Sleep is supposed to be a time of rest and rejuvenation, a necessary process that allows the body and mind to recover. Yet, in the modern world, sleep has become something people analyze, measure, and even obsess over. The rise of sleep tracking technology, while intended to help people optimize their rest, has inadvertently led to a new phenomenon: orthosomnia.
Orthosomnia is a sleep disorder where individuals develop anxiety over their sleep quality, leading to difficulty falling or staying asleep. Ironically, the very tools designed to improve rest—sleep trackers, wearable devices, and smartphone apps—are often the culprits behind this problem. As people focus on getting a “perfect night’s sleep,” they become hyper-aware of their rest patterns, which leads to stress, frustration, and ultimately, poorer sleep.
Understanding orthosomnia is key to breaking the cycle of sleep anxiety and learning how to achieve true restorative rest without the pressure of perfection.
What Is Orthosomnia?
The term “orthosomnia” was first coined by researchers in a 2017 study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. It combines “ortho,” meaning straight or correct, with “somnia,” meaning sleep. The disorder primarily affects individuals who use sleep-tracking devices and apps to monitor their sleep patterns.
People with orthosomnia become fixated on achieving “optimal” sleep scores, often misinterpreting or overanalyzing the data provided by their devices. As a result, they develop pre-sleep anxiety, which leads to difficulties falling asleep or maintaining uninterrupted sleep throughout the night.
Symptoms of Orthosomnia
Orthosomnia manifests in different ways, but common symptoms include:
- Difficulty falling asleep due to stress over sleep quality.
- Frequent nighttime awakenings, checking sleep data or thinking about rest.
- Increased frustration or anxiety when sleep scores show poor results.
- Relying on sleep trackers to determine how rested they feel, rather than personal perception.
- Daytime fatigue, irritability, or difficulty concentrating due to sleep anxiety.
For many, the obsession with sleep quality ironically becomes the very thing preventing restful sleep. Instead of improving sleep hygiene, constant monitoring creates a counterproductive loop of anxiety and restlessness.
How Sleep Trackers Contribute to Orthosomnia
- Sleep Data Can Be Misleading
Sleep tracking devices use sensors to estimate sleep cycles, duration, and quality. However, these measurements are not always accurate. Most consumer sleep trackers use movement-based algorithms to determine sleep patterns, which means they can mistake stillness for sleep or restlessness for wakefulness.
Additionally, sleep cycles—such as REM and deep sleep—cannot be precisely measured without EEG technology, which requires direct brain wave monitoring. Despite this limitation, many people take their sleep scores as absolute truth, leading to misplaced concerns over “bad sleep” when their body may have actually rested sufficiently.
- The Pressure to Achieve “Perfect” Sleep
Sleep trackers assign scores, percentages, and ratings to sleep quality. While this gamification aspect may be motivating for some, it creates unnecessary pressure for others. People with orthosomnia begin setting unrealistic goals—trying to reach a specific sleep efficiency score or ensuring they get “enough deep sleep” based on app recommendations.
When they inevitably fall short of these idealized numbers, it fuels self-doubt and stress, making sleep even more elusive. The more they worry about improving their score, the more their sleep suffers.
- Hyperawareness of Sleep Patterns Disrupts Natural Rest
Before the rise of sleep technology, people relied on how they felt to assess their rest. If they woke up feeling refreshed, they assumed they slept well. However, sleep trackers shift the focus from subjective well-being to objective numbers, leading individuals to distrust their own perception of rest.
For example, a person might wake up feeling fine, but after checking their sleep data and seeing a “low sleep score,” they suddenly feel tired, unproductive, or dissatisfied. This phenomenon—known as the nocebo effect—demonstrates how negative expectations can impact perceived well-being.
- Sleep Anxiety Becomes a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
The more someone fixates on optimizing their sleep, the more they disrupt their own ability to rest. This creates a cycle where:
- The person tracks their sleep.
- They see suboptimal results and become anxious.
- Anxiety makes it harder to sleep.
- Poor sleep leads to worse scores the next night.
- The cycle repeats.
This feedback loop fuels long-term sleep issues, making orthosomnia a persistent and frustrating condition for those who experience it.
The Psychological Impact of Sleep Anxiety
Stress is one of the biggest enemies of sleep. When people worry excessively about their rest, their body releases stress hormones like cortisol, keeping them in a heightened state of alertness. This pre-sleep hyperarousal prevents the relaxation necessary to fall asleep naturally.
In addition, people with orthosomnia often lose trust in their body’s natural ability to regulate sleep. Instead of following their internal circadian rhythms, they rely on rigid sleep schedules and tracker recommendations. This detachment from natural sleep patterns can make it harder to achieve restorative, high-quality sleep.
Breaking the Cycle of Orthosomnia
- Reframing the Purpose of Sleep Tracking
For those who enjoy using sleep trackers, the key is to view the data as a general guide, not an absolute measure of sleep quality. Understanding that sleep trackers have limitations can help reduce unnecessary anxiety over small fluctuations in nightly rest.
- Reducing Dependence on Sleep Technology
Taking a break from sleep tracking can help individuals regain confidence in their natural sleep cues. Many find that when they stop monitoring their sleep every night, their sleep improves simply because they are less focused on perfection.
- Practicing Sleep-Enhancing Habits Without Obsession
Rather than chasing high sleep scores, individuals should focus on healthy sleep hygiene, such as:
- Keeping a consistent sleep schedule without stressing over exact times.
- Avoiding screen exposure before bed to reduce blue light interference.
- Creating a relaxing bedtime routine to signal to the body that it’s time to sleep.
- Engaging in mindfulness, deep breathing, or relaxation techniques to calm pre-sleep anxiety.
- Trusting the Body’s Natural Sleep Needs
The human body is designed to regulate sleep efficiently. Instead of micromanaging every aspect of rest, trusting natural tiredness cues and allowing sleep to happen organically can significantly reduce orthosomnia-related stress.
