Sleeping Soundly: A Quest for Quality Rest
As the pandemic continues to disrupt our lives, a good night’s sleep has become a luxury for many. I’m no exception. Despite falling asleep easily, I often wake up feeling groggy, tired, and plagued by disturbing dreams. To get to the bottom of this issue, I decided to track my sleep using an app called Pillow.
Uncovering the Problem: Lack of REM Sleep
After a month of tracking my sleep, the app revealed that I was consistently getting only 7-11% of REM sleep, far below the recommended 20-25% for a good night’s rest. This was a crucial discovery, but unfortunately, the app didn’t provide any solutions or insights on how to increase my REM sleep.
Features with Potential, But Limited Use
Pillow offers several features that could be useful for other sleepers. For instance, it tracks how long it takes to fall asleep, which could be helpful for those who struggle with insomnia. The app also monitors sleep cycles, providing a breakdown of time spent in REM, light, deep sleep, and awake periods. Additionally, it allows users to record their mood upon waking, which could help identify patterns between sleep quality and mood. However, these features didn’t provide much value for me, as I already knew that my mood and energy levels were closely tied to my sleep quality.
The Pandemic’s Impact on Sleep Patterns
Using Pillow during the pandemic has also limited the app’s usefulness. For example, its feature to track sleep quality by day of the week is less relevant when schedules are disrupted. In a pre-pandemic world, this feature would have been incredibly useful in identifying how my daily routines affected my sleep.
A Mixed Verdict
Tracking my sleep was an interesting experiment, but it didn’t yield the results I had hoped for. While I gained insight into my sleep patterns, I didn’t find any actionable solutions to improve my sleep quality. The app’s features, although useful for others, didn’t provide much value for me. Moreover, using my phone to track my sleep led to unhealthy habits, such as checking my phone before bed and first thing in the morning.
A Final Thought
Although Pillow didn’t work for me, I encourage others who struggle with sleep issues to give it a try. Sleep is a critical aspect of our overall health, and finding ways to improve its quality is essential. Who knows? You might find that tracking your sleep is the key to unlocking a better night’s rest.
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