I cannot remember the last time I slept through the night. I wake up approximately every 2 hours. One would think I’d be exhausted the next day, but I’m fine.

My son turned me on to a wearable device called Whoop. I was initially skeptical, thinking it was to track athletic performance, and while it does that, it also tracks sleep, stress, recovery, and monitors health data. I’ve been wearing the device for about 14 days, and it takes about a week to calibrate while it collects data. I’m not an athlete like my son and I have not been as active recently since my dog had surgery to repair his torn cruciate ligament (ACL in humans).

In addition to the wearable, I also started wearing a sleep mask since our bedroom bleeds light all night. I set our AC to 75 degrees and put the phone down at least an hour before bed. I also take 1200mg of magnesium glycinate and a product called Remade. I stopped using melatonin because adding additional melatonin messes with our production of this naturally occurring hormone.

Monitoring sleep with a wearable device can offer a range of benefits, particularly when improving sleep quality, identifying health issues, and developing better habits. A wearable can track sleep stages (awake, light, deep, and REM) and total sleep time. This helps you understand your typical sleep cycle and how consistent it is. Surprisingly, my sleep cycle is consistent.

These devices can show how often you wake up at night, how long it takes to fall asleep, and any restless periods. This is useful for spotting problems like insomnia, frequent awakenings, or poor sleep efficiency. Since adding the sleep mask, I’ve not woken up every two hours.

Some wearables provide personalized insights, trends, and tips based on sleep data. They help link habits such as late-night screen use, caffeine, eating late, alcohol use, and stress with poor sleep outcomes.

I’m confident that long-term data will make it easier to see the impact of lifestyle changes, travel, or stress. You can compare different nights, weeks, or months to detect patterns or improvements. In the short time I’ve been wearing the device, I’m seeing improvements. Once I add more activity back to my routine, I’m confident I’ll see more improvement.

Sleep issues can be early signs of health problems like sleep apnea, heart conditions, or mental health disorders. The Whoop also monitors blood oxygen, heart rate variability, and respiration during sleep.

Better sleep awareness can help you adjust for optimal rest, leading to improved focus, mood, and energy during the day.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pat Garner is a Certified Nutritional Practitioner (CNP)