Your partner or roommates may point out any sleep disturbances you’re experiencing so you can get them checked out, but that’s not exactly an option when you live solo.
“For people who live by themselves, it’s a challenge to monitor for a sleep disorder,” said Dr. Thomas Hammond, board-certified neurologist at the Marcus Neuroscience Institute in Boca Raton, Florida. “Sometimes the house is in disarray but wasn’t that way before they went to bed, making it easier to notice something’s going on.”
Most of the time, though, you might sense something’s off with your sleep — say, feeling excessively tired or irritable during the day, despite getting the recommend hours of shuteye — but not wake up to concrete evidence the next day.
Enter sleep trackers. “There are a number of ways to track sleep to understand the potential symptoms that are occurring,” Johnston said. “These might include wearable devices, bedside devices and bed sensors.”
Wearable devices can collect information regarding movement, heart rate and breathing patterns. “Since many of these devices are multipurpose, users can use them to track eating habits and breathing patterns during the day as well,” Johnston said.
If your usual amount of sleep is decreasing significantly, for instance, you could speculate it’s being caused by symptoms related to your health conditions. You can then compare and contrast this information with your sleep patterns to have a better understanding of what symptoms may be striking during sleep and why.
Bedside devices are placed next to the bed and can collect data regarding breathing habits and body movement. “This information can help to determine if you’re experiencing shortness of breath or excessive movement during sleep,” Johnston said. (The device may also store information about your bedroom environment, such as temperature, ambient noise and light.)
Then there are bed sensors, which can be placed underneath the sheets or mattress. “These sensors collect information regarding movement and heart rate,” Johnston said. “Irregular heart rates can be tied to health conditions, such as hyperthyroidism or excessive stress.” (Some sensors may also track temperature and humidity.)
Once you’ve got two to three weeks worth of sleep data, you can bring it to your next doctor’s appointment for a consult. Because consumer devices aren’t tested or regulated for clinical diagnosis, they won’t be able to use the data to officially diagnose you, but they can at least use the data to help determine whether clinical testing would be beneficial.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
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