[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":170},["ShallowReactive",2],{"slug-how-i-optimized-my-sleep-with-technology":3},{"post":4,"relatedPosts":168,"relatedBooks":169},{"id":5,"date":6,"date_gmt":7,"guid":8,"modified":10,"modified_gmt":11,"slug":12,"status":13,"type":14,"link":15,"title":16,"content":18,"excerpt":21,"author":23,"featured_media":24,"comment_status":25,"ping_status":25,"sticky":26,"template":27,"format":28,"meta":29,"categories":30,"tags":32,"project_category":43,"contact_email_category":44,"yst_prominent_words":45,"class_list":55,"better_featured_image":73,"acf":111,"yoast_meta":112,"_links":115},11645,"2017-02-21T13:00:21","2017-02-21T11:00:21",{"rendered":9},"http:\u002F\u002Fscienceroll.com\u002F?p=11645","2022-05-18T18:34:24","2022-05-18T16:34:24","how-i-optimized-my-sleep-with-technology","publish","post","https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fhow-i-optimized-my-sleep-with-technology",{"rendered":17},"How I Optimized My Sleep With Technology",{"rendered":19,"protected":20},"\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"5px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp style=\"color: #555;font-size: 12px;line-height: 14px\">THIS ARTICLE HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2017. THE INFORMATION SHARED IN THE ARTICLE WAS ACCURATE AT THE TIME OF ITS PUBLICATION, BUT IT MAY BE OUT OF DATE NOW. \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fmagazine\">BROWSE OUR LATEST ARTICLES HERE\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As a data geek, I have been quantifying my health for over a decade, measuring different aspects of my life in order to improve it. Although it has been a long process, I also managed to optimize my sleep with technology. Are you curious, how? \u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003C!--more-->\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>For years, I was frustrated by the quality of my sleep. One day, I would wake up refreshed after just 6 hours of sleep, but another I spent fatigued, even after getting the “recommended” 8 hours of shuteye. Given how important proper sleep is to brainpower, health and overall well-being, I wanted to optimize how I slept through the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As many struggle to get a good night’s sleep, I decided to lay down how I measured, understood and optimized mine. Here’s my guide to sleeping better with technology.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"\u002Fwp-content\u002Fmedia\u002F2015\u002F11\u002Fabr-03.png\" alt=\"Sleep with Technology\" class=\"wp-image-11654\"\u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Getting started with improving sleep quality: Step 1, Finding the problem\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>A mistake people often make when they want to use technology to live better is rushing to buy a wearable device. Devising a way to optimize your life is up to you. A \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fwhy-dont-you-use-technologies-to-live-healthier\u002F\">wearable can help you\u003C\u002Fa>, for sure, but only with the data. It is only you who can change your own lifestyle. I wrote about my system \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fmedicalfuturist.com\u002Fthe-one-year-excel-spreadsheet-experiment-that-changed-my-life\u002F\">here\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>As each health tracker has different features, you must find the one that can solve YOUR problem. So the first step is understanding the problem itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I knew my sleep quality was not satisfactory, but to understand more, I started scoring my sleep every day. To learn exactly what I measured, check my free, step by step guide to hacking sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"653\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002Fsleeping-problems.jpg\" alt=\"Sleeping Problems - Sleep with Technology\" class=\"wp-image-15021\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002Fsleeping-problems.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002Fsleeping-problems-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002Fsleeping-problems-512x384.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002Fsleeping-problems-333x250.jpg 333w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Step 2: Measuring sleep quality\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Making a simple graph in an Excel spreadsheet made it clear that I regularly make mistakes before going to bed, as my subjective sleep quality often plummeted. But the change in quality did not depend very much on the actual sleep time or other often cited factors in sleep quality. So the scores helped me realize there are many things to improve, but without precise data about my sleep quality, the best I could hope for was a “trial and error” approach. To dig deeper into what made certain nights refreshing and others frustrating, I needed more data. It was time to look for a wearable device.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I purchased a small device, Withings Pulse. I chose it because it offers detailed sleep data such as how much time it takes to fall asleep; how long light and deep sleep periods are; and that is what I needed. It was also affordable with a cost of about 90 EUR.