What Is Sleep Tracking?

What Is Sleep Tracking?

What Is Sleep Tracking?

Many people suffer from irregular sleep, and this can be dangerous if not treated at the right time. You have to understand that getting good sleep is essential for the overall well being of your body, and you cannot neglect this issue.

When the body is deprived of sleep, it affects many other organs, and you will not feel energetic during the day. Other than that, there are few people who have problems with breathing during sleep, and this can be dangerous for their health.

It can also be fatal in some cases, and you should immediately consult a sleep specialist if you suspect anything wrong with your sleeping cycle. They will use various devices to monitor your sleep and determine the quality of your sleep.

This will give a deep insight into your overall health condition, and you can easily get rid of a host of health issues in this manner. Apart from that, you can also consider using modern day wearable devices to track your sleep.

These gadgets are well known for tracking the movement of the body, and they will classify the movement of the body based on active phase and sleep phase. When there is no movement in the body for a few minutes, it will record the phase under sleep time and you can get an insight into how many hours of sleep you are getting during the night.

Sleep tracking is accomplished in a number of ways, and it offers many benefits for your overall health.

  • It measures the number of hours you slept
  • It will also be able to determine the sleep phase
  • It helps people with sleeping disorders to identify the actual problem
  • It is done through sophisticated devices that monitor various activities of the body and brain during sleep cycle

Duration of sleep

This is one of the most important parameters to consider when you are tracking your sleep. Any normal person would require six to eight hours of sleep on a daily basis, and you must give due importance to this factor.

On top of that, you should also consider the quality of sleep that you get in this time along with the duration. It is very easy to track this factor by using wearable devices that are readily available on the market.

They are very light in weight and you can easily wear them for the whole day without any hassles. Most of them can be worn on the hand or ankle like a wristwatch, and this will basically track the movement of your body.

When the body is still for certain duration, it is considered to be in sleep and you can easily get to know how many hours you slept in this manner. When you have disturbed sleep, your body will show some movement and this phase is easily recorded by the device.

In this way, you can get to know how much duration you spent in that phase and this will give you some idea about the quality of your sleep. However, you must adjust the sensitivity of the tracking device to the optimum level so that your regular breathing is not considered as a movement of the device.

Sleep phase

This is another important factor that will determine the overall effectiveness of sleep in the long run. There is no point in having disturbed sleep for many hours, as it provides very little rest to your body.

On the other hand, your body may get sufficient rest even during a short period of sleep if the quality of sleep in very good. To determine the quality of sleep you are getting on a regular basis, you should carefully monitor the sleep phase.

This is usually done in a lab by monitoring your brain waves, which will give detailed information about the phase of sleep by classifying the brain waves. In this manner, the period for which your body was getting deep sleep can be easily determined, and this will help specialists to identify any issues with your sleeping cycle.

It is usually not possible to get such insight into your sleeping pattern by using wearable devices. They are not usually capable of recording brain waves, and you will have to visit a lab and get the help of a sleep specialist for this reading.

Sleep tracking benefits

There are many benefits of this activity and you will be able to overcome many health problems when you rectify issues with your sleep. The easiest way to track this is to choose a good quality sleep tracking device that can be worn on your body.

You can wear them like a wristwatch and use good software to read the data in the morning. This will help you to get some insight into your sleeping pattern and help you identify any disturbances in your sleep.

If you notice the pattern on a regular basis, you can immediately consult a sleep specialist who will conduct further tests to determine the cause of such problems. You will be surprised to know that some people stop breathing for a short duration during sleep, and this will often go unnoticed until they visit a sleep specialist.

It can cause a lot of harm to the body in the long run and you should never neglect such issues. In this regard, the best thing to do is to visit a professional sleep specialist as soon as you notice something wrong in your sleeping cycle.

How is sleep tracking done?

The most common way of tracking sleep is to use a wearable gadget that will monitor body movement. It will give some insight into the duration of your sleep and you can identify any issues with disturbed sleep.

Apart from that, you can visit a sleep specialist who will put some electrodes on your head and monitor your brain waves during sleep. They will also track the breathing rate and heart rate along with the flow of blood in the body during the sleeping phase.

In this way, they will be able to do a detailed test on your body and brain activity during sleep to determine any problems with your sleep.

How Accurate Are Sleep Trackers?

How Accurate Are Sleep Trackers?

How Accurate Are Sleep Trackers?

When it comes to measuring the accuracy of sleep trackers, you have to bear in mind that it depends on a lot of parameters. To begin with, you have to understand that most of the devices available on the market are wearable and you can conveniently wear them like a wrist watch on your body throughout the day.

