Fitbit sleep tracker - anybody out there who has one and sees that it says you wake up many times?

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Shandajh
Shandajh Posts: 57 Member
in Motivation and Support
I never realized I wake up as much as I do - anywhere from 14 to 20 times a night. I do not snore, so not sure if that means for sure that I don't have sleep apnea, but I am unemployed and have no insurance, so I can't get it checked anyway. But I've tried taking tart cherry powder, which is supposed to help you sleep because of the melatonin in it and I've also tried taking an HTP capsule. I don't use sleep aids because they are dangerous to your health over the long term and anyway, whenever I have tried, like for example taking Nightquil for a cold - I always wake up about 4 hours later and can't go back to sleep. Same thing happens if I take a melatonin capsule and it happened just last night too when I took two TB of tart cherry powder before bed. I do not drink any alcohol either. Is there anyone who has this issue and was able to solve it? If so, what did you do or take?

Replies

  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    I see this on my FitBit One sometimes. With me I swear it's a hormone thing (menopause). Regular exercise helps me sleep better. I take a couple days off....I'm back to not sleeping well.
  • JoanaMHill
    JoanaMHill Posts: 265 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Exercise can help, yeah. Also winding down before bed. People who say EVERYONE needs to turn off the TV and stuff X hours before bed are full of you-know-what, but some people do need to relax their brain before they can sleep well.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Melatonin gives me vivid nightmares. Google "sleep hygiene" for advice on getting more sleep. For example, I wear a sleep mask, use a white-noise machine, and switched from calcium supplements to calcium, magnesium & zinc.

    And talk to your doctor.
  • brandyosu
    brandyosu Posts: 257 Member
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    I have problems sleeping. I was averaging between 3 and 4 hours of actual sleep a night. Things that have helped 1) discovering that I had really bad allergies all year long and not just spring and fall and actually treating them 2) seriously cutting back the caffeine. I still only average between 5 and 6 hours a night of restful sleep but any improvement is better than none. I've been told I need to start incorporating some exercise as well. I'm less enthusiastic about making that commitment but hopeful that if I do I will hopefully see additional improvement in sleep.
  • WickedPineapple
    WickedPineapple Posts: 698 Member
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    I think my worst was something in the 40s, average in the teens or 20s most nights. I've always been an insomniac though, so this info wasn't surprising. However, sometimes it'll give me 15+ "wakes" and I don't recall waking at all. Your fitbit can only measure movement, so take those numbers with a grain of salt.

    That said, you do sound like you're suffering from insomnia. I agree about looking into sleep hygiene and habits as everyone suggested above. I have a fan for white noise and to keep me cool, blackout curtains, no alarm clock, cats locked downstairs, etc. For habits, I get off the computer, stop watching TV, etc. about an hour before bed. If you're sensitive to caffeine you might want to limit it or go without (unfortunate note - chocolate has caffeine). I've read studies that say exercise helps some people sleep better, but I can't really say one way or another whether it's helped me with the insomnia (getting to sleep faster or staying asleep); however, it may have helped with quality of the sleep I do get. Melatonin also gives me nightmares when I use it for more than a few nights in a row. I take magnesium at night with antihistamine for allergies and that seems to help me get/stay asleep. Definitely talk to your doctor if nothing else helps.
  • golgoroo
    golgoroo Posts: 69 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Mine shows I'm "restless" quite often - upwards of 15-20 times per night. Seems to accurately count "awake" - trips to the loo, etc.

    I'm not trying anything special to modify my sleep except watch the caffeine & exercise more to relieve stress. But I'm monitoring my sleep patterns & paying attention to the nights when I do seem to sleep more soundly versus being restless. I'm hoping I'll notice something & be able to modify my behavior during the day appropriately.

    It's been interesting to see the data.

    Edited to add - meant to say I have a friend who had several "awake" notes (not restless, actually awake) on his Fitbit & told his doc. Doc did some tests & sent him to a sleep clinic where they found out he has pretty intense sleep apnea. Now he has a c-pap machine & sleeps more safely. You might mention it to your doc.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    There are a lot of "natural" suggestions going around for getting better sleep (such as not watching TV or being on the computer for the last hour before bed because the light isn't good for sleep), so you can search around for that. If you do think you have breathing issues, you could try the breathing strips, but I would think for those to help, you would be snoring now.

    Not sure if any of these will work for you, but this is the type of thing I'm thinking of for tips: http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/getting/overcoming/tips
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
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    I usually wake up 1-3 times a night (bathroom) and am restless 15-17. I have very vivid dreams. I do usuallylog between 7 and 8 hours of actual sleep a night and usually feel very rested so I don't worry too much about it. The data is very interesting though.
  • starwhisperer6
    starwhisperer6 Posts: 402 Member
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    I was in bed for over 9 hours last night and my flex says I was asleep for
    about 4.5 hours. It's like that every night. I don't have sleep apnea, just terrible sleep. It's frustrating. Even on the normal setting my sleep ranks at like a 64%
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Fitbit does not monitor "sleep ", it counts arm movements, so take the data With a grain of salt. I'm not being dismissive of sleep problems because I've had my share, but don't base too much on the Fitbit data alone.
  • firststepformefal
    firststepformefal Posts: 180 Member
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    I have a Fitbit surge. I take it off at night, as I have the Fitbit rash problem. I am amused when it tells me that I was restless and woke up x number of times since it is sitting on my bedside table all night.
  • bodymindmusic
    bodymindmusic Posts: 118 Member
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    Withings activite pop has a great sleep tracker and tells you if you are on light or deep sleep. Love it! On Average I wake up several times a night. I also have 2 bed hogs in the bed which are my dogs...so yeah...I don't worry about it too much. You get less sleep as you get older anyway.
  • blossomingbutterfly
    blossomingbutterfly Posts: 743 Member
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    editorgrrl wrote: »
    Melatonin gives me vivid nightmares. Google "sleep hygiene" for advice on getting more sleep. For example, I wear a sleep mask, use a white-noise machine, and switched from calcium supplements to calcium, magnesium & zinc.

    And talk to your doctor.

    I thought I was the only one that had vivid nightmares from Melatonin! Color me shocked that I'm not (for real).

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