Could your electronic devices mislead you into thinking you have insomnia? Elizabeth Tracey reports
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Apple watches and other electronic self-monitoring tools may up the risk that you might think you have insomnia when you don’t. That’s according to Charlene Gamaldo, a sleep expert at Johns Hopkins.
Gramaldo: All of our devices are great from one standpoint: it's showing that we're having recognition of sleep. However it runs the risk now that we've seen of the quantified self. That's when people are taking all of this data and without clinical context are now getting anxious, it's creating a sleep disorder they didn't have. there is now an official diagnosis called ortho somnia for this. That's why it's so important to reassure people don't feel like I was great until my Fitbit told me I have insomnia. :32
Gramaldo says there’s no harm in checking in with a healthcare provider who can help you put the data into the context of your habits and other health metrics, and notes that such devices can help in early identification of a looming problem. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.