Why we should all be obsessed with tracking our sleep

While sleep, or lack thereof, has always been a hot topic, it’s recently gained even more steam. Perhaps it’s because we’ve become more health-conscious and technologically advanced than ever before. Maybe it’s because of a fresh perspective the pandemic has given us. Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) found that, during the height of the pandemic, lockdowns massively disrupted the daily routines — and sleep patterns — of people worldwide. So much so that, according to another study conducted by Royal Philips, 70 percent of the 13,000 adults surveyed reported one or more new sleep challenges since the start of the pandemic.

Clearly, we’re a society obsessed with sleep —and for good reason. Despite the recommendation of seven hours of sleep by the The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, few of us likely get that much; the CDC also reports that 1 in 3 adults are sleep deprived.

There’s no debate that when you consistently get a good night’s rest, you feel better than when you don’t. We’re all too familiar with how we can react to a poor night’s sleep: groggy, fatigued, energy-deprived, irritable, distracted, and caffeine-dependent are just some of the words that come to mind.

Sleep is vital to the rest of the body as well. When you don’t get enough quality sleep, health risks can rise: seizures, migraines, high blood pressure, and a compromised immune system. Not only that, your mental health can suffer in the form of depression, brain fog, and increased anxiety and stress.

But when we do feel well-rested? Studies have shown that better—or more— sleep helps us make clearer decisions, helps ensure our bodies function at an optimal level, helps better equip us for handling stress, and, most noticeably, helps us feel good from the inside out. Research from the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School suggests that sleep even plays a significant role in learning and memory, both before and after exposure to new information.

Not all sleep is created equal either. Seven to eight hours of rest a night is great, but if it’s not quality sleep, it’s not effective sleep. When we sleep well, our bodies go through a rejuvenation process that’s vital to our brain function, according to John Hopkins Medicine. Healthy sleep helps our brains adapt to input, and researchers also believe that sleep may help promote the removal of waste products from brain cells. It does this through a “waste management system.” First, brain cells create the energy they need to do work by absorbing primarily sugar and oxygen. Eventually, just like with people, that waste needs to be disposed of; the brain disposes of this waste with a series of tubes that carries fresh fluid into the brain, mixes the fresh fluid with the waste-filled fluid that surrounds the brain cells, and then flushes the mix out of the brain and into the blood. Sleep is so important to brain waste removal because this process primarily occurs during deep sleep.

Health sleep can also help reduce stress: When you’re sleeping soundly, your sympathetic nervous system gets a chance to relax, according to The National Library of Medicine. Your cortisol (aka stress hormone) levels also decrease, which leaves you feeling refreshed and relaxed when you wake up.

It should be no surprise then that we’re suddenly obsessed with tracking our sleep. There are more wellness apps and wearables available than ever before, designed to track the ins and outs of how you sleep. Enter the Oura Ring, a smart ring that tracks your sleep, recovery, and fitness.

As the name suggests, the wearable is worn as a ring and, for most , can feel less intrusive than a watch or a bracelet. It’s sleek and comfortable as well as lightweight and water-resistant. While it can be worn comfortably both day and night, when worn at night, it constructs a sleep analysis for you that can help you decipher your sleep habits and, ultimately, help improve your quality of sleep.

Oura calls the ring “a personal sleep lab wrapped around your finger.” The device’s algorithm tracks the quality of your sleep based on your key vitals (such as heart rate, temperature, blood oxygen levels, and respiratory rate) and the time you’ve spent in each sleep stage (light, deep, and REM). The strategic finger placement helps the sensors get a stronger, more accurate data reading than say the wrist, as the finger is a more sensitive location for measuring movement and the heart rate signal is stronger because the Oura Ring’s sensors are measuring from the arteries in your fingers.

Over time, Oura will learn your sleep habits, and, based on nights when you’ve had your best sleep, the device will share personalized guidance on when to start winding down in order to improve your sleep quality. For example, with the Oura Ring, you can see whether taking a hot shower before bed or sleeping in a cooler room will help you get better quality sleep. It also features an automatic nap mode, which is activated any time of day, after it senses you’ve fallen asleep.

Oura isn’t just for nighttime either: the ring can be worn throughout the day to track your activity, recovery, and key vitals. To help give you an overall picture of your health, it reads changes in the same key body signals it uses at night, and is able to detect when you might be tired, unwell, stressed, or even getting sick. It then adjusts your daily goals, making rest and recovery a priority. It’s also versatile enough to go with every outfit; whether you’re at work, the gym, or enjoying a night out.

When you know your sleep patterns, you can try to adjust them and make them more effective. Think about it this way: you can’t fix a problem until you’re able to properly identify the problem. Technology like the Oura Ring can help you do this efficiently and accurately, allowing you to take control of your health.

By monitoring how you can achieve healthy sleep, you’re one step closer to knowing what needs to be improved in order to achieve healthy sleep. And it’s wellness devices that, in the long run, may be the key to helping all of us prioritize our physical and mental wellness.