Apple Watch: Sleep Tracking And Original Models

The Apple Watch is a versatile device that can track various aspects of your daily life, including sleep. While the watch lacks built-in sleep-tracking capabilities, you can utilise third-party apps to monitor your sleep patterns and gain insights into your sleep quality. These apps offer automatic sleep tracking by simply wearing the watch to bed, providing data on sleep hours, quality, restlessness, heart rate, and more. Additionally, with watchOS 8 or later, you can take advantage of native sleep tracking features, allowing you to set sleep goals, enable Sleep Focus, and view your sleep history through the Health app on your iPhone.

Sleep tracking apps for the Apple Watch

The Apple Watch can be used as a dedicated sleep tracker, although this is not a built-in function. Sleep tracking is available on watchOS 8 or later. When Sleep Tracking is enabled, the watch tracks your sleep and adds sleep data to the Health app on your iPhone.

• SleepWatch — offers personalized coaching, smart alarms, sleep reports, auto sleep, snore tracking, and a customizable white noise library.
• AutoSleep — offers automatic sleep tracking, sleep rating, sleep rings, sleep apnea detection, and sleep blood oxygen measurements.
• Sleep Cycle — a popular sleep tracker for iPhone with an Apple Watch app, but it requires the starting and stopping of sessions.
• Pulse Genesis Edition — a smartwatch that provides sleep tracking and allows you to earn money just by wearing it.
• Superset — an app that tracks body strain and exercise, as well as sleep.

How to set up sleep tracking on the Apple Watch

To set up sleep tracking on your Apple Watch, you will first need to ensure that your device is compatible with the feature. Sleep tracking is available on watchOS 8 or later.

Next, you will need to ensure your Apple Watch is charged to at least 30% before going to bed. If your watch is charged less than 30% before bedtime, you will be prompted to charge it.

You can then set up a sleep schedule. This can be done through the Health app on your iPhone or the Sleep app on your Apple Watch.

To set up a sleep schedule through the Health app, open the app and tap 'Browse' at the bottom of the screen. Then, tap 'Sleep' and tap 'Get Started' under 'Set Up Sleep'. From here, you can set up a sleep goal, bedtime and wake-up times, and Sleep Focus.

To set up a sleep schedule through the Sleep app on your Apple Watch, open the app and follow the on-screen instructions. You can also set a new wake-up time by tapping the wake-up time and turning the Digital Crown to set a new time.

Additionally, you can enable Charging Reminders, which will notify you to charge your watch before bedtime if your battery is low in the evening. You can also set up Sleep Focus, which is optional but gives you access to specialised home screens and notification settings that will turn on at bedtime.

It is important to note that if you do not wear your Apple Watch to sleep, your graph might not show any data.

How to view sleep data on the Apple Watch

To view your sleep data on the Apple Watch, you must first ensure that sleep tracking is enabled. To do this, open the Watch app on your iPhone and tap the My Watch tab. Then, tap Sleep and toggle on Sleep Tracking. You can also turn on Charging Reminders in the same menu, which will remind you to charge your Apple Watch before your wind-down time.

Next, wear your Apple Watch to bed. It is recommended that you wear it for at least one hour each night to ensure that enough data is collected. When you wake up, open the Sleep app on your Apple Watch to see your sleep data. Turn the Digital Crown to view your Sleep Stages data, Time Asleep, and your Sleep Duration for the last 14 days.

You can also view your sleep data on your iPhone by opening the Health app. Tap 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. The bar graph is set to daily by default, but you can tap W at the top of the chart to view your sleep history for the past week, M for the past month, or 6M for the past six months. 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, your Sleep Duration details, and your Heart and Respiratory Rate in relation to your time spent asleep.

Note that sleep tracking is available on watchOS 8 or later, and information about sleep stages is available on watchOS 9 or later.

How to charge the Apple Watch for sleep tracking

To charge your Apple Watch for sleep tracking, you should ensure that your Apple Watch is charged to at least 30% before you go to bed. According to Apple, it takes 90 minutes to charge an Apple Watch from 0% to 80% and you can expect about 18 hours of battery life with typical use. Therefore, it is recommended to devote 60 to 90 minutes every evening before bed to charge your Apple Watch. For example, if you typically go to bed at 10 pm, you can start charging your watch at 8:30 or 9 pm before putting it back on your wrist for sleep. Alternatively, you can charge your watch for 30-45 minutes in the morning while getting ready or showering and for another 30-45 minutes in the evening before bedtime.

If you have multiple chargers, you can also charge your Apple Watch when you're working or watching TV. Additionally, you can set up charging reminders on your Apple Watch to remind you to charge your watch before your wind-down time and notify you when your watch is fully charged.

Before using your Apple Watch for sleep tracking, you should also create a "sleep mode" to ensure it doesn't disturb you while you sleep. This includes turning off alerts and the display on the watch. You can also enable Do Not Disturb and Theater Mode on your Apple Watch, which will put your watch in silent mode and prevent the display from lighting up when you raise your wrist.

How to set up sleep mode on the Apple Watch

To set up sleep mode on the Apple Watch, you will first need to ensure your Apple Watch is charged to at least 30% before going to bed. This is to ensure that your Apple Watch can track your sleep for at least one hour.

Next, you will need to pair your Apple Watch with your iPhone. This can be done during the initial setup or after. To pair your Apple Watch, open the Watch app on your iPhone and use the My Watch tab. Tap your watch at the top of the list and toggle on Auto Switch. This will allow your iPhone to receive data from the Apple Watch without manually switching it each day.

Once your Apple Watch is paired, you can set up sleep tracking. Open the Health app on your iPhone and tap Browse at the bottom of the screen, then tap Sleep. If you have Sleep saved to your Favorites list, you can access it from the Summary page in the Health app. Tap Full Schedule & Options, then tap Sleep Schedule at the top of the screen to turn your schedule on. You can then set your sleep goal, bedtime, and wake-up times.

You can also turn on Sleep Focus, which will reduce distractions on your iPhone and Apple Watch by simplifying your Lock Screen. You can also give certain people or apps permission to notify you. In addition, you can turn on Charging Reminders to remind you to charge your watch before your wind-down time and notify you when your watch is fully charged.

After setting up sleep tracking, wear your Apple Watch to bed, and it will track your sleep data, including the time spent in each sleep stage and your sleep average over the last 14 days. You can then view your sleep data in the Sleep app on your Apple Watch or in the Health app on your iPhone.

Frequently asked questions