Fitness Trackers, Sleep Tracking & Sleep Apnea
In the past three years, dozens of fitness trackers like FitBit, Garmin, Jawbone, and Apple Watch have allowed users to monitor their steps, their active minutes, their heart rates, and their workouts. Many of these devices offer a different set of statistics when users wear them to bed: they track how long users sleep, how many times they were restless, and even how long users stayed in different stages of sleep, including REM sleep.
Now, fitness tracker users are wondering just how accurate their devices are at monitoring sleep and whether or not sleep data gathered from fitness trackers can help diagnose or treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
How Accurate Are Fitness Trackers At Monitoring Sleep?
In 2011, Hawley Montgomery-Downs, a sleep researcher and associate professor at West Virginia University, set out to find just how accurate fitness trackers are at monitoring the sleep cycle. Specifically she studied how FitBit, one of the most popular sleep trackers, stacked up against the polysomnography and standard actigraphy tests used by sleep doctors to diagnose many sleep disorders, including sleep apnea.
The study, which invovled 24 healthy adults, found that the FitBit overestimated sleep by over an hour, while the actigraph – which also tracks sleep through movement – overestimated sleep by about 43 minutes.
"Unless the device has undergone independent testing and published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, their claims are baseless," Montgomery-Downs said.
Ultimately, those who believe that they may be suffering from a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea should visit their doctor, see a sleep specialist, and get tested during an overnight sleep study.
Fitness Trackers for Sleep Apnea Sufferers
Although fitness trackers and sleep monitors should not be used to diagnose or monitor sleep disorders, sleep apnea sufferers may still find that fitness trackers have some benefits. For example, studies have shown that getting regular exercise can help minimize the severity of sleep apnea. At the same time, OSA sufferers may be able to gain some very general information about their sleep patterns, such as roughly how many hours of sleep they are getting per night.
Take the Sleep Apnea Self-Evaluation
At Surgical Sleep Solutions, we are dedicated to helping people across the country and throughout the world successfully treat their obstructive sleep apnea. We know that one of the most important steps in this process is getting OSA sufferers diagnosed as quickly and accurately as possible.
To learn more about our sleep apnea surgical solutions please contact us at (800) 560-7378.
