Featured Image Credit: Bloomberg / Contributor / Getty
Tracking our health has never been easier with the launch of wearable tech.
Devices like the Apple Watch can now track everything from heart and respiratory rate to wrist temperature, sleep duration and sleep quality.
According to one doctor, the app can provide a detailed picture of your health every morning.
For one Reddit user, that data told a story that motivated a major lifestyle change.
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The user, who believes he has 'undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea,' shared a series of Apple Watch sleep graphs comparing his sleep before and after quitting alcohol.
"In the first two, I weighed 240, and was drinking about ten beers a night. [...]I quit drinking january 18th," they posted.
"The last two, both in the last week, are after ive lost 30lbs since january 18, and have been alcohol free 89 days. I know the length of time isnt great, but i feel refreshed, and more alive. I walk 5 miles a day."
They added: "My resting heart rate and bp in january was prolly 105, and was 160/100 (scared me). Its now 50 bpm and 118/76."
The Apple Watch sleep graphs display three stages: deep sleep in purple, core or light sleep in medium blue, and REM sleep in light blue.
The early graphs, taken during the period when the user was admittedly drinking heavily, show heavily fragmented sleep with frequent interruptions and little time spent in either deep or REM sleep.
However, after quitting drinking, the more recent graphs taken after nearly three months of sobriety and significant weight loss, tell a very different story. The sleep is far more continuous, with longer uninterrupted stretches and noticeably more time spent in the deeper, more restorative stages.
The user noted that ditching his drinking habits was nothing short of 'life-changing.'
Sleep experts have previously supported this data. Deep sleep is the stage during which the body carries out physical repair and restoration, while REM sleep plays a critical role in mood regulation, memory consolidation, and mental clarity.
If either of these stages is interrupted regularly, whether by alcohol, stress, or 'breathing disturbances,' the consequences are felt the next morning, regardless of how many hours were spent in bed.
People in the comments have been supportive, congratulating the user for quitting his habits.
"Love to see it and keep celebrating your wins," one user commented.
"keep it up bro! who cares if it was the alcohol or weight that made the most difference but you did both and walking 5 miles a day!! you should be so proud of yourself," another replied.
