And now we’re finding out that that handy sleep tracking tech might not be so great after all. A new study out from the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine purports that tech lovers’ focus on sleep trackers is hurting them.
It’s Called “Orthosomnia”
According to the study, an estimated 10 percent of U.S. adults use a wearable fitness or sleep tracking device regularly, and another 50 percent would consider buying one. But that’s not necessarily a good thing. It sounds a bit like the WebMD effect: Because more data is available, patients are increasingly attempting to parse it, despite not having proper training. According to the paper, the issue demands a new term:
But Trackers Are Still Useful
The lesson to learn is that depending on tracking data to an obsessive amount — while an easy trap for a tortured insomniac or hypochondriac to fall into — will hurt you more than help you in the long run. Sleep trackers aren’t doing any harm to you by themselves, but your response to learning more data about your sleep habits could be. For instance, maybe don’t try sleeping more: The bottom line: Listen to the word of your doctor, not your sleep trackers. Read more about health tech on TechCo
