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Restless: how bad is it?

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

 

Desktop:

 

Screen Shot 2015-05-19 at 9.05.22 AM.png

 

Mobile:

 

Screenshot_2015-05-19-09-08-17.png

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

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151 REPLIES 151
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Fit bit Is seriously lacking in the area of sleep interpretation.  They offer this tool to track your sleep, but no information on how to understand it. So frustrating.  I've had my Fit bit for a year. I sleep horribly.  Last night I had 59 minutes of restless/awake. This is not abnormal for me and I'm always tired.  But without an understanding of the data it's basically useless. 

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I had my tracking on normal to start but was getting a reading of sleeping at times when I was wide awake and just not moving (like watching the tv). Since turning it to sensitive, it is much more what I expected, but the results are scary. I am an insomniac, but would also like to know what we should be expecting to see in both the sleep and restless categories. I tend to get around 3 hours sleep and 4 hours restless. Considering how tired I always am, that makes sense. 

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Your REM sleep is w.hen you do dream

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Hard to specify "what to expect" as we're all individual. If you're tired most mornings, then obviously you're not getting enough sleep. Lots of articles around this outside the Fitbit community. 

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I have found that Magnesium helps mine more than anything.

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Agreed - if you drink and pass out, you're not sleeping, you're unconscious. Plus you're very dehydrated. Neither condition is good for you let alone both of them!

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@Raviv Some of us are not able to tolerate magnesium and it causes loose bowels. An alternative that works extremely well is Magnesium Oil which is sprayed on the skin. Luckily, magnesium is easily absorbed through the skin. Spritz on the feet, legs and forearms and rub into the skin shortly before bedtime. If the residue is bothersome, it is easy brushed off or washed off. 

 

If I remember correctly, your body can absorb more magnesium through the skin than through the gut. And it is good the remember that it is estimated 80% of Americans are magnesium deficient.

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Where can you buy Magnesium oil? Sounds great-those are big pills!

 

 

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Please keep in mind the sleep function is completely notional. I discussed this with my doc because of brief insomnia issues. She said the sleep is not accurate. As you have clearly demonstrated with your comment about it saying you're sleeping when you're watching television. It shows you at rest and that's about it.

 

 

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Skeletal muscle tone is reduced in REM so even though you may be dreaming you will move much less, inciuding respiratory rate. I am studying Polysomnography (sleep technology), I was also surprised to learn this.

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I recently started taking a small dose of Melatonin (5g) each evening and have found it to be very helpful - definitely a longer night's sleep and much less tired in the mornings. If you travel a lot, it also helps with jet lag.

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