The thin line between optimizing sleep and overthinking sleep

Are you constantly trying to achieve the perfect sleep score on your sleep tracker? Stop it—sleep isn’t a competition you can win!

Of the Dutch people who monitor their health, 1.9 million do so specifically for their sleep. Apps like Fitbit (36%) and Garmin (22%), often paired with a smartwatch or activity tracker, are popular.

For many users, these wearables provide valuable insights: total sleep duration, deep sleep, heart rate, and sometimes even oxygen levels. Based on this data, people adjust their sleep habits—less screen time in the evening, more regular bedtimes, or going to bed earlier. A recent analysis of a dataset covering 46 million nights revealed interesting patterns in users’ sleep behavior.

Sleep trackers are not 100% reliable

But there’s also a risk here: the numbers don’t lie. Wearables are fairly accurate when measuring total sleep time, but their estimates of sleep stages are often only 50 to 75 percent reliable compared to clinical sleep studies.

That makes sense: smartwatches and sleep rings base their analysis on movement, heart rate, breathing, and sometimes skin temperature. In a sleep laboratory, however, brain activity, oxygen levels, eye movements, and breathing are also measured. In some cases, the sleeper is even filmed—for example, when parasomnia is suspected, a sleep disorder in which dreams can be physically acted out.

Still, many users rely heavily on the data from their sleep tracker. A small portion of the population develops an obsession with perfect sleep scores—this phenomenon is called orthosomnia and was first described in 2017. Estimates vary from 3% to 14% of adults, depending on the definition used and the population studied.

Sleeping worse because of your sleep tracker

A survey by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (see infographic) last year found that nearly half of Americans monitor their sleep, and more than half adjust their behavior based on the data. Strikingly, three-quarters reported sleeping worse because of their sleep tracker, as the numbers actually made them anxious.

Although there are no specific figures for orthosomnia in the Netherlands, there is no reason to assume the pattern would be different, since anxiety levels are similar in both countries.

The lesson is clear: sleep is not about perfect numbers. It’s about waking up feeling rested, staying energized throughout the day, and developing a healthy rhythm that fits your life. Technology can help, but the best night’s sleep still comes from simple habits: consistent bedtimes and wake-up times, enough relaxation during the day, and a comfortable sleep environment.

So the next time your “smart” watch tells you that you only had 45 minutes of deep sleep or your sleep score has dropped below 70, take a moment to breathe. Perfect sleep doesn’t exist—and obsessively measuring and analyzing it can actually harm your rest. Sometimes, letting go is the key to a truly perfect night. I can help you with that.