Sleep-tracking caution

A Norway survey of 1,002 adults found 46% had used a sleep app, 15% said an app improved their sleep and 2.3% reported their sleep got worse after using one. (frontiersin.org) The study—published online March 19 in Frontiers in Psychology and led by Håkon Lundekvam Berge and Karl Erik Lundekvam—used the Bergen Insomnia Scale to assess symptoms and recorded a survey response rate of 19.8%. (frontiersin.org) Researchers reported younger adults showed stronger perceived effects (both positive and negative) and that people with insomnia were significantly more likely to describe stress and worry after seeing app feedback, a pattern the authors linked to “orthosomnia.” (frontiersin.org) Alice Gregory, co‑director of the Royal Holloway Sleep Laboratory and author of Nodding Off, set out these concerns in a March 20 opinion piece in The Guardian, noting the proliferation of commercial sleep products and monitoring tools in recent years. (theguardian.com) (pure.royalholloway.ac.uk) Manufacturers and sports groups, by contrast, point to large data sets showing benefits for athletes: WHOOP’s research includes a 31‑day challenge of 38,838 adults and a separate analysis of 389 PGA Tour golfers covering 35,000+ nights that linked better sleep and recovery metrics to improved performance. (whoop.com 1) (whoop.com 2) Safety concerns around supplements sold as sleep aids have also been documented: Consumer Reports and other analyses found melatonin gummies frequently contain doses that differ widely from labels, and FDA‑linked reviews have recorded product variability from 0% to 667% of the stated amount, prompting calls for clearer labeling after a spike in pediatric poison‑control calls. (consumerreports.org) (bmj.com) (healthday.com) The study authors urged clinicians and users to understand which metrics apps report and how accurate they are, and recommended caution for people who experience increased worry or stress when using sleep‑monitoring feedback. (frontiersin.org)