I recently got a new Fitbit and have been exploring all the different features. One thing I only just started looking into is its sleep-tracking abilities. Supposedly, if I wear it to bed it can tell when I'm asleep from my heart rate and the lack of steps taken, and can even pinpoint when I'm in REM sleep. REM sleep is the dreaming stage of sleep.

Except that sometimes it doesn't get it right. A few days ago I delved into the detailed sleep report, and discovered that it claimed I'd slept fourteen hours that day! I seldom sleep more than five or six, so that was a surprise. But having the Fitbit think I'm sleeping when I'm not is only part of what I noticed. It turns out that the thing had me not only sleeping but in REM sleep -- in the middle of the day, when I wasn't actually asleep at all.

I hadn't kept close track of just what I was doing during that time, but I'm going to start paying more attention. I'm a writer, and I read a lot. So often I am stationery in one place for long periods of time. Wouldn't it be interesting if my vital signs while I'm, say, reading or writing actually mimic those of dreaming?