0:00
Modern smart watches have sleep trackers
0:03
that tell you how many hours you've been
0:06
asleep and also try to tell you the
0:08
different stages of sleep that you have
0:10
been in. It is interesting because none
0:12
of these things are accurate.
0:23
You might be hearing that for the first
0:24
time, but it's true. your smartwatch
0:27
sleep tracker is grossly inaccurate.
0:31
These things are unable to tell you
0:33
precisely how many hours you've been
0:36
asleep or tell you the different stages
0:39
of sleep that you have been in. And I'll
0:41
explain to you. These devices track your
0:45
heart rate, track your body movement,
0:48
and in some cases your breathing, and
0:52
use advanced algorithms and calculations
0:55
to provide a rough estimate of what it
0:58
believes is a time you have been asleep.
1:00
Medical scientists will tell you that
1:02
the most accurate way to determine when
1:05
someone is asleep is by monitoring their
1:07
brain's electrical impulses and
1:10
patterns. Uh smart watches are unable to
1:13
do that. They are unable to monitor
1:16
brain waves or brain patterns and so
1:19
they rely on the next best thing. If you
1:21
stay still for a while, of course, your
1:24
heart rate will also drop and your
1:27
smartwatch will do its gymnastics and
1:30
its calculations and estimates that for
1:32
that period you were asleep.
1:35
I share this quick interesting episode
1:38
with you. I went to bed around 1000 p.m.
1:42
last night. My smartwatch says that
1:44
between 10:11 p.m. till now 6:35 a.m. I
1:48
have been asleep and that I have slept a
1:51
total of 8 hours 24 minutes as at this
1:54
moment. In reality, I have been awake
1:56
since around 3:00 a.m. That means I've
1:59
been awake for 3 hours 35 minutes. I
2:03
have barely slept 5 hours yet my
2:05
smartwatch is reporting 8 hours.
2:09
Why is it reporting this? Since I have
2:11
been awake, I have been mostly still,
2:14
sitting still, reading, watching
2:17
something, not involved in any physical
2:19
activity, not moving around, not
2:21
carrying things, just sitting still. And
2:24
this smart watch has overestimated,
2:27
grossly overestimated my total sleep
2:30
time tonight. Now, here's the thing.
2:32
Smart watches differ in terms of grade
2:36
and capability. So there are some of
2:38
them that have more advanced sensors to
2:42
determine more accurately more
2:45
accurately in relative terms than
2:48
perhaps this guy does. And so we provide
2:51
figures that are closer to the truth
2:54
than this guy has done. But even at
2:56
that, those figures are not going to be
3:00
accurate. They are grossly inadequate.
3:03
Until smart watches and other wearables
3:06
are able to measure our brain patterns,
3:09
we are not going to get those accurate
3:12
details. So take these things with a
3:15
pinch of salt. For the vast majority of
3:16
smart watches, they are grossly grossly
3:20
grossly inaccurate. For a select few
3:23
more advanced smart watches with more
3:26
advanced sensors and features, yes, they
3:30
are less inaccurate than the average,
3:34
but they even they are still quite
3:37
inaccurate in terms of measuring your
3:40
total sleep time and what amount of time
3:43
you spend in the different stages of
3:45
sleep. So, take it with a pinch of salt.
3:48
These things are not that good yet. Does
3:50
that mean you shouldn't get a
3:52
smartwatch? I didn't say that. Get a
3:54
smartwatch. Just tame your expectations
3:57
about how accurate some of the
3:58
statistics and information they provide
4:00
you with are. Thanks for watching this
4:03
video. Do like it. Please do share it.
4:05
Follow my channel. Turn on your
4:07
notifications so that when I share more
4:09
useful information like this, you get to
4:12
be among the first to know. See you in
