The Pillow App

I have an Apple watch. I asked for a Fitbit. For those who have stumbled upon this blog by accident or by word of mouth or by my business card and as a reminder for those who faithfully read me (THANK YOU PEEPS), I am married to a tech guru who doesn't believe in rewarding himself with the latest and greatest, but instead insists we need it. He bought me an Apple watch a couple of years ago for my birthday.

One of the main reasons that I wanted a Fitbit was to record my sleep pattern. I use to be a great sleeper, but that was BC...before children. Now I sleep with one ear cocked like my dog, ready for anything or anyone who might need me. Menopause and its hot flashes and weight gain didn't help matters either, and since I now snore (a real sore point that just might be the motivation for getting the weight off) I've become concerned that I could have sleep apnea. I swear my husband has it. My Steelers buddy has it. My good friend Robin has it. Recently, another friend of mine went through the study and was diagnosed with it, and right after she told me that I saw an article about the best sleep apps available for Apple products.

I don't remember where I saw this, but the first app on the list was called Pillow. Because the purple in the app was purple, and because a few big name newspapers endorsed it, and because it worked with the Apple watch, I downloaded it without hesitating. The app works with either the Iphone or the watch or in conjunction with one another. I've only used it with the watch so far. I figured it would give me a better read since it was attached to my person and not just residing under the pillow I lay my head on which is how it works with the Iphone, although it does say it can be close by. Using the two together, it can pick up the sound of your snoring and play it back for you, but I haven't taken advantage of that because my husband snores WAY louder than I do and surely it would pick up his snoring over mine.

I've used the app now for eleven days. It's making me crazy. Each morning when I shut the app off, it analyzes my data using "an algorithm based on body mobility and sound input during sleep drawn from the device's sensors" and sends it to my Iphone where I can then read each time I was Awake and Asleep. The watch then shows a beautifully, brightly colored graph and gives me a sleep percentage. That is the part that is driving me nuts. My percentages the first three days were 58%, 65%, and 68%. Those are F's and D's!! I'm failing sleep.

The app also shows me how much deep sleep, light sleep, and rem sleep I get. I've learned more about sleeping from this app then I ever knew! It also keeps my heart rate and shows a nifty little graph on that. When the information is sent to my phone, it gives me exact times when I'm awake and when I'm asleep. Most of it has been spot on, and now each time I wake up to go to the bathroom I note the time to make sure my app is correct.

Tom downloaded it too after I had gone a week using it and his percentages have not been any better so now I'm convinced we both have sleep apnea. He just quit using his, but I'm obsessed. I'm thinking about paying the $4.99 charge to upgrade the app because it works in conjunction with my Health app and will give me all sorts of data based on my steps, my calories, etc. I haven't done that yet. Right now I'm working on getting a higher percentage, and last night I did just that.

After not sleeping but four hours the previous night and after hauling bags of crap up and down The Condo stairwell, I was pooped last night and felt like I slept really well. My percentage when I woke up this morning was 71%. I came running out into the kitchen pumping my fists. That's when I discovered the husband had already given up. He thinks it isn't accurate. Pfft. I'm not a quitter.

Here are the cons as I see it from a user's standpoint for anyone interested in getting the app.

Cons:

• The light on the Apple Watch comes on anytime I turn my wrist, and when I'm turning over from one side to another it shines in my eyes and maybe causes me to wake.
• The times I'm awake, according to the tracker, don't always coincide with my getting up to go to the bathroom, and I'm not sure if that is when I'm tossing or turning or what, but surely I'm not awake for 16 minutes during the middle of the night.
• The graph data doesn't move from the watch to the phone. I want to analyze my graph and my heart rate data on a bigger device.
• I don't believe that I can check my previous days graph information from my watch, and since it doesn't transfer to the phone, it's just lost. Maybe that's a user error, but I've yet to figure it out.
• I think if you are like me and don't fall asleep right away that that time in bed might just be a part of the calculation. Last night I waited until I knew I was close to dropping off before I hit the start button.
• My obsession with the app and what it is tracking might actually be hindering my sleep. Or at least that is what my oldest daughter thinks. 

The app also has a nap feature, but I haven't had time to use that one. I'm going to try it out soon. I'm also going to start documenting my food and exercise to see if that makes a difference. I'm determined to conquer my sleeping and raise my score to a 90%. If that doesn't happen in a month or two, next year's resolution is going to get a sleep apnea test done.