Apple Watch Series 9: Sleep Tracking Feature Explained

The Apple Watch Series 9 can track your sleep, but there are some limitations. With watchOS 9, Apple added sleep stages to its tracking suite, allowing users to analyze when they were in REM, Core, or Deep Sleep and when they were awake throughout the night. The watch can also track your breathing rate and wrist temperature, which can provide insights into your overall health. However, some users have reported issues with sleep detection, and the watch requires a minimum of 4 hours of sleep to track. Additionally, the Apple Watch cannot diagnose sleep conditions, and some users have turned to third-party apps for more detailed sleep insights.

How to set up sleep tracking on Apple Watch Series 9

The Apple Watch Series 9 has a built-in sleep tracker that can help you monitor your sleep and set sleep goals. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to set up sleep tracking on your Apple Watch Series 9:

Check Apple Watch Battery:

Before you go to bed, ensure your Apple Watch Series 9 is charged to at least 30%. If your watch is charged less than 30%, you will be prompted to charge it.

Wear Your Apple Watch to Bed:

To track your sleep, you need to wear your Apple Watch Series 9 to bed. Make sure you wear it for at least one hour each night. The watch uses your motion and phone usage to detect whether you are sleeping and estimates your sleep stages.

Enable "Track Sleep with Apple Watch":

On your iPhone, open the Watch app and tap the "My Watch" tab. Then, tap "Sleep" and enable the "Track Sleep with Apple Watch" setting. This setting must be turned on to receive sleep data.

Set Up Sleep Schedule:

You can set up a sleep schedule on the Health app on your iPhone or the Sleep app on your Apple Watch. Open the Health app, tap "Browse," and then tap "Sleep." Here, you can set your sleep goals, bedtime, and wake-up times. You can also adjust your wind-down time, which is the period before your bedtime when you start to relax and prepare for sleep.

Turn On Sleep Focus:

Sleep Focus helps reduce distractions on your iPhone and Apple Watch before and during your scheduled bedtime. You can turn on Sleep Focus in the Health app or the Settings app on your Apple Watch.

View Sleep Data:

You can view your sleep data in the Sleep app on your Apple Watch or the Health app on your iPhone. The Sleep app on your watch provides information about the previous night's sleep, sleep stages, time asleep, and your 14-day sleep history. On your iPhone, open the Health app, tap "Browse," then "Sleep" to view your sleep history and more detailed sleep data.

With these steps, you can effectively set up and utilize the sleep tracking feature on your Apple Watch Series 9 to gain insights into your sleep patterns and work towards improving your sleep hygiene.

Third-party apps for sleep tracking on Apple Watch Series 9

The Apple Watch Series 9 does have sleep-tracking capabilities. However, some users have reported issues with the accuracy of the sleep detection. This could be due to the requirement for a minimum of 4 hours of sleep to be tracked, and the device only considers you to be asleep when your body is completely still.

To address this, you can use third-party sleep-tracking apps on your Apple Watch Series 9. These apps often provide more detailed data and insights than the native Apple Sleep app. Here are some popular third-party sleep-tracking apps for the Apple Watch:

• SleepWatch: This app tracks your sleep and provides insights, but some users have reported similar issues with sleep detection as with the native Apple Sleep app.
• Sleep++: Sleep++ offers detailed data on sleep trends, cycles, and phases, including a timeline of when you were restful, restless, and awake. It also features a "Readiness Score" to help you understand when you need to recharge. Sleep++ is free to use, with an optional in-app purchase to remove advertisements.
• Pillow: Pillow is another popular sleep-tracking app for Apple Watch, recommended by multiple users.

To find other third-party sleep-tracking apps, you can open the Health app on your iPhone, tap the Browse tab, tap a category like "Activity," and then a subcategory like "Steps." From there, you can see the data sources and access the apps that contribute to that data type. You can then check the App Store to see if those apps have sleep-tracking capabilities.

How to view sleep data on Apple Watch Series 9

The Apple Watch Series 9 offers basic sleep tracking, with more advanced sleep tracking available on the Apple Watch Series 4 and later. Here is how you can view your sleep data on the Apple Watch Series 9:

Setting Up Sleep Tracking

First, ensure that your Apple Watch is charged to at least 30% before going to bed, as a low battery may disrupt sleep tracking. Next, open the Sleep app on your Apple Watch and enable Sleep Tracking. You can also set up sleep schedules and goals to help you meet your sleep targets. To do this, open the Health app on your iPhone, tap "Get Started" under "Set Up Sleep", and then tap "Next". Here, you can set your sleep goals, bedtime, and wake-up times.

