Setting Up Your Fitbit For Sleep Tracking: A Step-By-Step Guide

Fitbit devices are equipped with advanced sleep-tracking tools that can help you get better rest, boost your energy, and improve your overall well-being. By wearing your Fitbit to bed, you can automatically record your sleep patterns and gain insights into your sleep habits. The device uses metrics like physical movement, pulse rate, and breathing to infer your sleep stage, and it can even detect snoring and noise levels. With the accompanying Fitbit app, you can set sleep goals, create a sleep schedule, and receive bedtime reminders to help you maintain a consistent routine. This guide will teach you how to set up your Fitbit for sleep tracking and utilize its features to improve your sleep quality.

Setting up your Fitbit to track sleep

Setting up your Fitbit to track your sleep is a straightforward process. The first step is to ensure your Fitbit is charged and placed by your phone. Then, open the Fitbit app on your phone and follow the prompts to connect the device via Bluetooth. Once connected, your Fitbit will automatically start logging your sleep data when it recognises that your body has entered sleep mode.

To get the most out of your Fitbit's sleep tracking function, there are a number of settings you can adjust. Firstly, you can set a sleep goal. To do this, tap on the round icon in the top left corner of the Fitbit app, then tap 'Activity and Wellness', followed by 'Sleep' and 'Time Asleep Goal'. From here, you can adjust your total sleep target using the pull-down menu.

You can also set a sleep schedule in the Fitbit app to help you maintain a consistent sleep pattern. This will involve setting a bedtime reminder and a wake-up time. The bedtime reminder will help you wind down each night by suggesting activities such as dimming the lights and limiting screen time. The Smart Wake feature will monitor your sleep stages and wake you during a light sleep stage within a 30-minute window before your alarm is set to go off. To set this up, swipe left to get to the Alarm screen on your tracker, set an alarm, and then scroll down to Smart Wake.

To view your sleep data, open the Today tab in the Fitbit app. Here, you can see your sleep duration for the previous night, as well as your sleep stats over time. If your Fitbit has a heart rate monitor, you will also receive a sleep score that takes into account factors such as your heart rate, movement, and amount of deep sleep.

Viewing your sleep data

To view your sleep data, you must first sync your Fitbit device each morning. This will allow you to review your sleep data, such as your sleep score and sleep stages. You can check this information on your Fitbit device or in the Fitbit app.

In the app, you can view your sleep history by tapping the sleep tile on the dashboard. Tap "Today" or another day to see the details of your sleep data for that day. You can swipe through the graphics at the top to see your sleep stats, and tap the expander icon in the top right to open and close more detailed views.

You can also view your sleep data on your Fitbit device. To do this, open the Fitbit app and tap the "Sleep duration" tile from the "Today" tab. Here, you can view your sleep score, sleep schedule, and sleep stages. You can also tap "Sleeping heart rate" to find stats for your most recent sleep session.

If you want to see a detailed breakdown of your sleep, you can access the Sleep Profile feature. This is available on the first of every month and includes 10 monthly metrics and a sleep animal characterisation of your long-term sleep behaviours. To be eligible for a sleep profile, you must have a Fitbit Premium subscription and a compatible device, such as Charge 5, Charge 6, Inspire 2, Inspire 3, Luxe, Pixel Watch series, Sense, Sense 2, Versa 2, Versa 3, or Versa 4. Additionally, you must wear your Fitbit during sleep for at least 14 days in the previous month and ensure that your sleep logs include sleep stages data.

Another feature that can be useful for viewing your sleep data is the Snore & Noise detection feature. This allows your Fitbit device to track noise while you sleep, including snoring and the overall noise level of your surroundings. To enable this feature, open the Fitbit app, tap the "Sleep duration" tile from the "Today" tab, tap the menu icon at the top right, and turn on "Snore & Noise detect". Once enabled, you can access your ""Snore & Noise Report" by tapping the "Snoring & Noise" tile and view the amount of time your device detected snoring and a chart of the noise level throughout the night.

