{"id":713382,"date":"2026-02-24T18:35:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T15:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-wearable-data-may-actually-be-making-your-sleep-worse\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T18:35:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T15:35:14","slug":"your-wearable-data-may-actually-be-making-your-sleep-worse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-wearable-data-may-actually-be-making-your-sleep-worse\/","title":{"rendered":"Your wearable data may actually be making your sleep worse"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2fd9dc8e65e\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2fd9dc8e65e\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-wearable-data-may-actually-be-making-your-sleep-worse\/#%E2%80%9CYour_wearable_data_may_actually_be_making_your_sleep_worse%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Your wearable data may actually be making your sleep worse&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-wearable-data-may-actually-be-making-your-sleep-worse\/#Why_sleep_feels_broken\" >Why sleep feels broken<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-wearable-data-may-actually-be-making-your-sleep-worse\/#What_is_orthosomnia\" >What is orthosomnia?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-wearable-data-may-actually-be-making-your-sleep-worse\/#Whats_going_wrong_%E2%80%94_and_why_the_data_isnt_foolproof\" >What\u2019s going wrong \u2014 and why the data isn\u2019t foolproof<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-wearable-data-may-actually-be-making-your-sleep-worse\/#When_tracking_turns_into_score_chasing\" >When tracking turns into score chasing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/your-wearable-data-may-actually-be-making-your-sleep-worse\/#Do_sleep_trackers_ever_help\" >Do sleep trackers ever help?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CYour_wearable_data_may_actually_be_making_your_sleep_worse%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Your wearable data may actually be making your sleep worse&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F02%2FWearable_sleep_data_STILL.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>For Leah Martin, a 48-year-old attorney and mother, running on three to five hours of sleep felt normal until headaches and fatigue made her realize she wasn\u2019t performing at her best.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>y, I wasn\u2019t healthy,\u201d Martin told The Post.<\/p>\n<p>As a competitive runner, she\u2019d already been using devices like Fitbit and Oura to track fitness and soon found herself fixated on her sleep scores.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted that 100%,\u201d she said. \u201cI always wanted to be the optimal sleeper. But what got me there sometimes wasn\u2019t healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Wearables that track sleep may improve behavior. But for some, it can turn into an obsession called orthosomnia. <span class=\"credit\">NY Post\/Jared Larson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Over the many years during which Martin describes herself as a \u201cterrible sleeper,\u201d she experimented with her sleep hygiene, including white noise machines, melatonin, teas and other natural sleep aids. She wore an eye mask, got blackout curtains, limited screen time and even tweaked her diet, all in the pursuit of better sleep data. <\/p>\n<p>And it became exhausting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do feel like the tracking, unlike other steps to create a positive sleeping environment, was detrimental,\u201d Martin said. \u201cI would check the tracker during wake-up periods, which definitely didn\u2019t help with sleep. I would worry about how much sleep time I was getting, what cycles I was in, or missing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the morning, she would wake up and check her tracker first thing to see how she performed.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_sleep_feels_broken\"><\/span><strong>Why sleep feels broken<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Martin\u2019s experience isn\u2019t unique. According to the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/sleep\/data-research\/facts-stats\/adults-sleep-facts-and-stats.html\">CDC<\/a>, more than a third of adults get fewer than the minimum recommended seven hours a night.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re spending more time on our phones, and that light exposure diminishes melatonin production,\u201d Dr. Andrea Matsumura, a sleep medicine physician, said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Blue light and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media<\/a> often push bedtimes later, a<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/aasm.org\/are-you-tiktok-tired-93-of-gen-z-admit-to-staying-up-past-their-bedtime-due-to-social-media\/\"> trend<\/a> especially common among Gen Zers. Overscheduling and work stress also play roles, as do mental health challenges like anxiety and depression, which frequently disrupt sleep for those with insomnia.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Leah Martin, 48, tried everything to include her sleep score \u2014 and says the effort was \u201cdetrimental.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">courtesy of Leah Martin<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>And wearable health trackers have made people more aware, and sometimes more anxious, about the length and quality of their rest.