Because sleep deprivation can trigger seizures for many people with epilepsy, it’s natural to seek ways to monitor sleep on a regular basis. Do sleep trackers help improve sleep by providing useful feedback?  In theory, you could make changes to your daily habits—such as those listed in our sleep tips—and then use a tracker to see which changes worked. With limits, this can be quite helpful, but one must know their limitations to use them effectively.

How do Sleep Trackers Work?

Before deciding whether to use a sleep tracker, it’s worth understanding how these devices work. The gold standard for measuring sleep and its stages is the electroencephalogram (EEG), which records the brain’s electrical activity. In contrast, consumer sleep trackers—such as phones, watches, and rings—measure sleep indirectly. They rely on movement and heart-related signals. When you sleep, you move less and your heart rate drops. Changes in heart rate and heart rate variability are also associated with deep sleep and REM sleep. Algorithms then estimate whether you are “likely” in light sleep, deep sleep, or REM sleep.

Because these measurements are indirect, they are not perfect. Sleep trackers are generally quite good at estimating total sleep time and detecting awakenings during the night, but they are much less reliable at identifying specific sleep stages. They are also useful for showing patterns over time. For these reasons, if you choose to use a tracker, it’s best to focus on total sleep time and nighttime awakenings—not on detailed sleep stages. Try not to obsess over last night’s sleep each morning. These devices are better for spotting trends than judging a single night.

Identifying Awakenings with a Sleep Tracker

First, an individual night of quality sleep is shown with time versus sleep stage from left to right. The shades of blue are when I am asleep, with 7 hours and 50 minutes of estimated total sleep time and an estimated 2 minutes awake (orange). The shades of blue are algorithm estimated: dark blue (deep), medium blue (core), and light blue (REM sleep).

Second, a night of disturbed sleep is shown. Although I had a total estimated sleep time of 7 hours 21minutes (blue), I was awake for 2h 31minutes (orange) during the night.  Our grandson stayed with us overnight. Can you see when he woke during the night and how long it took me to return to sleep?

Using a Tracker to Help Identify Reasons for Night Time Awakenings

If a tracker shows that you have frequent awakenings at night, this can be very helpful because it allows you to look for possible causes. I live in a city, so there are many nighttime noises that can disturb sleep. Simple strategies to address these noises include using a white noise machine to mask these sounds or wearing earplugs to block out environmental noise—or even a partner’s snoring.

As reported in the Seattle Times one person discovered from their sleep tracker that drinking alcohol caused frequent brief awakenings at night. After stopping alcohol, their sleep improved. This is in agreement with our knowledge that alcohol can help you fall asleep initially, but it causes fragmented sleep later in the night, leading to poor-quality sleep overall.

I personally used a sleep tracker during a period when I was waking frequently at night due to stress. I found myself compulsively checking how much sleep I had gotten each morning. This made things worse, because it increased my stress when the tracker showed less total sleep than my goal. As a result, I stopped using the tracker for a while.

The Use of a Diary and a SleepTracker

Later, after developing and consistently following good sleep habits, I began using the tracker again. Now I pair it with a simple sleep diary to look for external factors that might affect my sleep. For example, does taking a nap during the day reduce my total sleep time at night? For me, the answer is no—a 20-minute nap doesn’t seem to hurt my nighttime sleep. Other factors you might track include the impact of the timing of eating dinner in relation to when you try to sleep. Many people say that alcohol doesn’t affect their sleep. With a sleep tracker and diary, it’s not hard to actually identify for yourself whether alcohol does affect your sleep. A diary can be helpful, but it’s important to remember that one night doesn’t tell the whole story. Sleep is influenced by many factors, so trends over time matter more than day-to-day changes.

In summary, sleep trackers can be helpful if used with the right expectations. Focus on total sleep time and long-term patterns rather than detailed metrics. Most importantly, prioritize healthy sleep behaviors. If a sleep tracker causes you stress, stop using it—especially if you have epilepsy, where stress itself can increase seizure risk.

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