Fitbit sleep data internet research

Brain/linkdump, got my first set of data out of fitbit properly (didn't realize* you could (a) hold down button for start/stop -> was recording times by hand and inputting manually (b) needed to wear on wristband on non-dominant hand to get accurate(ish) data, not just leave it in my pocket),
*fitbit doesn't come with a manual and the "help" link on the website is pretty tiny so I didn't bother 'till today

This morning 13 Mar 2012

as a whole I have to say
(a) I feel 10x more energetic than last semester so I wonder how useful this will be. It's like the heavy caffeine earlier or maybe getting excited over January / IAP kicked me back into gear.
(b) I wonder if thinking about sleep all the time is increasing my sudden nap tendency. Observer effect?

Posts I really liked:

• Typical fitbit ownder sleep pattern straight from fitbit (sept 2010):
  

  

  http://blog.fitbit.com/?p=238

http://www.quora.com/How-does-Fitbit-figure-out-that-Im-sleeping

Charlene: While you can wear it to bed as you described, the accuracy of your data will be somewhat negatively affected if you wear it to bed somewhere other than your wrist. Our tests showed that the optimal placement during sleep was the non-dominant arm (i.e. if you're right-handed, wear it on your left wrist), instead of on the torso. Therefore, the algorithm is tuned to account for typical nighttime  movements that occur on that position on the arm.
That said, I'd say: Wear it where it's most comfortable, as long as you're also comfortable with the potentially less-accurate results. 

Sleep apnea, good and bad nights: http://www.healthyobsessions.net/2010/03/putting-the-fitbit-to-bed-sleep-tracking/


Wakemate, lark, zeo, fitbit: http://hypnagogia.squarespace.com/blog/tag/fitbit

fitbit, braindump research notes
Cathy Wu has a Zeo so some research into whether we can compare data follows:

http://www.grassdirtcorn.com/fitbit-sleep-log-comparisons-between-now-and-before-apnea-treatment/
Cool! Measuring impact of Somnodent (mouthpiece for treating obstructive apnea)

Mixed results fitbit versus zeo
http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4628587

preview of premium report 
http://brassflowers.com/fitbit-watch-me-get-fit-and-watch-mesleep/
http://blog.fitbit.com/?p=226

comparison fitbit zeo bodymedia
http://lifestreamblog.com/a-startup-opportunity-for-the-mint-of-personal-activity-devices-and-services-for-health/

fitbit vs zeo again
http://www.feld.com/wp/archives/2009/12/more-on-human-instrumentation-around-sleep-data.html
sleep cycle (smartphone accel) vs fitbit
http://www.healthyobsessions.net/2010/10/comparison-fitbit-vs-sleep-cycle/

DATA
I think this is outdated, since both features appear implemented in official fitbit, but: Fitbit data export & 3rd party integration http://eric-blue.com/projects/fitbit/
Now there is Fitbit Public API http://blog.fitbit.com/?p=325

Fitbit api https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/fitbit-api/vlcy2B5TLks/GNQ7TZKBEZIJ


Wakemate vs fitbit
http://paulstamatiou.com/review-wakemate-fitbit

zeo vs fitbit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPr0RwqMQKA  Huh, this guy's sleep cycle looks more like mine

Overview of jargon in the field http://personalinformatics.org/docs/chi2011/price.pdf

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/485860-new-fitbit-user-question-about-sleep

I wear a brainwave monitor when I sleep (I have a sleep disorder) and I also place my Fitbit on my left wrist for sleep. My experience is that the Fitbit notes exactly the same waking vs sleeping periods as my brainwave monitor. It can't measure what sleep stage I'm in so I still need the monitor, but my experience is it's accurate as to whether I'm awake or asleep. It crosses my mind that PLMD might make it less accurate, maybe, you'd have to ask a sleep expert to be sure. But it's likely accurate.  [...]

 On normal, it gives me better sleep credit, but I intentionally move my wrist if I am aware that I woke up to make sure it registers. 

 Mine, at least, is dead on accurate. It catches exactly the same "awake" periods as my monitor does. Every time. I have matched the output up for several days on several occasions to confirm. And my monitor is measuring brainwaves, NOT motion. I wish it could read the brainwaves, because the monitor's electrodes are a PITA to put on every night! I'd like to throw in that I had a BodyMedia FIT (a BodyBugg by any other name) and it wan't accurate on sleep at all, but appears to about equal to Fitbit overall for calories. The Fitbit is an awesome device! Though two of them conked on me in a month and took the refund, the Jawbone UP was also a wicked accurate device.

http://putdownthedonut.com/fitness/comments/fitbit-sleep-analysis-normal-vs.-sensitive

I was confused about what the 'sensitive' setting really meant, so I emailed the fine folks at Fitbit for their explanation.

