Do you have a smart watch that measures and analyzes your sleep? Do you study its result compulsively? If your answer is yes to both and you have not been sleeping well since this happens, you may have an orthosomnia . Don’t you know what we’re talking about? It is a very important health issue, so read carefully what is orthosomnia and how it is affecting you to avoid it from now on. Learn to use technology for a good thing!
What is orthosomnia?
Orthosomnia is a new type of sleep disorder that is directly related to applications and gadgets to measure and analyze the quality of sleep.
Be careful, it does not imply that the technology that is associated with these devices and applications is ultimately responsible for the appearance of this sleep disorder. On the contrary, technology is an ally as long as we know how to use it to our advantage and not be slaves to them.
Recent studies have shown how patients with orthosomnia rest worse when applications indicate that they do not sleep well . These results generate stress in the owners and this pressure translates into a bad rest, being irritable or suffering from attention and concentration problems, among other consequences.
Sleep as an obsession or consequences of orthosomnia
Do you consult or use your mobile in bed? Do your children. In both cases it is a big mistake. The simple fact of consulting even just a notification on the mobile interrupts the sleep process. The light from the screens prevents the brain from releasing the substance that generates sleep . And remember that sleep is a signal from your body to go into stand-by mode and regain strength, energy, connections and cells.
However, orthosomnia is not only linked to the use of mobile phones and tablets in bed: watching TV or playing / working on the computer before going to sleep also delays the complete sleep cycle , so this is not of quality and , in many cases, it is insufficient.
The consequences of not sleeping well
Either by the use of interactive devices in the moments before sleep or by the obsession that the individual generates when seeing the results of the applications and devices that measure your sleep, the consequences in both cases is a rest without quality or continuity. Collaterally, this orthosomnia situation implies a series of consequences for physical and mental health.
First, the patient shows severe symptoms of irritability. In any event, react aggressively and defensively. A second symptom that 90% of those affected show is apathy and reluctance. This is directly related to the lack of recharging of the body and mind that is so badly needed during sleep. In a third stage, forgetfulness situations are generated, with less serious episodes of concentration and attention problems.
Orthosomnia and technology
Given the penetration of technology for the control of vital signs , including sleep, technologists warn that the misuse of scientific and technical advances generates disorders such as anxiety, which leads to stress and lack of rest (in Last term). And it is that technology has provided us with information, but not with how to interpret and understand the data that they provide us.
Good sleep is almost as important or more than food to enjoy a good quality of life. Exercising and leading a healthy life are the other legs that support the health of our body.
Technology is a powerful advance , but it can turn into a nightmare if we obsess over the daily results of these sleep monitoring devices. Hence, orthosomnia is one of the new sleep disorders that are affecting developed societies more transversely.
