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Wearables & tracking: what the research actually says

What your tracker measures well (total sleep time), what it measures badly (stages), and what it invents (sleep scores).

All studies · 3

Performance of seven consumer sleep-tracking devices compared with polysomnographyChinoy ED, Cuellar JA, Huwa KE, et al. · Sleep 44(5):zsaa291 · 2021Consumer devices estimated total sleep well but were poor at sleep stages — trust duration, not deep/REM.Wearable sleep technology in clinical and research settingsde Zambotti M, Cellini N, Goldstone A, Colrain IM, Baker FC · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 51(7):1538–1557 · 2019Review of what wearables can and cannot measure; stage classification and 'sleep scores' lack validation.Orthosomnia: are some patients taking the quantified self too far?Baron KG, Abbott S, Jao N, Manalo N, Mullen R · Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine 13(2):351–354 · 2017Case series of people whose fixation on tracker data worsened their sleep — Galpin's health-anxiety warning has a name.

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Beware of health anxietyHow you feel is the primary metricFrom 'how do you feel' to a sleep studyWhat to trust on your wearable

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Frequently asked questions

What does the research say about wearables & tracking?

Case series of people whose fixation on tracker data worsened their sleep — Galpin's health-anxiety warning has a name.

How do I track wearables & tracking?

SleepShred logs it in about 20 seconds a day and then compares your nights with and without it, so you see the effect on your own sleep instead of the study average.

Is SleepShred free?

No. SleepShred Pro is $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year, with no free trial and no ads. Everything stays on your iPhone.

Track it, don't guess it

SleepShred turns this research into a 20-second daily habit: log your night, see which of your own behaviours move your sleep, and screen for the disorders nobody diagnoses.

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Educational summary of published research, not medical advice. Screening scores are not diagnoses. If a score is elevated or you feel unwell, talk to a clinician.