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>One thing I often hear people worry about is wearing a tracker for the rest of their lives, but don’t worry! I only wore the device daily for about a month when I optimized my sleep. Nowadays I just put it on every other month or so – when I feel something’s amiss with my sleep quality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"870\" height=\"870\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002Fwithings-pulse.jpg\" alt=\"Withings Pulse - Sleep with Technology\" class=\"wp-image-15023\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002Fwithings-pulse.jpg 870w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002Fwithings-pulse-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002Fwithings-pulse-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002Fwithings-pulse-512x512.jpg 512w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002Fwithings-pulse-250x250.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 870px) 100vw, 870px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>In a week, I learnt more about my sleep than in decades before. It confirmed it doesn’t matter at all whether I sleep for 7 or 9 hours, as long as I have at least one long deep sleep period. Crucial information that flies in the face of common sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>After a few months, I realized I could get even more details data so I started testing other devices: \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fwww.viatomtech.com\u002Fcheckme-pro\">Viatom Checkme\u003C\u002Fa> and O2, Fitbit Surge and Pebble Time. What I learnt is that if the tracker is good (but not perfect), measuring sleep quality still works when the application I use on the smartphone is great.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fplay.google.com\u002Fstore\u002Fapps\u002Fdetails?id=com.urbandroid.sleep&hl=en\">Sleep as Android\u003C\u002Fa> is the best app (I’m sorry, iPhone users)! It works with \u003Ca href=\"http:\u002F\u002Fsleep.urbandroid.org\u002Fdocumentation\u002Fintegration\u002Fwearable\u002F\">many types of sensors\u003C\u002Fa>; and is the perfect app to provide detailed measurements as well as wake you up at the best time. Because of this, I sleep with a sensor connected to the app every night, but in return:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Col class=\"wp-block-list\">\u003Cli style=\"text-align: justify;\">I know my sleep quality,\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli style=\"text-align: justify;\">I only sleep as much as I actually need,\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli style=\"text-align: justify;\">and I wake up at the best time every morning!\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Fol>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Jackpot!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\u003Cfigure class=\"aligncenter\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"489\" height=\"870\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002F1712507217.rsc.cdn77.org\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002Fscreenshot_2016-12-16-07-33-25.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15063\" srcset=\"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002Fscreenshot_2016-12-16-07-33-25.png 489w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002Fscreenshot_2016-12-16-07-33-25-288x512.png 288w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002Fscreenshot_2016-12-16-07-33-25-141x250.png 141w, https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002Fscreenshot_2016-12-16-07-33-25-768x1365.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 489px) 100vw, 489px\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Ffigure>\u003C\u002Fdiv>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003Cstrong>Step 3: Improving sleep quality based on data\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>Now that I had found out how high quality sleep looks like for me, it was time to find out how to get more of it. The devices could not help me do this, so it was time for some experimentation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>I started compiling a list of things I should and should not do before going to bed. I tried each and measured its impact. If something like intensive exercise or eating a certain type of food increased my time spent in REM sleep, I noted it down, then tried another. In another week, I learnt I should not exercise after 8 pm or check my phone before falling asleep. These things, among others, definitely ruin my sleep quality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>After some time, I realized the tricks of how I can get a good night’s sleep. Today, with a simple and affordable device, my sleep quality is not random, but consistently great.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>It definitely took me some effort, but far less than not being able to fall asleep or spending a day groggy without energy. So if you have sleep problems, I strongly advise you to try my method!