This will continuously track your body movement and classify them as active phase and sleep phase. When there is no movement in your body for some duration, the data is taken as sleep mode and this is reflected in the software when the device is synced with your computer.

In this way, you can get effective results based on how you use the device. It is also advisable to wear them on different parts of the body for a few days and check out the average data for the entire period.

If you are testing this on your own, this is likely to give more accurate results than anything else. On the other hand, you can also go in for a professional check-up and get the help of a sleep specialist if you suspect any sleep disorders.

This is the best approach as they will use sophisticated equipment to monitor many things at once and you can get results with better accuracy.

Various factors that determine accuracy

  • They are based on accelerometers and track body movement
  • Advanced devices can also measure heart rate and breathing
  • Professional equipment used in labs give better results
  • It depends on the software used for analyzing the data

Accelerometer based tracking

Most wearable devices work on this concept and they can only detect whether the body is in motion or not for any particular period. In this regard, you will not be able to determine other problems associated with sleeping and you should not consider the results from such devices to be completely accurate.

While this may sound good for a normal person having healthy sleeping habits, it is not advisable when you have some serious issues with sleeping. The difference comes to monitoring the quality of sleep against the time period you spend in this activity.

You have to remember that you may not have good quality sleep and face difficulty in breathing on many occasions during your sleep. However, accelerometer based devices will not be able to detect these intricate issues and you cannot go with such results when you have some problems with your sleeping cycle.

In this way, you have to understand the limitations of the device before you depend on them for accurate results. On the other hand, you can easily use these devices to monitor other aspects of your health and they also offer the convenience of being able to wear them for long hours without any hassles.

All these advantages will outweigh the minor limitations of sleep trackers.

Measure heart rate and breathing

There are many trackers that can also measure your heart rate and breathing along with sleep activity, and this will give you better results. The simple reason for this theory is that you will have to consider the breathing pattern and heart rate along with various parameters to measure the quality of sleep.

Remember that the sleep phase can only be determined by monitoring brain waves and you cannot rely on body movement tracking alone to get this result. However, it is not feasible to get brain wave data with equipment you can use at home; you will need to sleep in a lab for a couple of days to get such data measured during your sleep cycle.

On the other hand, wearable devices have their own advantages and they are very simple to use for the common audience. This is the reason for their growing popularity, and most people will be happy to combine the breathing rate and heart rate parameters into activity tracking and get some idea about their sleeping pattern.

When you use good software that can integrate all this information and make sense out of it, you will be able to get reliable results in most cases.

Sleep testing in labs

This is the best way to get the most accurate results about your sleep, and you can easily rely on such tests. They are performed by experts who have many years of experience in this field, and they will use sophisticated pieces of equipment to monitor your sleeping pattern.

In this way, you can easily trust the results, as professional doctors will personally monitor all the data from the brain wave activity, oxidation in the blood, breathing rate and heart rate, along with various other parameters. In this manner, you can accurately determine the sleep phase and this will give you the best results.

They will even consider eye movement during sleep to recognize the sleep phase, and it will be able to help you determine for how long you are having deep sleep during the night. The only downfall of such tests is that they take a long time and that you will have to sleep in the lab for a couple of days to complete the test.

Apart from that, you will also need to wear many electrodes on your head to get the brain wave data. In this way, it is not suitable for the average person who does not have many problems with sleep on a daily basis.

Software

You will also have to consider the accuracy of the software in reading into the data when you use wearable devices. In this way, you can trust the popular software that is compatible with your device and monitor the performance closely for a few days.

This will give you the average performance on a daily basis, and you can consider this to be fairly accurate by general standards. You can also try using different software for the same data and check if there is any discrepancy in the readings.

All these things will help you to get better results from your device.

How Do Sleep Trackers Work?

How Do Sleep Trackers Work?

How Do Sleep Trackers Work?

There are many ways in which you can track your sleep, and this is gaining a lot of importance in recent years. You can even get wearable gadgets that will monitor your sleep and you can use the data to analyze how many hours you are sleeping on a daily basis.

This is especially helpful when you are having problems with sleeping regularly, and you should never neglect such issues. This can cause a lot of harm to your overall health condition in the long run and you must immediately consult your doctor to get a suitable remedy for the problem.

In the first place, you have to be sure about the quality of sleep you get on a daily basis to be able to arrive at any solution. When you do not get proper sleep, your body will feel tired and you will not be able to do your work efficiently during the day time.

