Is Tracking Sleep Making Me More Anxious? (and What To Do About It)
While the sleep tracking apps, wearables, and monitors can provide interesting sleep data, for those who have difficulty sleeping and those worried about their health and/or sleep, paying such close attention to the details can feel like it’s helping, but can actually be backfiring in the long run.
Tracking isn’t the same as treatment. Tracking a behavior can change it, but that isn’t the same as addressing the root of the issue with the gold standard treatment for insomnia, called CBT-I.
When tracking sleep data alone (without treatment), it’s tempting to make a patchwork of guesses and changes day-by-day to try to improve sleep. One night a new habit might work well, but the next night, it’s just another poor night of sleep.
This kind of sleep tracker guesswork can lead to frustration and feelings of hopelessness.
Beyond tracking, there are powerful treatments for sleep difficulties packaged together in CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia).
They are very effective, both for those worried or anxious about their sleep and health and for those who aren’t anxious about it, but just want a good night’s rest (1),
This treatment (CBT-I) goes beyond basic tips and it’s not a common sense approach (in fact, it’s quite counterintuitive) and takes a few weeks to work (all the while sticking to this counterintuitive strategy), but once it clicks, it has a lasting and powerful positive effect on sleep.
Some studies show lasting continued improvements with no additional treatment up to a decade later. (2)
What’s the healthiest way to use sleep data without becoming obsessive?
Once someone suspects they might have a sleep issue or insomnia, or if they find they're worried about the data, the healthiest way to use the data is in the context of treatment.
Tracking is a small part of CBT-I but there’s a specific way of thinking about tracking that is crucial to make it effective in the long term and there’s a strategic way of using the data. This is usually done with the support of a healthcare provider. Schedule free consultation
You might wonder, “What if sleep tracking devices help partly because they give me a sense of control over symptoms?”
Tracking can give a sense of control, and if it’s working for consistently good sleep, that’s great! But often the sense of control is quite fleeting and trying to control it can be part of the problem (more on that later).
It’s common that tracking leads to ideas for strategies, but usually, these strategies only work sometimes, then the next night, it’s back to poor sleep.
Over time people add up many different strategies to the point where it’s making it hard to enjoy life. For example, it’s common to worry about upcoming travel because it might disrupt bedtime relaxation activities or concerns about being in a different place because the bedroom environment isn’t just right etc.
The control itself can be part of the problem. Sleep needs no effort. That’s not to say it’s effortless, anyone with insomnia can tell you that sleep is not always effortless. But, in order for sleep to come, there’s a little bit of relinquishing control that is necessary.
CBT-I helps you set up the system to sleep well without the need for over control that gets in the way of sleep.
Another issue with tracking is that we often don’t know exactly how the trackers decide if you are asleep or awake. You may have had the experience of looking at your data and thinking to yourself, “I was definitely awake, just lying still so it must have thought I was asleep all that time”. Many of the wearables have a blackbox algorithm so the researchers in sleep medicine try to understand what the wearable is actually tracking, and how it defines things like “deep sleep.”
That becomes difficult when the calculations aren’t transparent, and with each system update, the rules can change.
You may have noticed after a system update, your sleep stages suddenly changed.
Many of the trackers give out scores which can become distressing if they’re not “good.” However, it’s hard to know what “good” means and more importantly, if it’s actually connected to daytime alertness, improve sleep quality etc.
In other words, if the device gives you a “poor” rating, does that have any meaningful impact on your health or life? From a research perspective, it’s unclear. However this low rating can increase stress, which does have a negative impact on your life.
That said, I do appreciate that the trackers often highlight the benefits and importance of sleep.
How can I know whether a product is actually improving sleep?
If you’re still having trouble sleeping 3 nights a week or more, and this has lasted for longer than three months, it’s probably time to reach out for support beyond tracking. The gold standard first line recommended treatment mentioned earlier (CBT-I) works usually in 6-8 weeks. With this treatment, you’ll know in 2 months or less if it works for you, unlike trackers which can turn into a long-term project.
Hi I’m Kasryn! (Pronoucned Kaz-Rin)
As a therapist specialized in sleep, many of my clients come to work with me after frustration and limited results with wearables and trackers.
Some continue to use the trackers during treatment and not only do clients notice their own improvements in how they feel, the trackers often also show measurable improvements in sleep.
Much faster (usually within 1-2 months) compared to tracking alone or trying the usual basic sleep “tips” without treatment.