I’ve found the best sleep trackers that will help you get a better night’s rest

I’ve found the sleep trackers that really work - (Jennifer Heimlich/The Independent)

Sleep can be a fickle beast. Sometimes, even after eight hours in bed, you can wake up feeling totally groggy. Other nights, you simply can’t doze off despite feeling exhausted. A sleep tracker can help you better understand what happens during shut-eye — and according to a recent study, more than a third of Americans have already turned to these wearables for insight.

But what are they and what do they do? According to Alexandre Abreu, MD, “sleep trackers are not just tracking sleep, but they’re tracking daytime activities because good sleep hygiene is being healthy 24 hours a day”. He says many patients end up realizing that bad habits, such as excessive sitting time or high-stress levels, are ruining their shut-eye. Sleep trackers can also give you warning signs about potential problems like sleep apnea or irregular heart rhythms that are messing with your sleep and health. “They’re great tools to empower patients to seek help from providers before something bad happens,” says Abreu, who adds that many of his patients first come to him thanks to something their sleep tracker caught.