More and more gadgets are promising better sleep: for example through precise tracking via an app, or innovative-sounding methods such as light metronomes or white noise. A sleep doctor explains whether they really help.
Digitalization has also reached sleep. But what exactly is behind the devices and apps that are supposed to make it easier to fall asleep and improve sleep quality – and can they help with sleep disorders?
Take sleep trackers, for example: if you have a smartwatch or fitness tracker, you can use it to collect information about your own sleep quality. To make the best out of your sleep and be 100% relaxed when checking out the new 22Bet login.
Trackers can be inaccurate
Sleep is the body’s most important regeneration and repair program. Nevertheless, Weeß sees a big but: “Unfortunately, it has to be said that most sleep trackers are very inaccurate and cannot properly measure the quality of sleep or the amount of sleep.” And: as a rule, they have not been scientifically tested.
Hans-Günter Weeß says that these trackers are based on “Stone Age methods” of sleep research, as they often only measure frequency of movement, time of day and pulse. There is therefore a risk that the tracker will provide a false result – possibly not detecting a sleep disorder where one actually exists.
Tension is the enemy of sleep
And: people with sleep disorders in particular are very insecure about their sleep. By measuring their own sleep, they focus more and more on their sleep problem.
A vicious circle: the more you focus on the sleep problem, the more restless and tense you become. But: “Tension is the enemy of sleep. People can only ever sleep when they are very unconcerned about everyday worries and their own ability to sleep,” says Hans-Günter Weeß. He therefore recommends that his patients leave the devices out – and rely on their own body feeling.
Light metronome and white noise should relax
However, there are other technical sleep aids. A light metronome, for example. This is a device that projects light pulses onto the ceiling. You can follow the points and beams of light with your eyes or adjust your breathing rhythm to them. This is supposed to calm you down.
The so-called white noise, a monotonous sound that many people find pleasant, can also help to calm you down. There are special devices, but also apps and internet videos that allow you to listen to the noise.
“Many of these digital sleep aids aim to make the person affected more relaxed and to help them cope better with mental, emotional or physical restlessness,” says sleep physician Weeß.
However, these aids are rarely successful for people with a severe sleep disorder, according to the sleep physician. In his experience, white noise, for example, is only used as a sleep aid by one to two percent of patients.
There is usually a lack of scientific evidence
Weeß points out that the actual benefits of digital sleep aids are usually not proven by efficacy studies: “They come packaged in a highly technical way, which gives the user the impression that they are scientific.” In addition, some of them are quite expensive.
Prof. Thomas Penzel, sleep researcher and head of the sleep medicine department at the Charité hospital in Berlin, also points out that very few digital sleep aids have been scientifically tested. One exception is the “Somnio” app, which can be prescribed by a doctor as a digital health application (DiGA).
A study shows that it can help with sleep disorders. According to Thomas Penzel, the app mainly provides sleep hygiene rules in combination with advice. For example: regular bedtimes or the separation of bed and workspace.
“Because sleep is not an automatic process that you simply switch on and then you sleep. Sleep is behavior. We have to try to reduce stress and wind down before going to bed,” says Thomas Penzel.
Gadgets as part of rituals
Digital sleep aids can be very helpful if you incorporate them into a sleep ritual. Reading or a hot drink may help one person, while relaxing light or white noise may help another. “Anything that works to help you calm down is a positive thing,” says Thomas Penzel. “In this respect, you can’t say: ‘That’s all garbage’. Instead, if you see all these gadgets as supporting a ritual – yes, they can help.”
Sleep coach Jan Herzog takes a similar view. “These tools don’t help anyone with a genuine sleep disorder to fall asleep better and faster.” However, he also believes that they can help improve relaxation in individual cases. “Our inner nervous system has to switch from stress and performance mode to relaxation and rest mode in order to sleep.”