This can be due to many reasons, and your doctor will be the best person to analyze your situation and suggest the best remedy suited for your medical condition. In this regard, you can use the sleep tracker that can be worn on your body and get some reliable information about your sleeping habits.

Amazing features of sleep trackers

  • You can wear sleep trackers on your body
  • They monitor your body movements closely to track your sleep
  • The data is synced with the software to get a detailed report about your sleep
  • Use them in the right position to get accurate results

Wearable sleep trackers

The biggest advantage of choosing wearable gadgets to track your sleep is that you will be freed from a lot of issues and you can comfortably sleep without any hassles. Even though there are many advanced methods used by sleep specialists to determine the quality and phase of sleep in a lab, they cause a lot of inconvenience to the wearer and they will not be able to sleep peacefully with all the equipment around them.

In this regard, the best option is to choose a wearable gadget that will give reliable information about the movement of the body during sleep. It will be able to track even simple movements and you can set the sensitivity as per your requirement.

In this way, you will get to know for what duration your body was still without any movement – this is counted as the sleep period. It is possible to connect the device to your computer and analyze the data through the software.

These wearable gadgets look similar to a wristwatch and you can easily wear them for the whole day without any hassles. They are also very light in weight and you will not feel uncomfortable, even when you wear them for long hours.

Some people also use them during the day time to determine sleepiness during working hours, and this will help them to correct their sleeping habits.

Track your body movement

It is possible to track the movement of the body using the sleep tracker. They will be able to determine even small movements of your body, and this is classified as an active period and recorded in the device.

On the other hand, when you turn the device to sleep mode, you will be able to get the data for the period when your body was completely still without any movement. This period is classified as a sleeping period, and you can sync the data with the computer and analyze it with the help of the software.

In this way, these wearable gadgets are a huge boon to sports enthusiasts and common people who want to track their sleeping habits. When you are able to notice any abnormal activities, you should immediately consult your health care professional and seek proper medical care for your condition.

This tracker will also help you to monitor the movement of your body during the active phase. This will help you in many ways to determine your overall physical activity throughout the day.

Analyze the data with software

Once you have completed all the other steps you will have to read the data. which is possible by hooking the device to your computer. The gadgets come with this option and you can seamlessly connect them to your computer and analyze the data.

For this purpose, you will need to use the software that is compatible with the device, and this will help you to read the data in the best possible manner. Remember that the software you use to analyze the data will play a major role in the accuracy of the readings and you should always prefer the ones that are having good reviews from professionals in the industry.

In this manner, you can rest assured that you are getting the correct information about your sleeping time and this will help you to choose further remedial measures in the event of any irregularities in your habits.

How to get the best readings?

Remember that these devices work by way of watching your body movement and any small movement will contribute to inaccurate readings. In this regard, you will have to wear the gadget properly as prescribed by the makers to get accurate results.

While some people prefer to wear them on the wrists, it can sometimes lead to incorrect results as you may place your hand on the stomach, which will move along with your breathing. If the device is sensitive enough to record this as active movement, it will record it as the active phase and you will be getting incorrect information about your sleeping pattern in this manner.

For this reason, some people prefer to wear them on the ankles, which will usually not have much movement during sleep. In this way, you will be able to get the best out of the device.

You can also get in touch with sleep specialists to analyze the data, and it is also a good idea to go through the readings for a few days on a regular basis to get consistent results.

Garmin Vivofit 2: A Review

Garvin Vivofit 2: A Review

Garvin Vivofit 2: A Review

Going through 21st-century life, almost everyone feels that we have become inactive and unhealthy. Our lives now majorly consist of sitting in front of a screen or lying in front of a screen. We have forgotten how to move and strengthen our muscles.

And science has backed the fact that we truly are becoming more lethargic and there is a natural phenomenon behind it. The thing is, our bodies are not made to just sit around and not move all day.

We have evolved to move, to run, to explore and to never stop. Out of all the land based animals, humans have shown to have the most stamina.

We don’t run very fast but we can run for longer. And that is why marathons are promoted and are enjoyed by many people all over the world.

But do not worry; you do not have to run marathons to make a change in your life. All you have to do is move a bit more. Increase your overall steps and live a more active lifestyle.

But of course it is easy to make plans but quite hard to execute them. We humans may have been evolved to concentrate for long, but our minds still chase the comfort of not moving.

And since we already are so very engrossed in our daily lives that we always forget the plans we make for ourselves. And yet we are so good at executing our employer’s plans? Maybe we need to be delivered our own plans in such a way as well.

