Smart Ring for Sleep Tracking: Look for These Signs on Your Pi Ring Pro
A lower resting heart rate (RHR) is often a hallmark of quality recovery and good health.
Your RHR can be your best friend in your fight against chronic diseases. By looking at your RHR curve, your smart ring can track what your sleep may or may not mean. With Pi Ring Pro, you can spot the effects of late meals and evening workouts as well as alcohol intake, sickness, or regular sleeping hours that aren't aligned with your body's ideal sleep window.
Here are the signals and trends to look for on your smart ring for sleep tracking.
What is the resting heart rate?
The average heart rate can vary greatly from person to person. A normal heart rate can be anywhere from 40 to 100 beats per minute. It can also change day to day depending on your hydration levels, elevation, physical activity and body temperature. The best way to adjust is by comparing your RHR with your own baseline.
When looking at your RHR curve, particular attention should be paid to these three things:
- Are your RHR levels high, low, or unchanged during the night?
- What time of day is your RHR at its lowest?
- Do your heart rates change before you wake up in the morning?
When analyzing sleep data with Pi Ring pro, bear in mind these three patterns you may recognize in the night-time heart rate curves.
Sleep tracking signals detected on Pi Ring pro
During the initial stages, your body relaxes and your heart rate goes down. In this scenario, your lowest RHR is near the peak when melatonin levels are at their highest. If you follow the sun’s natural rhythm and go to bed early and wake up early, your body temperature falls to its lowest point around 4 a.m.
When you're in REM sleep, your heart rate may rise slightly. This is normal and should be ignored when looking for the hammock curve during sleep.
Each morning, you wake up and as your heart rate begins to rise, it forms a hammock curve on the app. Your body was relaxed during the night and is now ready to rise again. This is a sign that you’ve had a quality night’s sleep.
Effects of poor sleep captured by Pi Ring pro
Did you have several hours in between your last meal or exercise, or did you drink wine right before bed? If your sleep is uninterrupted, then you'll wake up feeling well-rested. However, if your RHR starts high and declines just before the morning call time, it could signify that you're unintentionally cutting off the flame to your metabolism.
If your body is showing signs of wear and tear due to your evening routine, it may be time for a change. For example, if you have a habit of working out late at night and then going to bed, you could try moving your workout earlier in the day.
If you notice your heart rate has increased after you've fallen asleep, it may be a sign that you were too tired during the day. Did you go to bed on time? If it's past your regular bedtime, the melatonin levels in your body may start to rise, leading to an increase in blood pressure and fatigue. This communication from your body serves as a warning: It's telling you that it's time to get some sleep!
When you're fast asleep, your body's wide awake. Whenever something is bothering you, take the time to listen to what your body has to say and take steps towards feeling better.
Tips to get proper REM sleep
When it comes to improving your REM sleep, more sleep is always better. After all, the more hours you spend asleep, the more opportunities you'll have for REM sleep.
Increase magnesium intake
What could cause you to have trouble sleeping and experiencing some vivid dreams? The neurotransmitter GABA is responsible, but if it's not strong enough, a magnesium deficiency could be the cause.
You can try a magnesium supplement as an alternative to taking a prescription. In one study, when older adults with insomnia took magnesium supplements, they were less likely to experience early morning awakening, the time when most REM sleep happens.
Avoid alcohol
If you want to get a good night's sleep, stay away from alcohol. Alcohol can delay your REM sleep and lead to less REM overall. It also decreases your total sleep time for several reasons, including the way alcohol interacts with your body during different times in the sleep cycle.
Use calming scents
Your sense of smell, like your other senses, is powerful and can greatly impact the quality of your sleep. According to Dr. Michael Breus, also known by his nickname The Sleep Doctor, it's best to avoid strong smelling things such as caffeine or peppermint near bedtime. On the other hand, lavender, rose, vanilla and chamomile are all soothing scents that will help you fall asleep.
Be careful with oils like eucalyptus, citrus or bergamot as your body may mistake the smell for an alarm and prepare to wake up.
Avoid caffeine close to bedtime
As we age, our body produces less of the sleep-inducing chemicals that allow us to sleep deeply. Drinking caffeine can disrupt or delay sleep because it increases your heart rate and blocks the production of the chemicals you need to fall asleep quickly.
Typically, REM sleep happens later in the night and slow wave sleep happens earlier in the night.
People have various reactions to caffeine. Some people metabolize it quickly; some take longer. For people over 65, for example, the rate of metabolism may be considerably less than that of a younger person.
Experts usually recommend avoiding caffeine at least six hours before bed.
Wrap up
If you need additional help getting your sleep routine situated, try these tips:
- Create a bedtime routine.
- Prioritize sleep to make sure it gets the attention it deserves.
- Create a comfortable, soothing bedtime environment.
If you're sleeping well and maintaining a healthy sleep pattern at night, your Pi Ring pro will reflect that. Buy our smart ring today to make better health choices!
