Do you wake up and is the first thing you do to check how many hours you slept, how much deep sleep you managed to achieve, and what score your smartwatch gives you? What seems like a healthy habit can turn into a problem. More and more people are seeking to micromanage every detail of their sleep, a trend known as sleepmaxxing that has set off alarm bells among neurologists.
The Spanish Neurological Society (SEN) warns that trying to achieve perfect sleep can trigger the opposite effect: anxiety, excessive worry, and even insomnia. Behind this phenomenon lies orthosomnia, an obsession with reaching the ideal sleep parameters that can end up affecting sleep quality.
The mistake of checking your smartwatch score every morning
Sleeping eight hours, hitting a certain percentage of deep sleep, and avoiding waking during the night have become some of the goals for those who practice sleepmaxxing. The problem is that rest does not function like a competition in which every night you must beat a score.
Smartwatches and smart rings can provide indicative information about our habits, but their measurements do not substitute for a medical evaluation. A low score does not necessarily mean there is insomnia, just as a seemingly perfect record does not rule out a sleep disorder.
This worry has a name: orthosomnia. A study conducted with more than 500 adults estimated that between 3% and 14% of participants met various criteria related to this phenomenon.
Dr. Celia García Malo, coordinator of the Sleep and Wake Disorders Study Group of the SEN, warns that turning rest into a performance obligation can generate anxiety and obsession. Constantly checking the records, going to bed long before feeling sleepy, or canceling plans for fear of sleeping poorly can feed a vicious cycle.
Mouth-tape, melatonin, and other viral tricks that worry specialists
Sleepmaxxing has also popularized practices that promise quicker improvements in sleep. One of the best known is mouth-taping, which involves placing adhesive tape over the lips to promote nasal breathing during the night.
However, the scientific evidence regarding their benefits is limited. If there is a nasal obstruction, taping the mouth can make breathing more difficult and cause irritation or discomfort. That is why specialists recommend first investigating the cause of snoring or mouth breathing.
Another widespread habit is turning to supplements to sleep better. Melatonin has specific indications, but it is not a universal solution for chronic insomnia. There is also insufficient evidence to routinely recommend magnesium as a treatment for sleep difficulties.
The SEN also warns that imposing overly rigid schedules or staying in bed longer to improve the clock’s statistics can end up reinforcing the problem.
What to do to sleep better without obsessing over rest
Experts remind us that a bad night does not necessarily mean there is a disorder. Sleep naturally varies and resting needs are not identical for everyone.
To support it, it is advisable to maintain reasonably regular schedules, expose yourself to natural light during the day, engage in physical activity, and prepare a dark, quiet, and comfortable bedroom. It is also recommended to avoid caffeine, alcohol, and stimulating content before going to bed.
If constantly checking the clock’s statistics triggers anxiety, taking a break from reviewing them for a while can help break that worry.
In adults, the general recommendation is to sleep at least seven hours regularly, although individual needs may vary. If difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep recurs and affects daily life, it is important to consult with a specialist.
In cases of chronic insomnia, cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia is the first-line treatment. The key, neurologists remind, is to safeguard sleep without turning it into a new source of stress.
