Restless: how bad is it?

[Revvr]

I tried my new Fitbit last night to track my sleep and here are the results:

Desktop:

Mobile:

As you can see, I have 90% sleep efficiency and slept for over 7 hours. These numbers I expected.

However, there are a bunch of periods when I'm "awake" (according to the desktop version) or "restless" (according to the mobile version).

I remember being awake as shown by the mobile version because I actually got out of bed. I don't remember the other, restless, moments.

My questions are:

1. How bad is it to be restless? "Restless" is a pretty bad word if we're talking about sleep.
2. Should I be concerned about having so many restless moments?
3. What exactly are these restless moments?
4. What does normal, healthy, sleep look like in one of these graphs?
5. Why does the desktop version label restlessness as awake? 
6.  Why does the mobile version make the distinction between restless and awake?

Any insight about these items is greatly appreciated!

[Aiden_L]

[Aiden_L]

How bad is my sleep? 

[Phairlady]

I'd get a sleep study if I were you. Mine looks like that and I turned out having restless leg syndrome. Only a sleep specialist can affirm this though. Sometimes people move a lot but still get restful sleep, others no.

[UpstageRick]

Mine is way worse. 3hrs average for two months. More restless then Sleepful but I remember restless as awake

[bluepinecones]

Been averaging 3 to 4 hours for months, usually shows awake 2 to 5 times and restless 10 to 18 times.  

[Aiden_L]

Only got 3hrs 30mins last night

[Daveo1f]

See a doctor

[lovecats7]

I                                    I have a cat that sleeps with me too.  I guess it could go  either way, and also depending on if they get angry when you have restlessness.

[lovecats7]

                                     I amend my previous comment.  Was woken up last night duing a deep sleep by cat sleeping on my bed who jumped off to cough up a hairball.  The noise and desire to put paper under her while she was hacking up a hairball interuppeted my sleep.  Wish there was a foolproof way to prevent middle of the night hairballs.  Thoughts anyone?

[Chloeviv142536]

I don't know how bad a Fitbit is but I want to know buy getting a Fitbit for Christmas but I do not know if I should

[HelenaFitbit]

@lovecats7 I've been laughing non stop at your last post; I've had my fair share of feline hairball awakenings. I bought my cats a special food that keeps them from shedding too much and prevent hairballs; additionally, I started brushing them while I was settled in bed, that way I'd make sure they were relaxed when I went to sleep. They usually climb up the courtains and throw stuff off the counters just for fun. 

@Chloeviv142536 That's a great idea! How about checking our Comparisons page to see which is the Fitbit that best works for your lifestyle. 

Oh and here's my week of sleep. 

[DrSleep]

It is quite common to cycle into light sleep and become restless, and often this will  NOT lead to adverse consequences. The post-industrial 8 hour consecutive sleeping interval is not the only healthy way to sleep. This common misconception can lead to people becoming stressed about there sleep, which ironically leads to poorer sleep. It is important to not get carried away obsessing about being "restless" as it is the obsession which is problematic, not the restlessness per se.

[Ray94903]

I agree with you that monitoring heart rate is very important too.  My sleep apnea recently returned and I got tested properly at a sleep center. It showed me waking up many times a night and my heart "racing" when it had to beat extra hard to wake me up and get me breathing again.  I checked the heart rate stats on my Fitbit, and sure enough, spikes up to 120, 130, 140 bpm (my resting HR is around 55-64) at 11:00 pm and 1:00 and 2:00 in the morning. It was as if I'd gone for a jog at midnight!

So definitely check your HR stats, and if you see any orange and red spikes when you're supposed to be asleep, get yourself to a doctor asap   - Ray

[Ray94903]

My sleep apnea returned recently too.  And I experienced the same thing of waking up 100 times a night, but its important to know why, which is that you have stopped breathing for between 2 and 10 seconds and your heart has to work extra hard to get you to cough, wake up, and start breathing again.  

I got tested properly at a sleep center. It showed me waking up many times a night and my heart "racing" when it had to beat extra hard to wake me up and get me breathing again.  I checked the heart rate stats on my Fitbit, and sure enough, spikes up to 120, 130, 140 bpm (my resting HR is around 55-64) at 11:00 pm and 1:00 and 2:00 in the morning. It was as if I'd gone for a jog at midnight!

So definitely check your heart rate stats, and if you see any orange and red spikes when you're supposed to be asleep, get yourself to a doctor asap   and a sleep center to get tested properly.

How do you find the CPAP machine. Does it work? Is it noisy? Can you really sleep with that mask on blowing oxygen up your nose?  - Ray

[JojoinIdaho]

Truthfully, I was just curious. I don't wake up tired most days, unless my Littles have got in bed with me and proceeded to kick me or steal the covers. I've gotten many helpful replies with many remedies. Thank you for yours! 😊

[Pooped]

I recently was able to compare my Fitbit stats to sleep lab stats for the same day.

Fitbit: 96% sleep efficiency

Sleep lab: 56%

Total sleep time:

Fitbit: 6 hours 41 minutes

Sleep lab: 6 hours 7 minutes

Fitbit was far off on sleep efficiency, but not on total sleep time.

Turns out I do have sleep apnea, a few times an hour. Eeks.

[Scwhinn_Guy]

So, I have been diagnosed with something called "Sleep Apnea".  Basically, what was happening was that I was never really getting a full nights sleep because I was unable to descend into REM sleep, because I was not able to breathe well enough as I was sleeping.  There are solutions.  The first night that I slept with my C-PAP machine, it was like someone turned on the lights to the world on me the Next morning.  I felt refreshed & renewed for the first time in EVER!  

My recommendation would maybe be going to your general physician & getting a referall out to a sleep clinic to see if they are able to diagnose you wiith Sleep Apnea.  Simply going to a sleep lab, staying over night, & having them anylize your sleep patturns.  

One of my Coworkers was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea after his 5th Heart Attack!  The physician said that Sleep Apnea is a leading cause of Heart related issues as well... Food for thought to try to get your Sleep right. #SleepWell #Cheers

[Ray94903]

@Scwhinn_Guy  Thanks for your reply. I'm trying to get my weight down to cure my sleep apnea but I think that I'm going to have to go with CPAP.  - Ray

[ErickFitbit]

@Scwhinn_Guy Wow! Thank you for sharing your personal story on here, I greatly appreciate that. I'm happy to hear that you were able to get the sleep apnea diagnosed and finally able to get a refreshing night of sleep. Again, thanks for sharing your story.

[Scwhinn_Guy]

Food for thought: I actually found it a lot easier to lose the unhealthy weight & maintain a healthy lifestyle once I started sleeping with the C-PAP.  A good night sleep is one reason why you may actually be over eating & finding it difficult to loose extra pounds.  So in & of itself, the CPAP might just be the cure that free's you from Sleep apnea & the need for the machine in the first place.  just a little food for thought.