Your Body > Your Device

I was recently reading an article about a study that tracked people's perceptions of their sleep versus what their wearable devices reported. Interestingly, it was people's perception of how they slept that mattered and determined their wellbeing the next day, regardless of what the wearable device reported. 

This is something that I found when I tried out a sleep tracking device for a few weeks. Besides the fact that I hated wearing something on my wrist while I slept, I would often wake up and feel fine and then notice that my tracker said I didn't sleep well so I would then wonder if I was actually tired instead. I started to rely on something outside of me to tell me how I was feeling, instead of just tuning into my body and how I felt. 

With the proliferation of wearable devices that are tracking everything from sleep quality to step count to calories burned, it can be easy to outsource our wellbeing to something other than our own body. How many times have you been disappointed with the calories burned according to your watch after a great workout? Or had to pace around your house in order to close your exercise rings? Or like me, relied on your device to tell you how you slept instead of your own body?

I think that these devices can be valuable tools and I am a big fan of tracking things and using data to our advantage, but it is also important to recognize the limitations of these devices. The accuracy of wearables has been called into question through a number of studies, especially when it comes to calories burned and sleep tracking. 

Additionally, it can be easy to become overly obsessed with the data and become focused on trying to maximize the metrics that are found on these devices, when that might not necessarily be the best thing for our overall health. 

Your own body and instincts are always going to be what matters the most and what you should listen to above everything else. If you find that you are like me and your wearable device is causing you to lose touch with your body, then consider ditching them for a little while. Ensure that you are using them to improve your wellbeing instead of having these devices dictate things to you.