What can I learn by studying my own sleep?

May 17, 2019 1:53 PM

I've always had frequent, vivid and absorbing dreams that I usually remember. I'm curious about my sleep patterns and behaviour. How can I learn more about my own sleep?

I suppose my question has two parts: firstly, what else is there to learn about how a vivid dreamer sleeps differently to someone who doesn't remember their dreams, and secondly, how much can I find out about my own sleep at home with tools I can access myself?

Apart from nightmares and somtimes restless/unsatisfying sleep or brief waking during the night, I mostly sleep ok-ish. I doubt I have any serious sleep disorders, so I don't think there is any need for me to have a formal sleep study. I usually dream while I'm falling asleep and at various unidentifiable points through the night, and wake up either mid-dream or at the end of a dream, regardless of whether I wake up with an alarm.

I've tried a basic phone app that just records sound while you sleep and generates a graph of wakefulness based on that, which showed the typical sleep stages of deeper sleep cycles at the start of the night and lighter sleep later on. What other tools can I use to find out more?

posted by AllShoesNoSocks to Science & Nature (3 answers total)

Best answer: My wife used to complain that I would kick her in my sleep. I got a Fitbit that I would wear around my ankle to get a sense of how much it was happening. It gives you a motion-based “restful sleep” graph that’s probably better than the sound-based ones. (Turned out to be from a prescription drug - I switched pills and stopped kicking her.). So that’s one inexpensive option - no need for the fancier models, just the cheapest Fitbit worked for me.

Also, if you aren’t already doing this, keeping a daily, specific journal of sleep quality and dreams would be a big help in turning speculation or suspicions into data about your sleep.
posted by pocams at 8:56 PM on May 17, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The Fitbit comes with an online analysis of how deeply you were sleeping for how long when during the night. It's better and more interesting than you might think.
posted by xammerboy at 10:07 PM on May 17, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: You would probably find the book "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker an interesting read. He runs a sleep research lab at UC Berkeley and writes well. There are also many clips and lectures featuring him on YouTube and podcasts (e.g., FoundMyFitness) if that's your preference.
posted by conrad53 at 10:58 AM on May 19, 2019 [1 favorite]