And so, to make ourselves stay on track and actually execute our plans towards healthier lifestyles, we need a certain reminder through the course of our day, just like our daily work tasks. And so, the activity tracker of Garmin Vivofit 2 is an ideal option for just that.

[easyazon_link identifier=”B00RY1Z9NQ” locale=”US” tag=”latestfitne04-20″]Garmin Vivofit 2[/easyazon_link] is a brilliant activity tracker that tells you about your movement and actually reminds you every time you are not being active. In prolonged times of inactivity, it shows you through a red bar and alarm to tell you to move.

And this is really ideal for any office worker. As the tracker will tell you when to move when you are so engrossed in your work.  Now, let us look at some of its features.

[easyazon_image align=”center” height=”330″ identifier=”B00RY1Z9NQ” locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41GPofH43yL.jpg” tag=”latestfitne04-20″ localize=”y” width=”500″]

Features

Garmin Vivofit 2 comes with a variety of features. In its initial packaging, you will find the Garmin Vivofit 2 with one large and one small band, for people with all sizes of wrists.

It will also contain a USB ANT stick to connect to your computer and upload your daily activity chart, this you can then use to see your progress report and even join an ever-expanding online community on Garmin Connect. And here are all the features that it comes with:

Activity Tracker

The activity tracker comes with a move bar, which you can use to check your activity and daily goals. And alerts, so that you are able to remember about your goals.

It also has a battery life of one whole year, which means you never have to worry about battery problems. Its interface will record your activity daily and will propose a plan for you itself. The plan will also get updated on the basis of your progress.

And so it will motivate you to be better every single day. It will tell you about the steps you took daily, the calories you burn, the distance that you traveled, and all of it on a beautiful backlit display.

Durable

Once you put on the Garmin Vivofit tracker, you never have to take it off. It is water proof, strong, and comfortable enough that you will not even feel it is there. It also tells you about your sleep hours, your activity hours, and your leisure time.

Keeping goals

When you are ready to take it to the next step, you will be able to do just that by using the activity timer you will be able to record your runs, walks or swimming.

You can also pair this with a heart rate tracker to keep count of your daily heart rate. Then you can feed all of it in the Garmin Connect and watch your body transform.

Now let us take a look at some of its Pros and Cons as follows:

Pros

  • There is no recharging as the battery will literally last a whole year.
  • It is completely water proof, so you can take it with you to swimming.
  • It tells you an accurate time and date.
  • It alerts you in a blissful alarm after every hour of inactivity.
  • It can pair up with a Heart Rate Monitor.
  • It has a back light so that you can look at your stats even in pitch darkness.

Cons

  • It does not vibrate while giving you an alert.
  • You cannot customize the alert reminders.
  • And you cannot set a manual alarm.

Summary

Garmin Vivofit 2 is an Activity Tracker that has an automatic tracker that records your activity daily. After recording your activity, it creates a unique activity plan for you and gives you daily goals.

Throughout the day, it also gives you reminders with a red line and alert tune after every hour of inactivity. It is very durable and lightweight, once you wear it, you really do not need to take it off again.

It also comes with a backlight, which allows you to look at your stats even in the pitch of the night. It can also be easily connected to a heart rate monitor, which you can use to pair your stats up and upload on the Garmin Connect application, and look at your complete progress.

The tracker is waterproof, can also be used to enhance your activity goals, and can be used as a recorder to record your running, swimming, skipping, and walking. For a better and healthier lifestyle, Garmin Vivofit 2 is one of the best devices that you can have.

Comparison

In comparison to Garmin Vivosmart HR+ and Fitbit Alta HR, Garmin Vivofit 2 is similar but at an affordable price.

Verdict

[easyazon_link identifier=”B00RY1Z9NQ” locale=”US” tag=”latestfitne04-20″ localize=”y”]Garmin Vivofit 2[/easyazon_link] is an amazing activity tracker that actually modifies your goals in accordance with your daily progress. An excellent fitness gadget for a better, healthier, and more active lifestyle.

Top 10 Benefits of Fitness Walking

Fitness Walking Cloud

Of all the different forms of exercise, that’s available for fitness, one of the most underrated is Fitness Walking.

Before we discuss the benefits of fitness walking, let’s understand what it is.


When we walk normally we often call it a stroll.

During a stroll, we are usually not conscious of the body’s movements. Our breathing rate is only slightly higher than when at rest. The muscles in our body are being used but not exercised.

Fitness walking, on the other hand, is done consciously. We still walk as before but focus on technique and pace.

