Orthosomnia: When Tracking Your Sleep Destroys It

Written by Dr. Lycan Dizon, Slumbelry Chief Sleep Consultant

We live in the age of quantification. We count our steps, track our calories, and map our heart rates. Naturally, we started tracking our sleep.

It started with good intentions. “If I can measure it, I can improve it,” we thought. We strapped on Apple Watches, Oura Rings, and Whoop bands. We woke up every morning and immediately checked our “Sleep Score.”

• 85? Good job.
• 62? Oh no. I must be exhausted.

But for many, this data has backfired. Sleep specialists have coined a new term for this condition: Orthosomnia. It comes from “ortho” (correct) and “somnia” (sleep)—the perfectionist quest for “correct” sleep that ironically keeps you awake.

The Nocebo Effect of Data

Here is a common scenario: You wake up feeling pretty good. You stretch, ready for the day. Then you check your app. It says: “Sleep Score: 55. Readiness: Low.”

Suddenly, you feel tired. You start looking for signs of fatigue. “Maybe my eyes are heavy. Maybe I shouldn’t work out today.”

This is the Nocebo Effect—the negative twin of the Placebo Effect. Because the device told you that you slept poorly, your brain manifests the symptoms of poor sleep, even if your biological rest was adequate.

The Accuracy Problem

We place blind faith in these devices, but they are not medical-grade EEGs. They cannot measure brain waves. They estimate sleep stages based on movement and heart rate.

If you lie perfectly still while reading a book, your tracker might think you are in “Light Sleep.” If you toss and turn during a dream, it might think you are awake. Studies have shown commercial trackers can be off by significant margins, especially when distinguishing between Light and REM sleep.

You might be agonizing over a “lack of Deep Sleep” that isn’t even real.

Are You Suffering from Orthosomnia?

Ask yourself these questions: 1. Is the first thing you do in the morning checking your sleep score? 2. Do you feel anxious before bed, wondering if you will get a “good number”? 3. Does a low score ruin your mood, even if you physically feel fine? 4. Have you stayed in bed longer than necessary just to “boost your stats”?

If you answered yes, your tracker has become a stressor, not a tool.

How to Detach from the Data

I am not saying you must throw your expensive gadget in the trash. But you need to change your relationship with it.

1. The “Feel First” Rule

When you wake up, do not check your phone or watch immediately. Spend the first 30 minutes assessing how you feel. Are you groggy? Alert? Happy? Establish your own internal baseline before you let an algorithm tell you how you feel.

2. Hide the Score

Some apps allow you to hide the daily score or view only weekly trends. Sleep is variable; one bad night means nothing. Trends over months matter; a random Tuesday score of 64 does not.

3. The Weekend Detox

Take the tracker off on Friday night and put it back on Monday morning. Relearn what it feels like to sleep without being watched. You might find that the freedom from judgment allows you to relax deeper than any algorithm could measure.

Sleep is a biological instinct, not a high score to be beaten. Your body knows how to rest. Sometimes, the best way to help it is to stop measuring it.