Sleep tracking obsession leads to orthosomnia disorder

Medical experts are warning about a growing phenomenon known as ‘sleepmaxxing’, where individuals use digital trackers and supplements to obsessively optimize sleep performance. This obsession can lead to ‘orthosomnia’, a condition characterized by the pursuit of perfect sleep that often results in increased anxiety and actual sleep disturbances.

Dr. Alanna Hare, a sleep medicine consultant at Royal Brompton Hospital, states that the concept of a ‘sleep score’ is a fabrication by technology manufacturers, noting that ‘there is no such thing as a sleep score in sleep science.’ Experts suggest that wearable devices may provide inaccurate data, with some legal challenges in the US alleging that AI-driven sleep predictions are no more reliable than a coin toss.

A study by the University of Oxford highlighted the psychological impact of these devices, finding that participants who were given false low sleep scores felt more tired and inattentive during the day, even if they had slept well. Sleep specialist Dr. Neil Stanley emphasized that measuring wrist movement is not a substitute for measuring brain activity to truly assess sleep quality.