Sleep trackers are everywhere - from watches to rings to apps. But do they actually improve sleep, or just add more data to your life? With over 5,000 searches in South Africa last year, the debate around sleep trackers is growing.
What do sleep trackers measure?
- Time spent asleep
- Heart rate and breathing
- Movement during sleep
- Estimates of light, deep and REM stages
This information can help you understand patterns, but it is not always 100% accurate.
The pros of sleep trackers
- Awareness: they highlight habits and encourage consistency.
- Motivation: seeing progress can inspire you to prioritise sleep.
- Trends over time: while one night’s data may be off, long-term patterns can be useful.
The cons of sleep trackers
- Accuracy concerns: consumer devices often estimate, rather than measure precisely.
- Sleep anxiety: Focusing too much on “perfect scores” can actually make sleep harder.
- Data overload: without action, numbers alone do not improve rest.
The role of the right sleep setup
Even the best tracker cannot fix a bad mattress. The Sloom Original Mattress ensures your foundation for sleep is solid, with adjustable comfort layers that reduce disruptions and improve sleep quality.
Making the call
The Sloom Sleep Survey showed that South Africans value quality sleep over gadgets, but many still use trackers as an extra tool. The bottom line? Trackers can be helpful - but they work best when paired with good habits and the right mattress.