Editing your sleep data

To edit your sleep data, you must first open the Fitbit app. From the “Today” tab, tap the “Sleep Duration” tile. Then, tap the menu icon in the top right corner and select “Edit Sleep”. Choose the sleep session you want to edit and tap “Edit”.

For devices that track sleep stages, be aware that extending your sleep time may create gaps in the sleep stage data. If you want to delete a sleep log, tap the log you want to delete, then tap the menu icon and choose "Delete Sleep Log" or "Delete Log".

You can also set your device to track sleep in either normal or sensitive mode. In normal mode, your device records significant movements, such as rolling over, as time spent awake. This setting is suitable for most users. In sensitive mode, your device records almost all movements as time spent restless or awake. This setting may be useful if you often wake up feeling tired, even though your sleep history shows you had sufficient rest.

Additionally, you can adjust the start and end times of a sleep session in the Fitbit app. If you are having issues editing your sleep data on the app, you can try editing it through the Fitbit website.

Understanding your sleep data

Sleep Tracking

Your Fitbit device automatically tracks your sleep when it recognizes that your body is going into sleep mode. It uses a combination of movement and heart-rate patterns to estimate your sleep stages. When you haven't moved for about an hour, your Fitbit assumes you're asleep, and it tracks the beat-to-beat changes in your heart rate, known as heart rate variability (HRV). These HRV numbers fluctuate as you transition between light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep stages.

Sleep Goals

You can set sleep goals on your Fitbit app to help you maintain a consistent sleep schedule. Tap the gear icon on the top-right corner of the sleep dashboard screen to set your desired bedtime and sleep duration goals. The Fitbit app will use this information to generate reports and charts, allowing you to see your progress and make adjustments as needed.

Sleep Data Analysis

Fitbit provides a detailed breakdown of your sleep data. You can access this information by opening the Today tab in the Fitbit app. Here, you'll find your sleep duration for the previous night, as well as historical data on your sleep patterns over time. You can toggle between "Hours Slept" and "Sleep Schedule" to gain insights into your sleep habits. Additionally, if your Fitbit has a heart rate monitor, you'll receive a sleep score that takes into account factors such as your movement during the night and the amount of deep sleep you achieved.

Smart Wake Feature

The Smart Wake feature on your Fitbit monitors your sleep stages and wakes you during a light sleep stage within a 30-minute window before your set alarm time. This feature ensures you wake up feeling more refreshed and well-rested.

Sleep Sensitivity Settings

Fitbit allows you to adjust the sleep sensitivity settings to improve the accuracy of your sleep tracking. If you notice inaccuracies in your sleep duration or the time you fell asleep, check your sleep sensitivity setting. Changing it from "Sensitive" to "Normal" may provide more precise results.

Adjusting your Fitbit's sleep settings

To set a sleep goal, open the Fitbit app on your phone and tap on the round icon in the top left corner of the screen. From there, tap Activity and Wellness, then Sleep, and finally Time Asleep Goal. Here, you can use the pull-down menu to adjust your total sleep target. You can also set a sleep schedule in the Fitbit app to maintain a consistent sleep pattern.

If you have fewer than five sleep logs, you can provide an estimate of your typical nightly sleep, and your sleep goal will be set based on this estimate. You can manually set your bedtime and wake-up time targets in the Fitbit app. To do this, tap the gear icon in the top right corner of the sleep dashboard screen. This information will be used to create reports and charts to help you understand your sleep patterns.

If you use a Fitbit device with heart-rate tracking, you can also view your sleep stages and sleep score. The sleep score weighs factors such as the amount of movement during the night and the amount of deep sleep. You can also enable the Smart Wake feature, which monitors your sleep stages and wakes you during a light sleep stage within a 30-minute window before your alarm.

Additionally, you can edit or delete sleep logs in the Fitbit app. To do this, go to the Sleep Duration tile on the Today tab and tap the menu icon in the top right corner. Select Edit Sleep, choose the sleep session, and tap Edit. For devices that record sleep patterns, you can set your device to track sleep in normal or sensitive mode.

Frequently asked questions