Viewing Sleep Data on Apple Watch

To view your sleep data on the Apple Watch, open the Sleep app. You can do this by pressing the crown to view all your apps and selecting the blue bed icon. Here, you can scroll down to "Analysis" to see a graph, your Time Asleep, and time in sleep stages. You can also view your Sleep Stages data, Time Asleep, and Sleep Duration for the last 14 days by turning the Digital Crown.

Viewing Sleep Data on iPhone

You can also view your sleep data on your iPhone by opening the Health app and tapping "Browse" at the bottom of the screen. Then, tap "Sleep". If you have Sleep saved as a favorite, you can access it from the Summary page in the Health app. Here, you can view your sleep history for the past week, month, or 6 months by tapping "W", "M", or "6M" at the top of the chart. You can also tap "Show More Sleep Data" to review additional details, such as the time and percentage you spent Awake or in REM, Core, or Deep sleep.

How to set sleep goals on Apple Watch Series 9

The Apple Watch Series 9 can track your sleep and send the data to the Health app on your iPhone. To enable sleep tracking, follow these steps:

• Ensure your Apple Watch is paired with your iPhone.
• Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
• Scroll to and select Sleep.
• Scroll to and select the Track Sleep with Apple Watch switch.
• From the Clock screen, press the Digital Crown/Home button, then open the Sleep app.

Once sleep tracking is enabled, you can set up your sleep schedule and sleep goals. Here's how:

• Open the Health app on your iPhone.
• Tap "Get Started" under Set Up Sleep, then tap "Next".
• Set your Sleep Goal by inputting the number of hours you'd like to sleep.
• Set your Bedtime and Wake Up times.
• Adjust your Wind Down time, which is the period before your bedtime when Sleep Focus is active, reducing distractions.
• Turn on Sleep Focus if desired. This simplifies your Lock Screen and limits distractions before bedtime and while you sleep.
• Wear your Apple Watch to bed, ensuring it is charged to at least 30%.
• In the morning, view your sleep data in the Health app or the Sleep app on your Apple Watch.

You can adjust your sleep goal and wind-down time as needed. To do so on your iPhone:

• Open the Health app.
• Tap "Browse" at the bottom of the screen.
• Tap "Sleep".
• Tap "Full Schedule & Options".
• Tap "Wind Down" or "Sleep Goal" under Additional Details.
• Adjust your time, then tap the desired option again to save your changes.

You can also make these adjustments directly on your Apple Watch:

• Open the Sleep app.
• Tap the sleep-alarm-icon in the upper-left corner.
• Tap "Wind Down" or "Sleep Goal" under Options.
• Use the Plus and Minus buttons to adjust your time.
• Tap the left arrow in the upper-left corner to save your changes.

How to adjust sleep schedules on Apple Watch Series 9

The Apple Watch Series 9 has a Sleep app that can help you track your sleep and create sleep schedules. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to adjust your sleep schedules on the Apple Watch Series 9:

• Ensure that your Apple Watch is charged to at least 30% before going to bed. If it is not, you will be prompted to charge it.
• Open the Health app on your iPhone.
• Tap "Browse" at the bottom of the screen.
• Tap "Sleep".
• Tap "Full Schedule & Options".
• Tap "Wind Down" or "Sleep Goal" under "Additional Details".
• Adjust your desired wind-down time or sleep goal by tapping the plus and minus buttons.
• Tap the left arrow in the upper-left corner to go back and save your changes.
• If you need to update your sleep schedule, you can make changes to your full schedule or for the "Next Wake Up Only". Changes made to the full schedule will apply to all future days, while changes to the "Next Wake Up Only" will only apply to the following day.
• Open the Sleep app on your Apple Watch to see the amount of sleep you got the previous night, the time spent in each sleep stage, and your sleep average over the last 14 days.

Additionally, you can also adjust your sleep schedules by using the Sleep app on your Apple Watch:

• Open the Sleep app on your Apple Watch.
• Tap the sleep-alarm-icon in the upper-left corner.
• Tap "Wind Down" or "Sleep Goal" under "Options".
• Tap the plus and minus buttons to adjust your desired time.
• Tap the left arrow in the upper-left corner to go back and save your changes.

Frequently asked questions