A new Norwegian study suggests sleep-tracking apps can be a useful tool for some users but may backfire for people with insomnia, fueling stress and sleepless nights. Researchers say it is crucial to understand how these apps work — and when to turn them off.
If you fall asleep with a smartwatch on your wrist or a phone under your pillow, you are not alone. Sleep-tracking apps have exploded in popularity, promising to decode your nights and help you wake up refreshed.
But a new study from researchers in Norway suggests that while these apps can help some people sleep better, they may actually make things worse for others — especially younger adults and people who already struggle with insomnia.
The team surveyed 1,002 adults living in Norway about their sleep app use, their sleep health and how the apps affected them. Nearly half of respondents said they currently used or had used a sleep app.
The findings, published in Frontiers in Psychology, paint a mixed picture. Many people reported benefits, such as learning more about their sleep patterns and feeling that their rest had improved. At the same time, a significant share said the apps made them worry more about sleep, and a smaller group felt their sleep had actually gotten worse.
The fast pace of consumer technology makes it urgent for scientists to understand how these tools are affecting people, according to first author Håkon Lundekvam Berge of the University of Bergen.
“The rapid development of sleep app technology requires the scientific community to keep up with technological advances,” he said in a news release.
Sleep apps typically use motion sensors, heart rate data or sound to estimate how long you sleep, how long it takes you to fall asleep and how much time you spend in different sleep stages. Many then give you a “score” in the morning, along with tips or nudges to change your habits.
Because these tools are still relatively new, researchers are only beginning to understand how accurate they are and how people respond to their feedback. Some sleep scientists have raised concerns about “orthosomnia,” a pattern where people become so focused on optimizing their sleep metrics that their anxiety keeps them awake.
The Norwegian study suggests that age and existing sleep problems both matter in how people react to sleep data.
Women and adults under 50 were more likely than men and older adults to say they had used sleep apps. Men and women reported similar types of effects, but younger users tended to feel those effects more strongly.
The team saw clear generational differences.
“We found that younger adults were more affected by the feedback from the sleep apps. They reported more perceived benefits, but also more worries and stress,” Lundekvam Berge added.
Overall, positive effects were more common than negative ones. Fifteen percent of respondents said the apps improved their sleep, compared with 2.3% who said their sleep had gotten worse. Almost half said the main benefit was simply learning more about how they sleep.
On the downside, the most frequently reported negative effect was increased worry about sleep, which 17% of participants mentioned.
The group that seemed most at risk: people with insomnia symptoms.
Second author Karl Erik Lundekvam, also of the University of Bergen, noted these users were more likely to experience stress and concern in response to app feedback.
“We also found that people with insomnia symptoms were more susceptible to negative effects,” he said in the news release. “Feedback from the sleep apps was more likely to cause stress and worry in this group.”
For someone who already lies awake fearing a bad night, a low sleep score or a red warning on an app may amplify that anxiety. That, in turn, can make it even harder to fall asleep, creating a vicious cycle.
Lundekvam Berge explained that this pattern is important for both users and health professionals to keep in mind.
“Persons displaying insomnia symptoms may be more vulnerable to negative feedback, which can potentially worsen sleep-related anxiety or stress,” he said. “Awareness of these tendencies is essential before using such apps.”
The researchers also noted limits to their work. The study relied on self-reported data, which can be imperfect, and the participants were drawn from people who had already volunteered for research. That might mean they are more interested in sleep and health than the general population, and possibly more likely to engage deeply with app feedback.
Still, the results highlight a key message: sleep apps are tools, not diagnoses. Used thoughtfully, they can help people notice patterns — like staying up too late on screens or drinking caffeine too close to bedtime — and motivate healthier routines. Used uncritically, they can become one more thing to obsess over at 3 a.m.
So what should you do if you like tracking your sleep but find yourself getting stressed out by the numbers?
Lundekvam advised users to start by understanding what their devices are actually measuring and how reliable those measures are.
“We would urge people who get more stressed by using sleep apps to learn more about which measures they use and how accurate they are,” he said. “If this does not calm your worries, you should consider taking off your sleep app device during the nighttime or turning off notifications. We encourage sleep app users to use the feedback as motivation to create helpful sleeping habits. For instance, minimize screen time before bedtime.”
In other words, the goal is not to chase a perfect score but to support the basics of healthy sleep: a consistent schedule, a calming wind-down routine and a bedroom that feels like a place to rest, not to analyze.
Lundekvam Berge added that tuning in to your own body may be more important than any graph on your phone.
“We would also encourage people to listen to their body and go to bed when you actually feel tired,” he said. “The bed and the bedroom should be associated with sleep, and going to bed before your body is ready to sleep will cause you to lie awake in bed, and this may exacerbate your sleep problems further. It is more beneficial to go to bed when your need for sleep actually requires it.”
For students and young adults, who often juggle late-night study sessions, social media and early classes, that advice may be especially relevant. A sleep app can be a helpful reminder to log off and dim the lights — but it should not be the final judge of whether you had a good night.
As sleep technology continues to evolve, the Norwegian team’s work underscores a simple takeaway: the most powerful sleep aid may still be learning to trust your own sense of rest, and knowing when to put the phone — and the data — aside.
Source: Frontiers