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople are simply becoming more attentive because they can now track their sleep,\u201d Dr. Alon Avidan, director of the UCLA Sleep Disorders Center, said.<\/p>\n<p>While it may feel intuitive to do everything possible to improve sleep, experts say the pressure to achieve \u201cperfect\u201d rest can become a problem, causing stress that can ultimately lead to more trouble sleeping \u2014 a phenomenon known as orthosomnia.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n\t<\/aside>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_orthosomnia\"><\/span><strong>What is orthosomnia?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A term first coined in 2017 by clinical researcher Kelly Glazer Baron, orthosomnia describes an unhealthy preoccupation with perfecting sleep.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Though not a formal psychiatric diagnosis, it can cause increased anxiety, excessive monitoring and rigid bedtime routines, according to Dr. Ashwini Nadkarni, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.<\/p>\n<p>The rise of wearable trackers like Oura, Garmin and Whoop has unintentionally fueled that fixation, experts say, causing some users to treat sleep as something to perform.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey often become concerned when their data shows a problem, especially when they compare their results to someone else in the household,\u201d Avidan said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>\u201cSleep is a passive biological process, not a skill to be perfected,\u201d Liz Ross, a clinical psychologist, said. <span class=\"credit\">Tamara Beckwith\/NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Nearly half of Americans have used a sleep tracker, according to a 2025 American Academy of Sleep Medicine<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/aasm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/sleep-prioritization-survey-2025-using-sleep-tracking-devices.pdf\">\u00a0survey<\/a>, and 55% of users<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/aasm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/sleep-prioritization-survey-2025-changing-sleep-routine-because-of-a-sleep-tracker.pdf\"> say<\/a> they\u2019ve changed their habits because of the data.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSleep is a passive biological process, not a skill to be perfected,\u201d Liz Ross, a clinical psychologist at The Coping Resource Center, said. \u201cWhen people begin grading or striving to improve nightly sleep scores, it often increases worry and pressure at bedtime.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whats_going_wrong_%E2%80%94_and_why_the_data_isnt_foolproof\"><\/span><strong>What\u2019s going wrong \u2014 and why the data isn\u2019t foolproof<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While anyone can fall for the score-chasing trap, experts say people who already struggle with insomnia are especially vulnerable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople start treating a wearable like the authority on whether they slept well,\u201d Mollie Eastman, founder of Sleep Is A Skill, said, describing behaviors like checking scores immediately and worrying about REM (the sleep stage during which we dream) or deep sleep.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI sometimes found myself canceling plans or skipping a glass of wine just to protect the number. It mostly just gamified which days I decided to wear the ring.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><cite>Cindy Yan<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The rumination itself, she notes, becomes counterproductive. The harder someone tries to control sleep, the more they activate the stress response, turning sleep into a problem to solve rather than a natural process.<\/p>\n<p>Therapist Hillary Schoninger said people often find that their own sleep doesn\u2019t match device data. That disconnect matters because metrics like sleep stages are among the least accurate on consumer trackers, which can\u2019t directly measure brain activity \u2014 meaning users may attach too much meaning to unreliable numbers.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Cindy Yan, 28, said she got to a point where she selectively wore her Oura ring when she was being \u201cgood\u201d about her sleep. <span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Cindy Yan<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_tracking_turns_into_score_chasing\"><\/span><strong>When tracking turns into score chasing<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Cindy Yan, a 28-year-old wellness entrepreneur and co-founder of The Protocole, said working in health and longevity made it easy to get swept up in trying every new gadget.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe typical lineup looks something like an Eight Sleep, a Whoop or Oura ring, an Equinox membership, peptides and a stack of supplements,\u201d Yan said. \u201cI jumped on the Oura ring bandwagon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She began checking her score every morning, and felt validated when the numbers climbed. But life in New York meant busy work hours, social obligations and late nights, which hindered her results. She began wearing the ring selectively on \u201cgood\u201d nights and leaving it off when she knew she\u2019d be out late to avoid seeing her numbers drop.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI sometimes found myself canceling plans or skipping a glass of wine just to protect the number,\u201d she said. \u201cIt mostly just gamified which days I decided to wear the ring.