Trackers can also monitor things like heart rate, temperature, and noise levels. This helps users see how factors such as stress or uncomfortable pillows can interfere with their ability to sleep soundly.
Provide Insight Into Health
Sleep trackers aren’t just for keeping tabs on your snoozing schedule. These smart devices can help you uncover facts about your sleeping habits and conditions that you may not have known before, like how long it takes you to fall asleep and what time you typically wake up in order to track triggers that may be affecting your quality of rest. After all, research suggests that between 35% and 50% of adults suffer from one or more chronic sleep disorders; tracking your patterns over time could help alert you to them. And some sleep monitoring tools go beyond simply measuring quantity and quality: Some are designed to predict issues such as insomnia so you can head off problems before they start. Most of these trackers connect with smartphone apps (if yours doesn’t, don’t panic—we tested dozens without an app connection), so looking at your data is easy, especially if it involves inputting info manually with a touchscreen display. Consider yourself warned, though: You might find certain types of data surprising.
Track Improvement Over Time
If you’re keeping tabs on your nightly sleep cycle, you can also track how long it takes to fall asleep and how long you slept overall. You’ll be able to see if there are any patterns in your habits; for example, maybe you get more shut-eye on nights when you have an early workout scheduled, or maybe not having caffeine after 3pm is getting in your way. These insights will help you make changes over time so that you always feel your best during daylight hours.
Monitor Activity Levels
If you’re looking to lose weight, exercising regularly can be an effective way to do so. But if you want to know exactly how much activity is beneficial, there are ways you can monitor your activity levels—and even your quality of sleep—on an ongoing basis. One good method for monitoring these factors is by using wearable trackers. Wearable fitness devices, like Fitbit and Jawbone Up , have become increasingly popular over recent years and offer people many great reasons to use them. These tools help us keep tabs on our physical activity patterns (like steps taken) and can also reveal information about our sleeping habits (like number of hours slept). However, it’s important that you remember not all wearables are created equal; some devices may not provide as comprehensive information as others.
Set Goals and Achieve Them
A study by The National Sleep Foundation found that, on average, people who use sleep trackers are getting around two more hours of sleep than those who don’t. They also had better scores on daytime functioning tests and were significantly less fatigued overall. Not only do they feel better in day-to-day life, but they also get more restorative ZZZs to function at their best while sleeping. (In fact, 68% of people said if there was one thing about their lives they could change for the better overnight it would be how much sleep they got.) Increased productivity is another benefit of quality shuteye; scientists have proven that lack of sleep reduces concentration, focus and productivity at work. Plus you save tons of money on coffee (even decaf!) when you can wake up fully rested thanks to your personal sleep coach!
Improve Productivity
Sleep trackers are small devices that help you to see how well and for how long you’re sleeping. Because there are so many things that impact how well we rest, from stress at work to physical conditions, keeping track with a device can help you figure out where your problem areas are. Once you know what’s making it hard for you to get enough good shuteye, you can start addressing them one by one. Not only will getting more high-quality sleep make you more productive during waking hours, but research shows tracking your sleep patterns may be linked to better weight management. This is because not getting enough rest can cause us to feel lethargic and make impulsive choices when we do have time off from our busy schedules. The bottom line? Snooze smarter! Before purchasing a tracker, ask yourself if you actually need one—they aren’t for everyone.
The International Restful Awareness Practices Survey examined over 6,000 respondents around their daily practice with relaxation practices. The survey results show that people who use tools like meditation apps and personal alarms reported that they were twice as likely to score in the top 25% on emotional wellbeing than those who did not use these tools. What does it mean? It means having one more tool in your box can be just what you need to reduce stress levels when work becomes too much for you to manage alone. Remember, your emotional wellbeing affects every other aspect of your life! Your mood plays a part in your interactions with coworkers, overall productivity at work, as well as how you interact at home.
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