Orthosomnia: When Sleep Tracking Becomes a Problem

In the age of social media, we’re bombarded with soundbites and quick tips on everything from parenting to health, including how to optimize sleep for our children. Sleep tracking, fueled by various apps and devices, has become a go-to tool for many new parents. And while tracking your baby’s sleep can be incredibly helpful, it also has a darker side. With so much emphasis on achieving the "perfect" sleep schedule, some parents become overly fixated on the data, leading to unnecessary anxiety and stress—a condition now known as orthosomnia.

The Science

Orthosomnia is a term coined in 2017 by Dr. Kelly Baron and her colleagues in a study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. The term is a combination of "ortho," meaning correct or straight, and "somnia," meaning sleep. It refers to an unhealthy obsession with achieving perfect sleep, often driven by the data from sleep trackers. Instead of improving sleep quality, this obsession can lead to increased anxiety and, paradoxically, worse sleep.

This term was originally used to describe adults obsessed with data from their wearable sleep trackers. While sleep trackers are designed to provide insights into sleep patterns, they are often inaccurate. Most consumer-grade sleep trackers for adults cannot reliably distinguish between different stages of sleep, like REM or deep sleep, and often misinterpret restless movement or even moments of wakefulness.

There has been little study of how accurate sleep trackers are for classifying baby and toddler sleep but many of these trackers seem to highlight night waking that parents would otherwise be unaware of. It may come as a surprise, but it's normal for babies and toddlers to wake up sometimes or to occasionally have restless sleep. As long as your child is not upset, this is nothing to worry about, and if not for a sleep tracker, you probably wouldn't have known about it anyway! For parents, especially those already sleep-deprived and stressed, obsessing over these normal variations in sleep can be detrimental, leading to constant worry and even disruptions in their child's sleep routine.

Obsession over tracking sleep can also occur when parents log their child's sleep patterns in a sleep-tracking app. Documenting sleep in this way can be very helpful for problem-solving but sleep is very complex and information on social media is often inaccurate or over-simplified. This leads to parents becoming convinced that their child has a sleep problem when the variation in their child's sleep is perfectly normal or using the wrong approach to fix a problem, potentially making sleep worse.

How Can You Reduce Sleep Tracking Anxiety and Use the Data Productively?

Sleep tracking can be a helpful tool if used wisely. Here are some best practices to minimize sleep tracking stress and make the most of the data:

• Set Realistic Expectations: Understand that no one, not even adults, has "perfect" sleep every night. Babies and toddlers are no exception, and some variability in sleep is normal.

• Focus on Patterns, Not Perfection: Instead of obsessing over every minute of wakefulness, look at the bigger picture. Are there consistent patterns or trends that you can address? Even babies have the flexibility to stay awake longer and shorter bouts from day to day. Do not worry if your baby doesn't fall asleep "on schedule."

• Take Breaks from Tracking: If you find yourself becoming anxious or stressed, take a break from tracking. Follow loose, age-appropriate norms, trust your instincts, and observe your child’s behavior without the constant data stream.

• Use Data as a Tool, Not a Rule: Remember that the data from sleep trackers should inform your decisions, not dictate them. Use it as one of many tools in your parenting toolkit.

• Understand that Sleep is Complex: It can be easy to see patterns where none exist, especially if you are basing your analysis on social media soundbites. Know that the way sleep and wakefulness interact can change based on your child's circadian rhythm and long-term sleep history and you may not be able to figure that out alone. If you’re unsure how to interpret the data or if it’s causing you stress, consult with a sleep professional (not a random person you find on social media who may not understand the nuances of sleep!).

  
  

We hope you found these tips helpful! At Baby Sleep Science, we understand how challenging it can be to navigate the world of baby sleep, especially with the added pressure of sleep tracking and the emergence of new technology. As always, we are here to help. We try hard not to be prescriptive about sleep so that you can make decisions that help you guide your child to a sleep pattern that works for you. To this end, you might find our other free blogs on naps, sleep regressions, toddler bedtime issues, and schedules useful.

If your child's sleep issues don't rise to the level of being a clinical problem, consider booking a consultation with us and we'll review the complexities of your situation to develop a plan together. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram for more evidence-based sleep information.

References

Baron, K.G., Abbott, S., Jao, N., Manalo, N. and Mullen, R., 2017. Orthosomnia: are some patients taking the quantified self too far?. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 13(2), pp.351-354.

Addison, C., Grandner, M.A. and Baron, K.G., 2023. Sleep medicine provider perceptions and attitudes regarding consumer sleep technology. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 19(8), pp.1457-1463.

Aupetit, S., Dubroca, G., Escaich, S. and Cabon, P., 2019. A qualitative study of sleep trackers usage: evidence of orthosomnia. Contemporary Ergonomics and Human Factors, pp.1-7.

Mindell, J.A., Leichman, E.S., Composto, J., Lee, C., Bhullar, B. and Walters, R.M., 2016. Development of infant and toddler sleep patterns: real‐world data from a mobile application. Journal of sleep research, 25(5), pp.508-516.

Chinoy, E.D., Cuellar, J.A., Huwa, K.E., Jameson, J.T., Watson, C.H., Bessman, S.C., Hirsch, D.A., Cooper, A.D., Drummond, S.P. and Markwald, R.R., 2021. Performance of seven consumer sleep-tracking devices compared with polysomnography. Sleep, 44(5), p.zsaa291.