The pursuit of perfect sleep, often called "sleepmaxxing," has become more complicated with the rise of wearable devices that track sleep. Companies like Fitbit, Garmin, Whoop, Apple, and smart rings such as Oura, Ultrahuman, and RingConn now provide users with detailed sleep reports, including a "sleep score." However, some experts criticize this score as a made-up metric. Dr. Alanna Hare, a sleep medicine consultant at London's Royal Brompton Hospital, notes that there is no official sleep score in sleep science, and these scores are created by the manufacturers themselves. Dr. Hare has seen patients become anxious about their sleep after using trackers, sometimes believing they have a disorder even when medical tests show otherwise. She suggests that the focus on sleep scores might actually worsen sleep issues by increasing stress and worry about sleep quality. Oura, a maker of smart rings, recently faced a lawsuit in San Francisco over claims that their devices cannot accurately measure sleep stages and quality. Instead, they rely on AI-generated estimates, which may not be reliable. Oura has defended its products, stating they stand by their science and are committed to transparency about what their devices can and cannot measure. Research supports concerns about the impact of sleep trackers on daily life. A study by the University of Oxford found that people who were given fake sleep scores reported feeling more tired and less alert, even though the scores had no real connection to their sleep. This shows that sleep tracking can influence how people feel, even when the data is inaccurate. Jess Hill, a London-based HR professional, shared her own experience with a Garmin watch. She relied on it for years to determine whether she had had a good night's sleep. However, she later realized the device was not always accurate. She recalls a time when she was actually awake for four hours, but the watch still showed "great sleep." Dr. Neil Stanley, a sleep expert and author of How to Sleep Well, warns that turning sleep into a game with numbers can lead to sleep problems. He explains that sleep trackers create targets for users, which can lead to stress and anxiety about sleep quality or quantity. While modern devices are more advanced than the ones he studied decades ago, they still lack the ability to directly measure brain activity, which is essential for accurate sleep analysis. Dr. Hare recommends simple, evidence-based practices for better sleep, such as keeping the bedroom cool, dark, and quiet, getting bright light exposure in the morning, engaging in light exercise, and following a healthy Mediterranean-style diet. She emphasizes that simplicity and consistency are key to improving sleep without over-reliance on technology.