Obsessing over your sleep score might be the very thing ruining your rest. Welcome to 'Orthosomnia'.
The Rise of Orthosomnia
We live in the age of the Quantified Self. We track steps, calories, and now, sleep stages. But sleep specialists are seeing a new condition emerge: Orthosomnia—the obsession with achieving 'perfect' sleep data. The anxiety caused by a low sleep score can actually cause insomnia the next night.
The Accuracy Problem
Consumer wearables are impressive, but they are not polysomnography labs. They estimate sleep stages based on movement and heart rate, which can be inaccurate. You might wake up feeling great, check your app, see a '60% Recovery' score, and suddenly feel tired. This is the nocebo effect—the negative expectation causing a negative physical result.
Listen to Your Body, Not the Data
Data is a tool, not a master. If you wake up feeling refreshed and energized, you slept well, regardless of what the ring or watch says. Use trackers to spot long-term trends (like how alcohol affects your heart rate), but don't let the daily score dictate your mood. The best sleep tracker is how you feel at 11:00 AM.
