Fitness trackers turning us into nation of insomniacs

February 14, 2017

Judging sleep by how much people move, Fitbits often get it wrong
Trackers push people to set sleep goals and fixate on how many hours they get
This can trigger anxieties about sleep for some and start a difficult cycle

Victoria Allen Science Correspondent For The Daily Mail

Published:
18:59 EST, 10 February 2017

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Updated:
19:54 EST, 10 February 2017

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Thousands of people use them to monitor their sleep just as they measure the steps they take during the day.

But fitness trackers such as Fitbit and Jawbone risk turning us into a nation of insomniacs, sleep experts say.

Professor Paul Gringras, a sleep specialist who tests the devices, said he has never found a high street version which can be fully relied upon. Judging sleep by how much people move, they often get it wrong.

But fitness trackers such as Fitbit and Jawbone risk turning us into a nation of insomniacs, sleep experts say

The trackers push people to set sleep goals and fixate on how many hours they get.

Professor Gringras said: ‘People are not helped by assuming an average of say eight hours’ sleep is a target which has to apply to everyone … fitness trackers may make it worse.

‘Someone might not have been worrying about their sleep, but then they buy something which claims to be accurate which tells them they are not sleeping well and it can trigger anxieties about sleep and start a difficult cycle.

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‘They have more anticipation before bedtime, more anxiety and it is likely they will then find it harder to fall asleep.’

The professor, of Evelina London Children’s Hospital, tested many trackers against users’ brain waves – showing when they are truly asleep – and said he has found none of the examples around £100 to be reliable.

The trackers push people to set sleep goals and fixate on how many hours they get. Professor Gringras said: ‘People are not helped by assuming an average of say eight hours’ sleep is a target which has to apply to everyone … fitness trackers may make it worse

He added: ‘I think they will not help people to sleep – at best they will be neutral and at worst people will become over-focused to the point of becoming insomniacs.’

The trackers monitor sleep using movement. Only about 80 per cent of an average person’s time in bed is spent asleep, but if they are lying down a device can wrongly record them as sleeping.

While the fitness trackers tested were not named, the Daily Mail requested comments from makers of such devices.

Fitbit declined, but a spokesman for Jawbone, which makes UP tracking products, said: ‘UP is about taking daily small steps for your health … [and] tracking that progress over time. It’s validating, empowering, and rewarding to help people recognise and celebrate their progress.’