This is a wake-up call for everyone who likes to monitor their sleep: Sleep-tracking devices may be keeping you up at night.

"Orthosomnia is an unhealthy or excessive concern with achieving the perfect sleep," says Sabra M. Abbott, MD, PhD, a neurologist and sleep medicine expert at Northwestern Medicine who helped coin the term. "It's based on the term 'orthorexia,' which is an unhealthy fixation with healthy eating."

Sweet dreams or daily stress?

According to a 2023 survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 35% of Americans have used an electronic sleep tracker. The devices have built-in sensors that collect and analyze sleep data.

Generally, the data gives you a snapshot of your night's sleep. It usually includes:

• Sleep duration: The total amount of time you are asleep.

• Stages of sleep: How much time you spend in light, deep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

• Sleeplessness and restlessness: How often you wake up and how much you move during the night.

• Heart rate: Your pulse and changes in your heart rate, which can vary between different sleep stages.

• Sleep score: The overall score that ranks your quality of sleep based on all the data.

Waking up to these stats every morning can help give you a fuller picture of your sleep patterns. But if you wish your numbers were a little dreamier — and it's weighing heavily on your mind — it can open the door to orthosomnia.

When sleep tracking becomes a problem

Paying attention to your sleep data can start to have a negative effect if it makes your stress levels go up as you try to wind down for bedtime. For example, if you start to feel pressure to have your sleep tracker register eight hours of sleep every night, that can cause anxiety, not relaxation.

"One of the signs or symptoms of orthosomnia is developing sleep problems because of the feedback you receive from personal fitness trackers," says Dr. Abbott. "Sometimes, this kind of feedback can cause sleep loss or make sleep problems worse." 

Insomnia and Orthosomnia: A Comparison

Because of the stress of reaching perfect sleep, orthosomnia can happen alongside or lead to insomnia: one of the most common sleep disorders. People with insomnia often have a hard time falling or staying asleep, and it happens frequently enough to affect their daily activities.

People with orthosomnia may spend extra time in bed to try to improve their sleep score. "It can lead to insomnia if individuals start spending more time in bed, trying to get more total sleep," says Dr. Abbott. This is because your brain starts to associate the bed with wakefulness and stress instead of sleep.

Other causes of insomnia include:

• Health problems: Pain, depression, medicine side effects or breathing problems

• Lifestyle factors: A change in sleep schedule; lack of exercise; or too much caffeine, nicotine or alcohol

• Circadian rhythm disorder: A shift in the body's normal 24-hour activity cycle

• Sleep settings: Uncomfortable mattress, noise or a room that's too hot or cold

• Stress: Problems at work, money worries or family issues

How to Address Orthosomnia

If you think you have orthosomnia because you're obsessed with your sleep numbers, Dr. Abbott offers some practical advice:

"Stop tracking data and start paying attention to how you feel," explains Dr. Abbott. "Sleep needs can vary from person to person, and sleep hours should not be viewed in the same way as step counts and active minutes. More is not always better when it comes to sleep."

In other words, you can track eight hours of sleep but still feel tired if that sleep is fragmented or disrupted. On the other hand, six to seven hours of uninterrupted sleep may leave you feeling more refreshed.

When that happens, it may be time to put away your sleep-monitoring devices at bedtime and focus on rest rather than numbers.

Here are a few more tips on how to get a good night's sleep:

• Skip large meals, caffeine and alcohol at night.

• Give your mind time to unwind. Turn the lights out on your screens and devices at least 30 minutes before you hit the sack.

• Create a restful sleep environment. Keep your room cool and dark and dress your bed with comfortable pillows and sheets.

• Relax by reading a physical book, taking a bath or warm shower, or meditating.

• Try to go to bed and wake up at roughly the same times every day, even on the weekends. This helps build a healthy sleep routine. 

 Learn more about common sleep disorders.