Sleep is a vital element for both physical and mental well-being. Without enough sleep, you can’t function effectively daily.
Not only does a lack of sleep impact negatively on your productivity at work and home, but it can even cause you some serious medical issues. Poor quality sleep can lead to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, not to mention physical issues such as hypertension and heart disease which can have severe and lasting repercussions.
However, while we know that we should all be getting at least 8 hours of sleep every night, it can be difficult to achieve that goal. Whether you work shifts, have family responsibilities or are struggling to get all your school or college work done, fitting in enough rest can be a serious challenge. So, how can you resolve that problem? The answer could lie in tracking your sleep patterns.
How and Why Can You Track Your Sleep?
Thanks to the latest technology, you can have access to sleep tracking functionality at home. You can now buy wearable sleep trackers that will keep track of your sleep patterns so that you can become more aware of the length of time you sleep, the stages of sleep that you reach and the quality of sleep that you’ve enjoyed.
These days, we can customize more things in our life than ever before. We can personalize our clothes, phones and homes, so it makes sense to be able to personalize your sleep patterns too. Not all of us need the same amount of sleep every night, but if you track your patterns you can come to a better understanding of how many hours is right for you.
If you’re having sleep problems, a wearable sleep tracker will help you to pinpoint the cause of your sleep issues. At one time, the only option was to go to a sleep lab to get a professional assessment.
Now, you can have similar functionality in your comfortable bed. With the accuracy and accessibility of modern sleep trackers, you can spot problematic patterns and change your habits for the better.
If you track your sleep patterns, you will also begin to wake at the optimal time. Many of the best sleep trackers have a smart alarm to wake you when you’re during the lightest sleep stage. This stops you from waking groggy and irritable. Instead, you’ll feel ready and rested from the get-go for a more productive day.
The Benefits of Sleep Tracking
If you invest in a sleep tracker, you can improve your sleep quality and, in turn, the quality of life you can enjoy. More of us a stressed and anxious than ever before, so getting enough quality sleep is imperative.
If you are sleep deprived over extended periods, you are vulnerable to medical problems, both physical and mental. Heart disease, respiratory disease and type II diabetes have all been linked with insomnia.
While we’re very aware of what we’re doing during the day, during the night, our routines often get lost. We’re used to monitoring behavior patterns during the day, from what we eat to how much exercise we get, so we should start to do the same during the nocturnal hours.
If you track your sleep, the greatest benefit is that you’ll start to spot links between your sleep patterns and overall wellness. For example, you’ll discover whether drinking coffee or consuming caffeine impacts negatively on your sleep or whether the alcohol that you drink affects the quality of your rest.
You’ll also find out whether the time at which you exercise affects your sleep patterns, whether exercising in the evening or morning is most beneficial for you, as well as whether spending time outdoors improves or worsens your rest.
You’ll be able to see if there is a link between your use of devices and computers and the quality of your sleep, and how much your sleep, or lack of it, correlates with the stress and anxiety levels you experience.
You’ll even be able to determine whether eating late in the evening or whether certain foods affect your sleep, and for women, whether their menstrual cycle causes their sleep quality to fluctuate.
By pinpointing these patterns, you can then easily choose to adopt changes in your lifestyle that will not only help you to sleep more effectively but will also help you to be more productive, more fit and healthy and more positive in all areas of your life.