It is also popularly known as power walking.Fitness Walking Man

30-minute walk a day can reduce your risk of coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, breast and colon cancer, and Type-2 diabetes.

American Heart Association

You maintain good walking posture, step up the pace and engage your core. As you progress, you will be able to pace yourself so that your breathing rate is increased yet you are not out of breath.

What Fitness Walking is not


  • It is not about walking too fast or over-striding. This makes you short of breath and tire quickly.
  • It is not about moving your arms too fast or vigorously. There are no additional benefits in doing this.
  • Do not look down all the time during the walk. This leads to poor form and technique.
  • Do not tense your upper body. This strains the back and also results in poor form and technique.
  • It is not advisable to carry hand weights or place weights on your ankles.
  • Do not get too distracted when walking. If you do, simply release the distraction and come back to the present moment. To maximise results, pace yourself and stay focused on engaging your core.

Do What Works for You


As fitness walking is an aerobic activity, you will ideally need proper walking shoes and be suitably clothed.

At times I find the above advice hard to follow. As a consultant, I am travelling often and don’t always have my walking gear handy. I often step out of the office during lunch for a brisk 20-minute walk if the weather is nice. 🙂

Fitness Walk Woman

How far would you walk for fitness in a day? It’s really up to you. Personally, I try to keep to the recommended 10,000 steps a day (which is roughly 5 miles).

An activity tracker like [easyazon_link identifier=”B00RY1Z9NQ” locale=”US” nw=”y” nf=”y” tag=”latestfitne04-20″ cart=”n” cloak=”n” localize=”y” popups=”y”]Garmin Vivofit 2[/easyazon_link] is the perfect fitness companion that will keep you motivated.

Regular walking has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, asthma, stroke and some cancers.

NHS, UK

Benefits of Fitness Walking – My Top 10


There are many so benefits to fitness walking, I could go on forever :).

My top 10 are listed below.

                      10 Benefits of Fitness Walking
Benefit 1:

Fitness walking is a moderately aerobic activity and improves cardiovascular fitness.

Studies have shown fitness walking to greatly reduce the risk of the major NCDs (non-communicable disease), including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke) and musculoskeletal conditions such as back pain.

Benefit 2:

Fitness walking burns nearly the same amount of calories as jogging yet it is easier on the body.

According to studies conducted by researchers from California State University, ” Walking and running are both acceptable activities that increase EE (Energy Expenditure) above rest and can be performed without the expense of a health club membership and meet adequate kilojoule expenditure according to American College of Sports Medicine guidelines.”

Benefit 3:

Tones and strengthens the muscles in your body and gets you fit.

When proper form and technique are maintained during fitness walking, the body is exercised optimally. As you get stronger, you may need to consider a strength training program to compliment your fitness walking.

Benefit 4:

Helps in reducing cravings and other addictions like smoking and naturally, promotes the desire for healthy eating.

I always go for my fitness walk before I eat. Not only do I get the exercise out of the way, I also end up eating a smaller portion. And I also find myself going for the healthier foods. Win-Win-Win!

Benefit 5:

You will notice an improvement in the quality of sleep at night.

It is important to note here that you try and finish your fitness walk at least 3 hours prior to bedtime. Or even better, get it out of the way earlier in the day. This is because any form of exercise causes the release of hormones that make one alert.

Benefit 6:

You will experience improved energy levels during the day.

This is probably why the best time in the day for your fitness walking is first thing in the morning. A moderately aerobic activity coupled with the release of ‘feel good’ hormones in the body will set you up for holistic success in mind, body and spirit!

Benefit 7:

Your mental well-being will improve. Things that caused anxiety earlier will no longer have the same hold on you. You will experience less stress overall.

It’s those awesome ‘feel good’ hormones again! They are the primary reason for feeling ‘euphoric’ after your fitness walk. Read about them here.

Benefit 8:

Many aches and pains resulting from a sedentary lifestyle fade away.

The muscles in the body are being flexed during fitness walking and aches and pains due to inactivity are reduced as a result.

Benefit 9:

Improves the body’s overall metabolism and also helps in detoxing the body.

Detoxification is an essential bodily function which is greatly supported by regular exercise. Ridding the body of excess waste leads to a stronger immune system, weight loss, and many other health benefits.

Benefit 10:

Last but not least, you can do this with a friend. It’s fun, make it social.

It’s fun to buddy up with others and do it together. Not only do you get to exercise, you get to strengthen bonds with colleagues and friends.

Are you a fitness walker? Please share your experience in the comments section below. I would love to hear from you and read your experience.

Note: If this is your first time to the site, see what we are about here.