Sleep Tracker

[Cat111]

I'm having issues with very low time in deep sleeep. I'm wondering if it is my fitbit tracker or if I am in need of a more precise device. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[circular]

This study was done by Fitbit, but they have a huge amount of data to examine patterns in. Still I’d like to see an independent review. I recently started wearing my Fitbit again.

http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/2017/06/s ... ep-stages/

[SusanJ]

Just to throw another thought out there. Perhaps you are sensitive to the RF emissions?

And is your phone off or not in the same room as you sleep? I'd sleep without the fitbit and phone in the room for a few nights just to compare.

[floramaria]

I'm having issues with very low time in deep sleeep. I'm wondering if it is my fitbit tracker or if I am in need of a more precise device. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you in advance.

fitbit
Hi Cat111, If you have an iPhone, you could download the free version of Sleep Cycle app and then compare the results there with those you get on your Fitbit.

[CarrieS]

I've heard good things about the Oura ring and was thinking about getting one myself.
https://ouraring.com/

[Matisse]

I've had the Oura ring for just about a year. In fact, I'm waiting for the updated one to be sent to me. I'm very happy with it. I too have had difficulties with not getting enough deep sleep, and it has helped me to determine whether various interventions are working. I have had some success with increasing my deep sleep. It also has an activity tracker that measures movement differently than Fit Bit and other trackers but once you have a baseline you're just doing personal comparisons. I purchased it primarily to track sleep so the activity tracker is a bonus for me.

[apod]

I've heard good things about the Oura ring and was thinking about getting one myself.
https://ouraring.com/

I'm super excited to get my Oura Ring.... I pre-ordered last December and it should be shipping out sometime around the end of this month or early next month.

[xactly]

I too have had difficulties with not getting enough deep sleep, and it [Oura ring] has helped me to determine whether various interventions are working. I have had some success with increasing my deep sleep.

I have just started tracking sleep, and the initial data shows I am not getting enough deep sleep (10% cf 16-21%). Can you or anyone else comment on successful interventions that increase deep sleep? I am using good sleep hygiene (dark room plus sleep mask; consistent bedtime; blue-light blocking glasses in the evening).

I also have been taking GABA (from 125-500 mg) and 500 mcg of melatonin most nights. Pure Encapsulations Best Rest Formula seems to work well and contains both ingredients. Without GABA I usually wake up around 2 a.m. and have difficulty going back to sleep due to monkey-mind thoughts generated by the default mode network. (I am glutamate-dominant because of GAD1 polymorphisms, so adding GABA helps address my innate glutamate/GABA biochemical imbalance.)

I am pleased I have been able to increase my total sleep time. Although I'm 66, I want to achieve deep sleep and REM targets that are typical for younger people. I believe this is an important aspect of "juventology," or youth science (as Valter Longo uses the term) that will help prevent AD.

[missy]

For me it's just being in bed longer, between 9-10 hours, I improved my score to 1.5hours deep sleep, my best score is 96 which is only 3 more than when I started a year ago, but some improvement.

[Verax]

Deep sleep and the ADA gene were discussed in April by Alexis and NF52 viewtopic.php?f=33&t=4654&hilit=ADA

Although the minor (5%) T (A) allele of the ADA gene is associated with more deep sleep, it has both positive and negative aspects and might be worth checking out when setting sleep goals.

Fitbit at http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/2017/06/s ... ep-stages/ reported deep sleep percentage varies with age, gender, and sleep duration.

When getting 5 hours or less of sleep a night, users get a smaller percentage of deep sleep, which occurs near the beginning of the night. Deep sleep is important for many physical processes such as cell regeneration, human growth hormone secretion and feeling refreshed in the morning.

Gen Z (age 13-22) sleeps the most, averaging 6 hours and 57 minutes of sleep a night with 17% of the time in deep sleep, while Baby Boomers (age 52-71) sleep the least at 6 hours and 33 minutes per night with 13% of the time in deep sleep.

People get less deep sleep as they age, decreasing from an average of 17% at age 20 to 12% at age 70.
Women sleep an average of 25 more minutes a night than men and have a higher percentage of REM sleep, a difference which increases even further around age 50.

Previous sleep research has shown that most people spend 50-60% of their night in light sleep, 10-15% in deep sleep, and 20-25% in REM sleep. Fitbit analysis shows that age and gender impact your sleep cycle, and confirm that most people typically lie within these ranges on average over 30 days. Night-to-night sleep cycles may vary widely.

23andMe reports deep sleep regulation is controlled by your rs73598374 allele in the ADA gene (which produces the enzyme adenosine deaminase, which converts adenosine to inosine.) The longer you stay awake the more adenosine builds up, so metabolizing it promotes deep sleep.

selfdecode.com reports the T (minor, 5%) allele of rs73498374 causes less amino acid substitution and is associated with positive and negative effects https://www.selfdecode.com/snp/rs73598374/ (references omitted)

Adenosine increases minimum lifespan but reduces maximum lifespan. It's believed that elevated cellular concentrations of adenosine reduce heart disease risk and can help during a stroke

More adenosine translates into increased slow-wave sleep in individuals with the T allele https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/217 ... t=Abstract http://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/48649/

T (A) carriers had less cognitive performance than G (C) when awake in spite of more deep sleep. Naps might help more than nighttime sleep.

Worsened performance on a test of attention among right-handed carriers (R).

Reduced attention and vigor when awake. Also, EEG alpha activity (8.5-12 Hz), sleepiness, fatigue, and α-amylase in saliva were enhanced (R).

Significantly higher deep sleep and EEG 0.75- to 1.5-Hz oscillations in non-REM sleep. When awake, attention and vigor were reduced. EEG alpha activity (8.5-12 Hz), sleepiness, fatigue, and Œ-amylase in saliva were enhanced (R).

Better sleep, but more fatigue in the day due to higher adenosine levels.

Lower telomerase activity (R), which will cause shorter telomeres.

A higher likelihood for males to live between 66-88 years, but a lower likelihood for men to live longer than 88 years (R). It’s believed that elevated cellular concentrations of adenosine reduce heart disease risk, as well as help during a stroke (R).

Higher rates of glycolysis, which may increase the number of metabolic calories and, in turn, reduce activation of Sirtuin genes (R).