At 2.16am I stumble to the toilet. I see myself. The red light is very flattering. I was told to avoid any blue light during my nocturnal journey, but the sleep-tracker headset, which emits gentle lapping waves and has no sound whatsoever, eliminates any feeling of being woken-up-like this. I adjust the double straps to get back to sleep.
One of many wearable sleep devices, the Dreem headband is one. Amazon
After a series of fractured dreams, my next wake-up call is at 6.30am. This was after Dreem 2 headband made many cameos to birdsong. I find out that I have slept 6 1/2 hours less than the eight I had planned. I am determined to fix this and head out for my first cup of coffee. Ross Edgley, an athlete, warns in his book Blueprint: Build Bulletproof Body for Extreme Adventures in 365 Days that such overriding behavior can lead to biochemical bankruptcy. Ross, not now.
Edgley is a health influencer who has been focusing on sleep recently. It's no surprise, considering how much we obsess about it. The Sleep Health Foundation released a 2021 report that estimated around 10% of Australians suffer from a sleep disorder. A 2019 report found that over half of those people have at least one chronic condition. Research has shown that poor sleep habits can contribute to dementia risk later in life.
Recent years have seen sleep-fretting become more popular than fitness-tracking. Joe Rogan's Whoop Strap, which he wears around his wrist, told him that he was sleeping for four to five hours per night. Aubrey Marcus, who uses the Oura ring to measure biomarkers over the night and calculates his total score each morning. Marcus shared with My Morning Routine that if I can achieve 80%, then I'm a winner for the day.
Data can cause people to become a little too dependent on it, which can lead them to worry or rumination. Darren Mansfield, The Sleep Health Foundation
Wearables such as rings, watches, and headbands appeal to people who love to keep track of their stats. But could they be encouraging anxiety and contributing to insomnia? Associate Professor Darren Mansfield is a Sleep Disorders and Respiratory Physician who is also the deputy chair of The Sleep Health Foundation. He believes that balance is necessary.
He says that these devices can be beneficial in general. Although they may not be as precise as a lab-based sleep study but they are making progress in this direction. Technology also allows the individual to take control of their own health. It can be problematic for people to become too dependent on the data. This can lead to anxiety and rumination about the significance of the results. This could lead to more problems or worsen existing ones.
Mansfield, a physician, believes that these devices are best used to monitor routines and not obsess over hours of quality sleep. Although there will be an error margin, the devices can still capture diagnostic information such as sleep duration and timing.
Since Mansfield admits his sleep doesnt need much hacking, I seek out an insomniac-turned-human guinea pig. Mike Toner is the director of Thick as Thieves dance music agency. He has been on a five-year mission to solve the sleep problems he developed from a decade spent late at night in Melbourne clubs and answering international emails at 3am.
He says he tried everything. You can take magnesium capsules, spray or melatonin as well as herbal sleep aids. I signed up to receive treatment at a sleep center. This room has all the wires running through it, and cameras looking at you. Ironically, that night I slept better than any other.
An Oura smart ring that measures resting heart rate, variability in heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, body temperature, body heat, light, deep, and REM sleep, as well as night-time movement and sleep duration. Winni Wintermeyer/The Guardian
After learning more about the latest devices at The Quantified Scientist and Huberman Lab Podcast, he decided to begin monitoring his body. The sleep-monitoring wearables are now capable of tracking movement and feeding an algorithm to determine when a person is sleeping.
As technology advances, Toners have accumulated quite a few. He estimates that he spent approximately $1,500 on them and $3,500 on the sleep-centre treatments.
There are also cooling devices. As soon as the temperature rises, Toner lies down on a Chilipad.
It is believed that lying down in a cool place, perhaps after a warm shower, will induce slumber because our body's temperature drops when we are asleep.
Generally speaking, a lower temperature at night is more tolerable. Darren Mansfield
Non-techy options include getting your hands and feet out of under the covers or using a fan. Tim Ferriss, entrepreneur and lifestyle guru, recommends taking a quick ice bath before going to bed. Warning: Bulletproof founder Dave Asprey tried to put ice packs on his skin right before bed once. MensHealth.com told him that ice burns were a common occurrence on 15% of his body.
Mansfield suggests that you should keep your bedroom cool in the evenings to aid sleep. A lower temperature at night is generally more comfortable. 25C can make for a pleasant day but can become unbearable at night as our core temperature drops. 18C or 19C are better tolerable.
If your temperature starts to rise again in the hours preceding getting up, you might have put the blanket down in the night. Then, you might feel cold when you get up at 5am.
What about the future frontiers of technology? Matthew Walker, a neuroscientist, wrote in Why We Sleep that we can expect to see the integration of tracking devices with home-networked devices like lighting and thermostats in the future. Walker states that machine-learning algorithms can be used to teach the thermostat the temperature of each bedroom occupant. This is based on their biophysiology. Even better, we could program a natural rise and lull in temperature throughout the night to match each person's expectations.
Mike Toner estimates that he spent approximately $1,500 on sleep monitoring and improvement technology.
Mansfield believes this integration is possible. He thinks a thermostat connected to a device measuring circadian rhythms could offer plausible benefits in preparing peoples for sleep. However, he predicts that the automated control of room lighting will end up being manually overridden because technology cannot necessarily determine when you are reading or conversing. He says it is likely to cause irritation. He is more interested in technology that can track sleep disorders like sleep apnoea.
Toner concluded that no one device is the answer. It was a $70 online cognitive behavioural treatment (CBT) program that Toner followed for three months. He now uses technology to ensure he doesn't drift off-track.
What are the key lessons? The key lessons? No matter how late it is, set your alarm to the same time. The screens will be turned off at a reasonable hour. No day-napping. It is a bad idea to drink alcohol. These things can be easily tracked with a notebook. They don't cost anything. It takes persistence.
Toner now has a solid foundation of good habits and is focused on how he will apply the CBT points he learned during lockdowns to his daily life once he gets back on track.
Toner comments that I used to feel the obligation to be there for my artists all the time. However, it is interesting to see that many artists have the same thoughts as me, and want to avoid late nights.
Some of his students are even being trained by him for a charity that will make a significant lifestyle change. This has been a long process. I have come to realize that I will be extremely protective of my sleep when I return to work.
