You are using your alarm clock the wrong way

…According to this app you are.

Snug in your bed having slept finally got to sleep after a restless night, hearing the sound of your alarm’s shrill tone is almost heartbreaking. Especially in winter. But instead of blaming your stress, the cold and even your mattress, according to Fitbit, an app company known mostly for developing fitness apps, it is your sleeping pattern doing all the harm. But it’s okay, they have an alarm app that can help you.

For most of us, there is a definite tension in the relationship that we have with our alarms. They are our early morning reminder that there is a long day ahead, usually a day that is going to be spent at work. Come Thursday morning and your brain is probably begging for just another half hour in bed, but the alarm clock is unforgiving. It shakes us from our slumber even if we are still tired.

But there is a very smart app available from Fitbit which is not only designed to wake you up on time in the morning but will also remind you when it is time to go to sleep. It might sound a little bit over the top, however, the logic behind it is actually clever. When was the last time you got to bed at a reasonable time? Although as adults we all feel as though we are in control and will get enough sleep, very few of us have a regular sleeping pattern. Every time you choose to go to bed at a later hour or wake up at a different time, you are contributing to the sleepiness that you are experiencing.

Basically, from this apps point of view, you are using your alarm clock wrong because you only use it to wake you up.

According to the marketing director of Fitbit, improving your sleep can be accomplished if you have a proper sleeping schedule, one that takes into consideration the time that you go to bed as well as the hour you wake up.

And using an app is a wonderful way to shake your sleeping patterns right because it has data about your personal sleeping patterns. There is no such thing as a set, one size fits all, sleeping pattern. Everyone is different and so the app offers you the customisation option. The app will use a record of your sleep history to create an optimal waking time and time to go to sleep. You can then create a push notification to remind you when you should be getting to bed or you can create a silent alarm. These settings can be changed whenever you need to. The app will then record the data relating to your sleep enabling you to again make more personalised choices.

One bit of data that this app is not able to record is your REM sleep which will tell you how deeply you are sleeping. Regardless of the time that you get to bed, and regardless of how many hours you sleep, if the sleep quality is not good then it is likely that you will still be waking up feeling tired. But getting your sleep pattern more consistent is often a good start to helping you improve your shut-eye, you have to start somewhere right?

But can an app really help you?

In this world, where we are so reliant on technology one has to wonder if correcting something as primal as sleep is something that can be done using an app? There is a debate about this and the debate is divided with some saying that you can only improve your sleep by knowing what you need from it. To clarify, you need to calculate how much sleep you will need in order to function well during your waking hours.

And then there is the debate about whether or not the app is actually reliable. A study carried out to test the reliability of the app discovered that the app is not always consistent in identifying the wake-up and sleep times.

The only way you will find that pattern that best suits your needs and your lifestyle will be to practice until you have one that is your own.

And if you don’t have a mattress that helps your body get the right amount of rest, then no app will be able to help you. If you are struggling with sleep then it is time to look at all of the things that could be affecting your restlessness.

The Mattress Warehouse stocks a number the best-known bed brands. With our affordable selection and our wide variety, you will soon find the mattress that you will have no trouble falling asleep on.