We live in hyperconnected times: wearable rings, smart mattresses, phone apps tracking your REM cycles, your heart rate, perhaps even your dreams (okay, not yet, but probably one day). For busy parents, professionals, college students, and athletes, all this data feels like it might unlock better rest, real recovery and more energy. There’s a flip side to all of this tech though. Tracking sleep too much can cause us to view sleep as a demon to be conquered instead of an exciting time to cozy up in our comfy bed comforts. We we get too focused on sleep numbers, sleep tools can actually start to generate stress instead of easing it.
In this article we explore when optimization turns into obsession, what research tells us about the phenomenon called orthosomnia, and how to use sleep tools without turning bedtime into a nightly battle.
When Sleep Tools Become Stressors
Sleep tools / trackers are everywhere now. In one survey, over a third of Americans said they’ve used electronic sleep-tracking devices. Sleep tools were created with a great purpose! They can help with awareness: time in bed, wake-ups, habits, etc. But for some people, they also fuel anxiety trying to maximize numbers, create unrealistic expectations, and distract from what really matters: how you feel after you wake up.
The Science Behind Sleep Anxiety & Orthosomnia
What is Orthosomnia?
The term was coined in 2017 by Dr. Kelly Baron and colleagues. It describes when people become so preoccupied with perfect sleep as measured by their trackers that their worry and behavior around sleep may worsen insomnia symptoms.
How Common is it?
A 2024 study estimates that 3% to 14% wearable sleep device users experience various levels of orthosomnia (depending on how strictly sleep was measured). Sounds like a small percent, but the number is growing. If 1/3 of America tracks their sleep in some way as suggested above, that's millions of Americas that are experience orthosomnia.
What Research Experiments Show
One interesting experiment had people with insomnia wearing wrist trackers. After they slept, some were told “You slept poorly,” others “You slept well”, but the feedback had little to do with their actual sleep quality. They researchers told people at random. The sleepers told they slept poorly felt worse during the day (lower alertness, more tired) even though sleep wasn’t really worse. Harvard Health .
Accuracy Issues
Trackers are getting better, but they aren’t perfect. Studies comparing consumer wearable sleep trackers to polysomnography (the gold standard in sleep labs) have found discrepancies—especially in detecting wake periods, deep versus light sleep, and sleep stages. In other words, some people are actually being told that their sleep was worse than what it actually was which, as the previous Harvard Health study showed, can cause them to feel less rested.
Why It Can Backfire
When the tracker data becomes the goal, sleep can feel like another performance metric. This raises anxiety, especially among people who already stress about productivity or health. Instead of falling asleep, they might lie awake worrying about how many minutes of REM they got, how restless they appeared, or whether their “score” was high enough.
The Message
We are not saying to avoid sleep tech. Sleep tech can be great if used wisely.
Finding Balance: Practical Tips for Healthy Sleep Habits
Here are ways to use sleep tools without letting them take over your rest:
Decide Your Purpose Before You Use
Ask yourself: “What do I hope this tracker will help me with?” Is it consistency in going to bed? Noticing trends over weeks? Or chasing perfect deep sleep cycles? If you don’t have a purpose, skip using it tonight. At least one of your goals should be feeling better in the mornings.
Limit How Often You Look at the Data
Try checking weekly rather than every morning. Before looking at your numbers in the morning, let your body tell you how you feel first: alert? rested? Then peek at the numbers. Don’t let bad tracker data ruin the rest of your day. Recognize how you could do better (nightly routine, pillow, sheets, etc.), the move on.
Set Non-Device Goals
People have been sleeping for millennia, long before tech invaded our bedrooms. Try setting some goals that do not require a device:
Going to bed by a certain time
Waking without an alarm when possible
Reduced caffeine / screen use in the 2 hours before sleep. These excite your mind. You may sleep, but it won't be as restful as it could be.
These are things you control, and they affect how you feel more than how many sleep stages your device detected.
Create a Sleep Environment That Supports Calm
Think pillows, bedding, room temperature, light, noise. Even small upgrades such as a breathable pillow, blackout curtains, or cooling sheets—can move the needle. (check out our other articles for suggestions)
Take Breaks & Practice Forgiveness
If sleep feels bad one night, don’t panic. Missing a goal doesn’t mean failure—it means a human experience. If you find yourself obsessing about the score or lying awake worrying about last night’s data, maybe skip the tracker for a few nights.
Seek Professional Help if Anxiety or Insomnia Persists
If sleep anxiety is causing real distress, daytime impairment, or if insomnia lasts weeks, talking to a sleep specialist or mental health provider can help. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is one of the evidence-based ways to relearn calmer sleep attitudes.
Conclusion
Sleep tools are powerful. They can give us insight, motivate positive change, and help us track patterns we’d otherwise miss. But as with tech in many areas of life, more doesn’t always mean better. The goal isn’t perfect sleep metrics—it’s restful nights, energized mornings, feeling more like yourself.
For additional Information on Device-related Sleep Stress:
Brain Sciences (2024): Prevalence of Orthosomnia in a General Population Sample (large study of 500+ participants, finding 3–14% experience sleep anxiety linked to trackers).
Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (2017): Are Some Patients Taking the Quantified Self Too Far? (original case series introducing the term orthosomnia).
Harvard Health Publishing (2023): Bad Bedfellows: Sleep Trackers May Contribute to Anxiety and Insomnia (overview of how device feedback can worsen sleep problems).
Sleep Health & Sports Science (2023): The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Consumer Sleep Tracking (review of benefits and downsides of wearables, especially for athletes).
Nature and Science of Sleep (2023): The Tale of Orthosomnia: When Sleep Tracking Backfires (commentary summarizing recent research and best practices).