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\u003Cp>[subscribe image=”false” type=”article-horizontal”]Subscribe to\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>\u003Cb>The Medical Futurist℠ Newsletter\u003C\u002Fb>\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>News shaping the future of healthcare\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Advice on taking charge of your health\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Reviews of the latest health technology\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>[\u002Fsubscribe]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\n\n\n\u003Ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #eee; border-top: 4px solid #444;\" cellpadding=\"10px\">\n\u003Ctbody>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd style=\"width: 100%;\">\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>At The Medical Futurist, we are building a community for making a bold vision about the future of healthcare reality today.\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ciframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fembed\u002FFIbMejImnxs\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\u003C\u002Fiframe>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to support this mission, we invite you to \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">join The Medical Futurist Patreon Community\u003C\u002Fa>. A community of empowered patients, future-oriented healthcare professionals, concerned health policymakers, sensible health tech developers, and enthusiastic medical students. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our research and sustains our future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.patreon.com\u002Fthemedicalfuturist\">\u003Cstrong style=\"background-color: #e71d3299; color: #000;\">Click here to support The Medical Futurist from as little as $3\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fa> – it only takes a minute. Thank you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Cp> \u003C\u002Fp>\n",false,{"rendered":22,"protected":20},"\u003Cp>As a data geek, I have been quantifying my health for over a decade, measuring different aspects of my life in order to improve it. Although it has been a long process, I also managed to optimize my sleep with technology. Are you curious, how? \u003C\u002Fp>\n",6,12392,"open",true,"","standard",{"_acf_changed":20,"footnotes":27},[31],496,[33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42],355,402,425,453,522,545,624,271,313,353,[],[],[46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54],1693,1729,1769,1883,1905,3841,5387,1571,1593,[56,14,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72],"post-11645","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-sensors-trackers","tag-personalized-medicine","tag-sleep","tag-technology-2","tag-wearables-2","tag-gc3","tag-sensors","tag-health-trackers","tag-health","tag-medicine","tag-personalized",{"id":24,"alt_text":74,"caption":27,"description":27,"media_type":75,"media_details":76,"post":5,"source_url":110},"Sleep with Technology","image",{"width":77,"height":78,"file":79,"sizes":80,"image_meta":107},870,418,"2015\u002F11\u002FSleep-Tracker-Feature-image_Dec_Wellocracy1.jpg",{"medium":81,"large":87,"thumbnail":92,"medium_large":96,"large_old_512x246":97,"medium_old_458x220":102},{"file":82,"width":83,"height":84,"mime-type":85,"source_url":86},"Sleep-Tracker-Feature-image_Dec_Wellocracy1-370x208.jpg",370,208,"image\u002Fjpeg","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002FSleep-Tracker-Feature-image_Dec_Wellocracy1-370x208.jpg",{"file":88,"width":89,"height":90,"mime-type":85,"source_url":91},"Sleep-Tracker-Feature-image_Dec_Wellocracy1-768x369.jpg",768,369,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002FSleep-Tracker-Feature-image_Dec_Wellocracy1-768x369.jpg",{"file":93,"width":94,"height":94,"mime-type":85,"source_url":95},"Sleep-Tracker-Feature-image_Dec_Wellocracy1-150x150.jpg",150,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002FSleep-Tracker-Feature-image_Dec_Wellocracy1-150x150.jpg",{"file":88,"width":89,"height":90,"mime-type":85,"source_url":91},{"file":98,"width":99,"height":100,"mime-type":85,"source_url":101},"Sleep-Tracker-Feature-image_Dec_Wellocracy1-512x246.jpg",512,246,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002FSleep-Tracker-Feature-image_Dec_Wellocracy1-512x246.jpg",{"file":103,"width":104,"height":105,"mime-type":85,"source_url":106},"Sleep-Tracker-Feature-image_Dec_Wellocracy1-458x220.jpg",458,220,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002FSleep-Tracker-Feature-image_Dec_Wellocracy1-458x220.jpg",{"aperture":108,"credit":27,"camera":27,"caption":27,"created_timestamp":108,"copyright":27,"focal_length":108,"iso":108,"shutter_speed":108,"title":27,"orientation":108,"keywords":109},"0",[],"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.medicalfuturist.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2015\u002F11\u002FSleep-Tracker-Feature-image_Dec_Wellocracy1.jpg",{"cta_type":27,"cta_color":27,"subtitle":27,"related_books":20,"related_posts_footer":20,"related_posts":20},{"yoast_wpseo_title":113,"yoast_wpseo_metadesc":114,"yoast_wpseo_canonical":15},"How I Optimized My Sleep With Technology - The Medical Futurist","As a data geek, I’ve been quantifying my health for over a decade. I also managed to optimize my sleep with technology. 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