We have done experiments with numerous subjects testing our algorithms and comparing them to research found in sleep labs. What we have found is that the vast majority of users seem to move in a very specific pattern when they sleep. A small group of users tend to make dramatically smaller movements throughout their sleep. The same algorithms work on both users, however a smaller movement on these very still sleepers indicates something different than a similar movement on an average sleeper. For most users regular is just fine. If a user writes in that they are staring at an alarm clock for an hour and the Fitbit Tracker shows them as asleep, we have them try the sensitive mode.
Sincerely,
Amy McDonough and the Fitbit Team

http://www.amazon.com/Fitbit-Wireless-Activity-Sleep-Tracker/product-reviews/B005PUONIK

Someone who paid for fitbit premium back in 2011 http://brooksreview.net/2011/12/pam/ (mostly on UI)

Someone made a DIY sleep strap for etsy XD http://fieldenfrontier.wordpress.com/2012/03/10/fitbit-sleep-strap/

one day's sleep graph http://www.christies-blog.com/2012/03/day-7-fitbit-intro.html

metafilter http://ask.metafilter.com/204234/Fitbit-hacks
===
http://narcolepsynetwork.org/forums/index.php?/topic/3734-useful-device-to-track-sleep-activity/ > http://www.fitbit.com/user/22B88S (oct 2010 but not really active) starts on 11th, this looks like sorta like mine for today http://www.fitbit.com/user/22B88S/sleep/date/2010-10-18

http://narcolepsynetwork.org/forums/index.php?/topic/3733-sleep-diary-for-one-week/

http://www.fitbit.com/user/229JTZ/sleep
==
random FitBit on a 4 Year Old. How Active Are They? The Results.
http://braindonkey.com/2012/03/05/fitbit-on-a-4-year-old-how-active-are-they-the-results/
===
quick note: I didn't pay for my fitbit ultra, and I'm really excited about perhaps interning for them this summer, but obviously I am not sleeping any more strangely than normal or anything just 'cos I got the fitbit for free o_o


sleep phase braindump notes

didn't keep notes, but suspect last semester I was getting a lot more sleep and feeling more tired than this semester.


start end delta t date
0
1:15:00 5:15:00 4:00:00 Sat, Mar 10
10:16:00 12:10:00 1:54:00
18:45:00 21:25:00 2:40:00
0
4:00:00 10:30:00 6:30:00 Sun, Mar 11
14:45:00 17:00:00 2:15:00
5:36:00 9:16:00 3:40:00 Mon, Mar 12
11:23:00 11:56:00 0:33:00
15:19:00 15:29:00 0:10:00
17:49:00 18:04:00 0:15:00
22:39:00 22:49:00 0:10:00
0
2:22:00 7:04:00 4:42:00 Tue, Mar 13
10:10:00 10:32:00 0:22:00

Huh, Cathy Wu mentioned power naps when I mentioned my ten minute naps yesterday (Monday) (only 1/3 did I get woken by alarm clock before waking up by myself). I was actually just following the instinct to "sleep then and only then when you feel sleepy", encouraged by the getting fitbit data out, instead of fighting this instinct with caffeine (what I've been doing this semester so far). I suspect last semester I got these urges too but they ended up as hour long naps, not a few minutes.

Research:
http://www.supermemo.com/articles/polyphasic.htm

 Polyphasic sleep is quite widespread in animal kingdom. In a recapitulation of phylogeny, human babies also sleep polyphasically, and gradually lose their nap slots until they become roughly biphasic around the age of one. Human adults, as much as all great apes, are largely biphasic. Although a majority of westerners do not nap on a regular basis their alertness shows a slump in alertness in the middle of the subjective day. This slump can consolidate in a short block of sleep in free-running conditions.

However, the only valid rule of a thumb for maximizing creativity and alertness is to sleep then and only then when you feel sleepy. When this rule is applied, individuals may fall into a number of diverse schedules. They might be quite effective in any of these exemplary mono- and biphasic patterns: typical 7+2 or 6+1, long sleeper's 9+0, short sleeper's 3+1, or even 3+0, etc. Only you yourself can determine which schedule is optimum in your case. However, you can expect that if you are a normal healthy individual, this schedule will not be polyphasic. If you attempt 3+0.5+0.5+0.5, you will either be seriously sleep deprived (i.e. you will maintain the schedule only with the help of an alarm clock), or you will revert to 3+0.5, or more likely, you will fall back onto a standard 6+1 pattern. The possibility of hooking up your naps to the ultradian rhythm without sleep deprivations is a myth. Knowledge of chronobiology or an assistance from a chronobiologist can be of tremendous value here. 

One of the myths of "Uberman sleep schedule" is that it makes it possible to enter REM sleep and skip non-REM sleep stages entirely. That myth is derived from another false claim that implies a non-essential role of deep sleep. I will ignore these claims as standing in total disagreement with laboratory findings and models of sleep. Instead, let us focus on a more plausible claim of the possibility of compressing sleep stages. 

Some people like firefighters or emergency surgeons may sacrifice their sleep for the sake of others. Most of the remaining population though will optimize their sleep for best health and best creative performance during the waking time. Polyphasic sleep is definitely not the answer to such optimization goals.

and some blogs posts I haven't bothered to skim thoroughly
persuasive writing piece http://mysleepexperiment.wordpress.com/effects-of-polyphasic-sleep-on-health/

I don’t feel sleep deprived. Ever. Unlike monophasic sleepers, when I start to feel tired, I sleep. 

http://www.highexistence.com/the-other-side-of-polyphasic-sleep/
http://www.highexistence.com/six-tips-and-tricks-for-polyphasic-sleep/

historical anecdnote
I honestly think that my sleep habits are just born of bad habit, but for amusement, I will note that a hallmate Arka happened upon one of my before-2.003-recitation-dreading-social-interaction-with-TA-lolidkwhyamistillintheclass naps back during sophomore year

29 Sept 2010. according to Arka a few concerned people had appeared before he happened upon me and reassured them that this was normal for me. idk I didn't see anyone except Arka when I woke up

Conclusion
Protip: Indicate it's an intentional nap with e.g. a newspaper or book covering your face if you don't want to alarm people / have them wake you up "just to check on you" ^__^