Smartwatches have evolved over the years. Now they are equipped with more advanced features, making it a handy tool for users.
One of the best features is sleep tracking, which allows smartwatches to track your sleep patterns, duration of sleep, and more. To use this feature, you need to wear your smartwatch to sleep.
This is where the question arises: Is it safe to wear your smartwatch to sleep? Does wearing a smartwatch while sleeping affect your health?
These are the questions that need to be answered before you decide to wear your sleep tracker to bed. You are lucky to have landed on this page. In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about wearing smartwatches to sleep.
Is Wearing Your Smartwatch While Sleep Safe?
Before answering this question, let us explore the possible advantages of using a smartwatch during sleep.
One primary motive for wearing a smartwatch while sleeping is to track sleep patterns. Nowadays, smartwatches are equipped with sensors that are capable of tracking sleep stages, movement, and even heart rate.
Analyzing this data will help you understand your sleeping patterns and determine your quality of sleep and duration. Based on this information, you can change your sleeping habits.
For instance, if your smartwatch reveals that you are not getting good sleep, you may want to follow a more consistent sleep routine and avoid consuming caffeine before bedtime.
Wearing a smartwatch also helps you to track your physical activities. Many smartwatches come with features that motivate users to engage in more movement. For example, reminders to stretch or stand every hour.
By putting on a smartwatch during sleep, you can obtain a more accurate assessment of your overall activity in a day. This will help you to make appropriate changes to your routine if needed.
However, there are certain risks involved with wearing a smartwatch during sleep. One primary concern is exposure to electromagnetic radiation. Like all other electronic devices, smartwatches also emit some level of electromagnetic waves, which are associated with various health issues like neurological disorders, cancer, and reproductive problems.
Although the degree of radiation produced by smartwatches is low, there is evidence that suggests that extended periods of radiation exposure can cause increased health risks.
Wearing a smartwatch during sleep can also interfere with your sleep quality. Most smartwatches include alarms and notifications that can interrupt your sleep by waking you up in the middle of the night. This can negatively impact your overall sleep experience. Moreover, wearing a smartwatch to sleep can feel uncomfortable on your wrist. It can hinder your ability to achieve a good night’s sleep.
If you go for days without proper sleep, it can hurt your health.
Reasons Why Wearing A Smartwatch While Sleeping Is A Bad Idea
Many users prefer wearing a smartwatch while sleeping as it helps them to track and record their sleeping patterns. However, it may not be a good idea for various reasons.
- Personal Injury
When you sleep, the movement of your body, such as sleeping on your hand or switching sides, can result in discomfort if your watch is strapped on tightly.
To prevent such issues, it is recommended to remove your watch before going to bed, especially if you do not need it for checking the time or notifications.
- Risk of Breakage
Wearing a watch while sleeping can increase the risk of breakage. For example, you can wake up with a broken watch if you apply pressure on it while sleeping.
You may also end up breaking your watch while moving during sleep. Continuously wearing the same watch daily makes it more prone to wear and tear.
- Sleep Disturbance
If you wear a mechanical watch, the ticking noise it produces may keep you awake. Not just that, but smartwatches can also disrupt your sleep with notifications, or calls.
This feature is helpful for professionals like police officers or doctors as they need to be available during odd hours. But other individuals who don’t need to be constantly available can remove their smartwatch before going to bed. This way you can avoid getting disturbed while sleeping.
- Radiation Concerns
Smartwatches are just like other electronic devices when it comes to radiation. The only difference is that it emits very little radiation compared to other devices.
To let you know smartwatches emit radio-frequency radiation, which is comparatively more hazardous than electric and magnetic radiation. Some also emit electric and magnetic radiation, although to a lesser extent.
Tips To Wear A Smartwatch Safely While Sleeping
If you want to wear a smartwatch while sleeping even after knowing the drawbacks, follow these tips to do it safely.
- Disable Notifications
Before bedtime, it is recommended to disable all notifications to prevent disturbances from alerts and vibrations. Additionally, you can activate the “do not disturb” mode.
- Activate Airplane Mode
Minimize your exposure to radiation by switching your smartwatch to airplane mode.
- Opt For A Comfortable Strap
Selecting a comfortable strap for your smartwatch not only lowers the risk of pain or injury but also ensures the safety of the watch.
- Clean It
You should keep your smartwatch clean to prevent bacteria and germs from accumulating on the gadget.
Is It Bad To Wear A Smartwatch All The Time?
Some devices are indeed meant to be worn or used while sleeping, but they do hurt your sleep quality.
Wearing a smartwatch to bed can cause your heartbeat to fluctuate and disturb your sleep patterns. Additionally, extended periods of wearing a smartwatch can cause discomfort as the strap of the watch may cause irritation, swelling, and pain.
Most smartwatches these days are equipped with sensors that are capable of detecting changes in skin sensitivity. When discomfort arises, adjusting the watch band can alleviate the pain. If you must wear a smartwatch to bed, make sure that it is charged.
Despite all the drawbacks, smartwatches are considered safe to use at night. The radiation emitted by smartwatches is non-ionizing. Plus, they occur in short bursts. It is advisable to occasionally remove your watch to minimize exposure to electromagnetic radiation.
In case, you experience headaches or any other symptoms, you should avoid wearing a smartwatch at night.
Is It Better To Switch Off My Smartwatch At Night?
Whether you should switch off your smartwatch at night or not, depends on your nighttime usage. Some users find it bothersome to check notifications at night. The good thing is most smartwatches consume very little battery when turned off.
Leaving your smartwatch on during the night will not cause any harmful effects, nor will it damage the battery.
However, there are a few important things to consider when deciding whether to use a smartwatch while sleeping or not. Many smartwatches have the Do Not Disturb (DND) mode. Switching to this mode prevents notifications at night, but you will still be connected to your smartwatch.
The alarms will function even if your smartwatch is turned off, so you don’t need to worry about waking late in the morning.
A smartwatch is equipped with multiple sensors to monitor your sleep. It is also capable of monitoring your body movements during sleep and sending that data to an algorithm. This analyses the information and categorizes it into different sleep stages.
Proper sleep is crucial for your health, and utilizing a smartwatch to track it can contribute to the well-being of your mental health.
Should You Wear A Fitness Tracker To Sleep?
It is difficult to answer whether you should wear your fitness tracker to sleep or not. Generally, fitness trackers are considered safe. What most people don’t realize is that even low-frequency waves coming from it can harm your health.
According to the American Cancer Society, keeping a smartphone beside your pillow while sleeping doubles the likelihood of radiation emission. Therefore, using them while sleeping is not recommended.
Wearing a smartwatch to bed may cause discomfort and irritation. If you are concerned about this, selecting a smartwatch with a removable band would be a good idea. It will help you prevent discomfort and skin irritation.
It cannot be denied that smartwatches are a great tool for monitoring sleep habits. The sensors in some smartwatches can detect the condition called sleep apnea. These devices come in handy in identifying symptoms and thus, help with the treatment.
For optimal functionality, it is recommended to choose a smartwatch with a small dial and comfortable band. Also, make sure that it can detect sleep apnea.
Final Words
Smartwatches are great devices for tracking sleep quality. Wearing a smartwatch to bed can indeed be problematic. But at the same time, we cannot overlook the advantages associated with it. To wear a smartwatch safely while sleeping, you should use a small watch with a comfortable band. Also, turn off the notifications to avoid getting disturbed. If you wear your smartwatch for longer hours, make sure to remove it occasionally.