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>\u201cWhen we shift the focus from \u2018winning sleep\u2019 to using the day as a tool for overall health and well-being, tracking can be incredibly helpful,\u201d Mollie Eastman, founder of Sleep Is A Skill, said. <span class=\"credit\">Monkey Business \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_sleep_trackers_ever_help\"><\/span><strong>Do sleep trackers ever help?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For some people, tracking your sleep can be significantly beneficial, especially for those who don\u2019t prioritize sleep hygiene or a regular bedtime routine. But the key to avoiding obsession is to treat the data as a reference point without losing sight of your own biological cues.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we shift the focus from \u2018winning sleep\u2019 to using the day as a tool for overall health and well-being, tracking can be incredibly helpful,\u201d Eastman said. \u201cIt can function like a check-engine light. It can flag patterns you might otherwise miss.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Working with a physician who can accurately interpret the data and determine whether anything needs further investigation is also a concern. Clinicians are less concerned with precise measurements of sleep stages or oxygen levels than with overall sleep duration and consistency, according to Avidan.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI like to use these devices to estimate sleep duration and sleep regularity, because that\u2019s the number one issue,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Jackie Sumsky, 33, said she tried to \u201chack\u201d her tracker, focused more on the numbers than her actual sleep. <span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Jackie Sumsky<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The best way to use a sleep tracker is to understand its limitations. \u201cMetrics such as sleep stages, efficiency, or awakenings are estimates, not direct measurements, and they naturally fluctuate from night to night,\u201d Ross said. \u201cHuman sleep is inherently variable, and that variability is completely normal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Consumer devices can also lag or show data variability, making nightly scores unreliable. For people with certain sleep conditions, trackers can be especially misleading.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n\t<\/aside>\n<p>Jackie Sumsky, a 33-year-old publicist with a genetic circadian rhythm disorder, found that her Oura ring often misreported her sleep because her schedule falls outside traditional nighttime hours.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy sleep score is deflated even when all the other bars are completely full,\u201d Sumsky said. At one point, she tried to hack the behavior to improve the numbers, only to realize the tracker wasn\u2019t built for nontraditional sleepers and began viewing the data neutrally.<\/p>\n<p>For those who find themselves becoming obsessive, things like taking breaks from tracking, focusing on long-term patterns and checking in with how you actually feel before turning to a device for validation can help. <\/p>\n<p>Matsumura also recommends ditching wearables altogether and simply journaling sleep habits without the added pressure of constant metrics. \u201cThat gives me a much better idea because they\u2019re relying on their own perception.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Schoninger agrees. \u201cThere\u2019s a mind-body connection that we\u2019re missing,\u201d she said. \u201cAt the end of the day, a device isn\u2019t going to tell you how you feel when you wake up and put your feet on the ground. When we try to force something, that\u2019s usually when it backfires.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Martin, the mother and lawyer who became fixated on her sleep score, giving up her metrics obsession and focusing instead on simply getting rest made all the difference.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not worried about it. I know if I feel good, that\u2019s what\u2019s important,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\/our<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" >News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/02\/24\/health\/your-wearable-data-may-actually-be-making-your-sleep-worse\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Your wearable data may actually be making your sleep worse&#8221; For Leah Martin, a 48-year-old attorney and mother, running on three to five hours of sleep felt normal until headaches and fatigue made her realize she wasn\u2019t performing at her best. \u201cI wasn\u2019t happy, I wasn\u2019t healthy,\u201d Martin told The Post. As a competitive runner,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":713383,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/02\/Wearable_sleep_data_STILL.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[56207,160761,61594,160760,75694],"class_list":["post-713382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-sleep","tag-2-24-26","tag-exclusive","tag-health-and-wellness-products","tag-wearable-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=713382"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713382\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/713383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=713382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=713382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=713382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}