Hack Yourself — Start by Measuring Your Sleep

Understand your body with the help of technology.

This week, Apple broke news by teasing that they are working on a sleep tracking feature for future Watch. It would not be their first foray into sleep-tracking hardware. Last year they acquired Finnish startup Beddit, which makes a sleep-tracking sensor strip. Since then, the product has been available on their website.

Meanwhile, Apple is by no means the first to enter the arena. Watches by Fitbit and Withings have had such features for many years. And a watch is not the only way to measure one’s sleep — there is also more comfortable jewellery, like rings. For example, I have been using the one by Oura for the last four months.

However, why measure one’s sleep in the first place? In my case, it was to understand whether I am getting enough of it. Because for years I have only left myself 6 hours per day for sleep — Check my daily schedule. So far, that seems to be enough on most days. But not always.

The Oura Ring measures three different yet connected meters: Readiness, Sleep and Activity.

Readiness gets calculated based on the previous day’s activity and night’s sleep. It also checks the balance of those things, body temperature and heart rate. Giving one an understanding of whether they are getting enough rest to recover. While letting one know which days are ideal for challenging oneself. In my case, it has actually given me info on when I’m about to fall sick before I felt it.

Sleep measures the total sleep and its efficiency + restfulness. It also gives data on the amount of REM and deep sleep one gets, as well as how long it takes to fall asleep. Based on that, it will be easy to understand when your body needs some more sleep. And on those days, I either go to sleep earlier or stay in bed longer to recover better.

Activity recommends a minimum daily goal, based on the age, gender and readiness. Meeting the goal ensures that the wearer moves enough to keep the body active and burn the calories. At the same time, it also let’s one know if their training frequency and volume are optimal for the recovery time. Yet I do not think it would be sustainable to wear the ring while lifting big weights. Thus I also use Apple Watch to measure the activity. And then Oura imports info from the Health App, analyses it and shows me the reality.

Those three together have been a great indicator for me to understand whether I am taking care of my body. Letting me know when I should be taking it easier, as well as being a constant reminder to move.

So in short, if you care about your body and want to keep it in great condition, then start measuring your vitals now.

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