Do you have trouble sleeping? Consider tracking your sleeping habits with a tracker. Here’s what you should know:
1. Trackers collect data and watch for patterns
Sleep trackers are available now in numerous electronics such as smartwatches, rings, headbands, wristbands, and armbands. They can even be found in your bed as an in-bed sensor. They are built to help improve your sleep behaviors. Several trackers can record data about your heart rate, respiration, oxygen levels, body positions, and leg movements and help determine if you have a sleep disorder or not. Make sure you choose a sleep tracker that will work for you and allow you access to comprehensive data. Do your research and check reviews.
2. Prices Vary
Monitors that you put under your sheet or mattress can run from $75.00 to $230.00 for average prices. Smart finger rings you can wear at night start around $100.00 and can go as high as $170.00. Cheaper wrist monitors start at $23.00 and can run the gamut up to $399.00. Smart headbands do the trick at $49.95 and up. Smartwatches can cost up to $399.00. Remember if you buy a smartwatch you need to install apps for your sleep monitor. Apps can be as low as a one-time $2.99 charge but some have monthly fees, so read the fine print carefully.
3. Trackers Don’t Measure Actual Sleep
“While sleep trackers can collect a lot of information about your slumber habits, there’s one important thing they generally don’t do, says Alan Schwartz, M.D., director of the Sleep Disorder Center at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center: “They don’t measure sleep directly,” he says. “Most sleep-tracking devices make some guesstimate as to how much you’re actually sleeping.”
Still tossing, turning, and fatigued? Don’t give up, try a tracker to locate patterns in your sleep, and make a plan to see your medical provider for a sleep study.
