For some people, sleep tracking might be too much of a good thing.
A study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago links an increase in sleep problems to the use of sleep-tracking devices. In short, people can become anxious because the data tells them they aren’t getting a solid eight hours of sleep. But, much like insomnia, worrying about getting a good night’s rest makes it more difficult to get to sleep, notes a Feb. 28 article on ScienceDaily.com.
Researchers coined the term “orthosomnia” to capture this quest for a perfectionistic kind of sleep. It is similar to “orthoexia,” which is an unhealthy preoccupation with healthy eating.
The study was published in the Feb. 15 issue of Sleep Medicine.
