You could blame it on the doomscrolling that’s supposedly rotting your brain or the mounting anxiety you’re likely feeling from current events, but there might actually be a much simpler answer as to why you’re feeling mentally sluggish these days: lack of sleep. In a world where we’re increasingly encouraged to do more to achieve our goals — work more, create more, connect more, dillydally more — it can be easy to deprioritize sleep: the one thing that doesn’t really allow us to do anything at all. What’s one less hour of sleep if that means you can squeeze in one more hour of focusing on your side hustle or binge watching attractive single people find love on a tropical island? And therein lies the catch-22; because you certainly won’t be able to achieve any goals if you’re depriving yourself of proper rest and recovery.
“Not getting enough sleep takes a huge toll on your brain,” says Dr. Angela Holliday-Bell, a board-certified physician and certified clinical sleep specialist who’s spent the past five years helping people figure out what’s getting in the way of good sleep. “Memory and learning suffer because your brain can’t properly store new information, leaving you foggy, forgetful, and easily distracted,” she says. “Without proper rest, your brain simply can’t perform at its best.” If foggy, forgetful, and easily distracted sound exactly like what you’ve been experiencing lately, it might be time to reevaluate your sleep regimen — and maybe invest in a smartwatch. Both Samsung Galaxy Watch8 ($380) and Galaxy Watch8 Classic ($500) track your sleep and offer personalized insights to help you improve it. Keep reading to glean some tips for how to better recognize poor sleep symptoms and learn how tracking your sleep using a Galaxy Watch8 Series device might just be the thing you need to develop smarter nighttime habits.
How Can I Tell I’m Not Getting Enough Sleep?
Let’s face it, you’re probably not consistently getting Dr. Holliday-Bell’s recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night (and if you are, kudos to you), but it’s important to find the amount that leaves you feeling rested and clear-headed throughout the day without heavy reliance on stimulants like caffeine.
“The simplest way to tell you’re not getting enough sleep is how you feel during the day,” Dr. Holliday-Bell notes, adding that if you regularly wake up feeling unrefreshed, rely on caffeine to get through the morning or afternoon, feel foggy, irritable, or find yourself dozing off when you sit still, it’s a strong sign you’re sleep deprived. “You might notice it’s harder to focus, you’re more forgetful, or it takes longer to process things. Decision-making and problem-solving can feel like a struggle, and your creativity often takes a hit, too. Even mood swings, anxiety, or that ‘wired but tired’ feeling can all point back to poor sleep.”
She also cites symptoms like feeling more emotional than usual, snapping at people, craving sweets or carbs, getting sick more easily, and even experiencing dull skin and more frequent breakouts as sneaky signs you’re running low on sleep. “These symptoms are easy to blame on stress or a busy schedule, but often they’re your body’s way of asking for more rest.”
Galaxy Watch8 and Galaxy Watch8 Classic can provide a daily wellness snapshot, which gives you a look into how well you’re managing your sleep, activity, and stress. You can evaluate your Sleep Score (based on the quality of last night’s sleep) and your Energy Score (based on yesterday’s sleep, activity, and heart rate)* — both of which give you a sense of your overall health so you know what to work on before it’s time to hit the hay again.
Why Is Sleep So Important For Thinking Clearly?
According to Dr. Holliday-Bell, if you’ve convinced yourself you’re able to thrive on less sleep, that just means you’ve just gotten used to feeling below your best. Rather than dealing with slow reaction time, impaired decision-making, and poor emotional management, wouldn’t you want to experience optimal cognitive function? “Sleep is essential for keeping your mind sharp because it’s the time when your brain does some of its most important maintenance,” she says. Some of that maintenance, she explains, includes clearing out toxins that build up during the day, strengthening the connections between neurons, and repairing itself. “Sleep also helps lock in memories and learning by consolidating what you’ve experienced during the day, so you can recall it later. On top of that, it helps regulate your emotions, making it easier to stay calm, focused, and better handle stress. When you’re well-rested, you think more clearly, solve problems faster, make better decisions, and have more energy so you can handle everything on your plate more effectively.”
While day-to-day mental clarity takes a significant hit, sleep deprivation can have long-term adverse effects as well. “It makes it harder to clear out toxins, which over time may raise the risk of Alzheimer’s,” Dr. Holliday-Bell says. “Over time, it can even shrink areas of the brain tied to memory and emotional control.”
How Can I Get Better Sleep?
Of course knowing you need quality sleep is different from actually getting it every single night. If you’re struggling to form better sleep habits, Dr. Holliday-Bell has some simple but powerful tips, with the most important one being to make sleep a priority in your life rather than an afterthought. From there, it’s all about making small, consistent changes throughout the day (not just at night!) in order to help train your body clock. This is where Galaxy Watch8 or Galaxy Watch8 Classic can come in handy with useful features that can help you make thoughtful choices leading up to bedtime.
“A smartwatch can be a helpful tool for improving sleep when used intentionally,” Dr. Holliday-Bell says. “Used as a guide, it can help you build more awareness and healthier sleep habits.” During the day, she suggests using data features to help you identify habits that might need adjusting. Both Galaxy Watch8 and Galaxy Watch8 Classic provide meaningful insights (not just data) to keep you locked in to your health and wellness goals. For example, Dr. Holliday-Bell suggests staying ahead of burnout by using your watch to monitor your stress level and identify possible stressors — this will allow you to take steps to mitigate it early so it doesn’t interfere with sleep later.
At night, she recommends sticking to a sleep schedule by going to bed at the same time every day (the watch can give you a friendly nudge when it’s time to turn in thanks to Bedtime Guidance* within the Advanced Sleep Coaching feature) and creating a relaxing wind-down routine you can do each night before bed to signal to your brain it’s time to sleep. Limiting screen time 30 minutes before bed, dimming the lights, reading, or gentle stretching are all good pre-sleep practices, as is guided breathwork. In terms of the latter, both watches provide three built-in breathing exercises you can follow and you can also create your own to help clear your mind, refocus your thoughts, and relieve tension.
Her most underrated tip, however, happens after you wake up the next morning. “Many people focus only on what happens before bed, but what you do during the day sets the stage for better sleep later,” she says. “Just 15 to 30 minutes of natural sunlight in the morning can improve sleep quality at night. Bright light helps regulate your body’s internal clock, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up at the right times.”
When you get good sleep, it feels like anything is possible. As Dr. Holliday-Bell notes, you should wake up after a good night’s sleep feeling alert and clear-headed within about 15 to 30 minutes. “Feeling steady energy, good focus, and a stable mood through most of the day are signs you’re well-rested.” With the insights from Samsung Watch8 Series guiding your healthy choices, sleep won’t be the thing you lose sleep over anymore.
*Sleep Score: Galaxy AI features track data and require compatible Samsung Galaxy phone, Samsung Health app and Samsung account.
Energy Score: Galaxy AI features track data and require a compatible Galaxy wearable device (sold separately), Samsung Health app and Samsung account. The heart rate software functions are not intended for medical use.
Bedtime Guidance: Must wear watch for three consecutive nights and set optimal wake up time in the Samsung Health app.
