Wearing Fitbit One: Tracking Sleep Made Easy

If you want to track your sleep using your Fitbit One, you'll need to wear it in bed. Fitbit devices automatically detect your sleep when you wear your device to bed, but you'll need to make sure it's charged and that you're wearing it correctly. While you can use the Sleep Now function on the Fitbit app to start and stop sleep tracking, you'll need to wear the device to receive detailed sleep data.

Fitbit sleep tracking features

To track your sleep with a Fitbit, you must wear the device to bed. Fitbit devices with a wristband or watch form factor are recommended for sleep tracking. The device should be worn snugly on the wrist, towards the elbow. It is not recommended to wear the device as a clip or pendant accessory during sleep.

Fitbit devices automatically detect and track sleep without requiring any user input. They use a combination of movement and heart rate patterns to determine sleep stages. The stages include Light sleep, Deep sleep, and REM sleep. Light sleep strengthens memory and learning, Deep sleep enables physical recovery, and REM sleep helps with strategic thinking and creativity. Fitbit devices can also detect restlessness during sleep by tracking movement. If the device detects excessive movement, it records that time as being awake.

The Fitbit app provides a Sleep Score, which is calculated based on the time asleep (50% of the score), the amount of time spent in deep and REM sleep (25% of the score), and restoration (25% of the score). The app also allows users to set sleep goals and bedtime reminders. It provides suggestions for ideal bedtimes and wake-up times to meet the sleep goals.

For more detailed insights, a Fitbit Premium subscription is required. Premium offers a monthly Sleep Profile, which is a more comprehensive breakdown of sleep patterns. It also includes features such as snore and noise detection, which use the device's microphone to register noise levels and snoring. Additionally, Premium provides access to a library of workout videos and audio tracks, including guided meditations, sleep aids, and audio tracks for workouts.

Fitbit sleep tracking requirements

To track your sleep using a Fitbit device, you must wear the device during your sleep. Wrist-based Fitbit devices and Google Pixel Watch series automatically detect your sleep when you wear your device to bed. It is recommended that you wear your device in a snug wristband during sleep. Avoid wearing your device in a clip or pendant accessory.

To be eligible for a sleep profile, you must meet the following requirements:

• Have a Fitbit Premium subscription
• Use a compatible device: Charge 5, Charge 6, Inspire 2, Inspire 3, Luxe, Pixel Watch series, Sense, Sense 2, Versa 2, Versa 3, or Versa 4
• Wear your Fitbit during sleep for at least 14 days during the previous month (these do not have to be consecutive days)
• Your sleep logs must include sleep stages data

If you have a Fitbit Premium account and use one of the more advanced trackers (Sense, Versa 3, Versa 2, Charge 5, Luxe, or Inspire 2), Fitbit can take this one step further and assign you a Sleep Animal—bear, dolphin, giraffe, hedgehog, parrot, or tortoise—depending on how your sleep metrics stack up against the sleep profiles they created. To get a Sleep Animal profile, you need to wear your device to bed for 14 nights in a given month.

If you want to track snoring and noise, you must wear your Fitbit device during sleep to collect snore and noise data, and your sleep must be at least 3 hours long in order to receive a Snore & Noise Report.

Fitbit sleep tracking accuracy

To track your sleep with a Fitbit, all you need to do is wear it to bed. Fitbit devices automatically detect your sleep when they recognise that your body is going into sleep mode. They do this by using accelerometers to detect movement during sleep. When you're in a deep sleep, you generally move less, whereas in REM sleep and lighter sleep stages, you tend to move more. Fitbits also monitor your heart rate throughout the night, which they use to estimate periods of wakefulness.

While Fitbit's sleep tracking technology is impressive, it does have some limitations that can impact its accuracy and reliability. For example, it might interpret periods of restless sleep as periods of wakefulness, or classify periods where you are awake but not moving as sleep. Additionally, your heart rate can vary wildly even during sleep, and as a result, Fitbit's heart rate sensors may struggle to accurately identify sleep stages.

Sleep experts often use electroencephalography (EEG) and other advanced methods to precisely categorise sleep stages. In contrast, Fitbit's sleep staging data is based on a simplified approach of using motion and heart rate to determine sleep stages. According to a paper published by Fitbit scientists in 2017, the watch's sensors can classify sleep stages with 69% accuracy in any given 30-second time window. On average, Fitbit sleep trackers tend to overestimate total sleep time by about 10% and underestimate deep sleep and REM sleep by about 20% each.

To improve the accuracy of your sleep tracking, it is recommended that you wear your Fitbit moderately snugly and higher on your wrist (toward your elbow). Additionally, make sure your Fitbit has a battery life of at least 40% before going to bed, as this feature impacts the device's battery.

Fitbit sleep tracking tips

To track your sleep using your Fitbit, you need to wear the device to bed. Fitbit devices with a wristband or watch automatically detect your sleep when you wear them to bed. The device records your sleep once it recognises that your body is completely at rest and hasn't moved for about an hour.

Wear your Fitbit correctly

It is recommended to wear your Fitbit in a snug wristband during sleep. Do not wear your device in a clip or pendant accessory. Wear your Fitbit moderately snugly and higher on your wrist (toward your elbow) for the most accurate readings.

Prepare for sleep

Before you go to bed, make sure your Fitbit device is fully charged. A low battery prevents your device from tracking your sleep stages. To improve your sleep, it is also recommended to stop checking your phone, drinking a lot of water, and eating heavy snacks before bedtime. Instead, engage in some relaxing activities, such as taking a bath, reading a book, or doing yoga.

Check your sleep stats

After waking up, open the Fitbit app on your phone. From the Today tab, tap the 'Sleep duration' tile. You can then swipe to the bottom of the page and tap the 'Snoring & Noise' tile to see your "Snore & Noise Report". Your report will show the amount of time your device detected snoring and a chart of the noise level throughout the night.

Edit your sleep log

If your Fitbit has made a mistake in its calculations, you can edit your sleep period. Just tap on it from the sleep dashboard in the app, then tap the pen icon (top right). If you forget to wear your Fitbit overnight, tap the + (plus) button in the top-right corner of the sleep dashboard, then choose 'Add Sleep Log'.

Fitbit sleep tracking alternatives

To track your sleep with a Fitbit device, you simply need to wear it to bed. Wrist-based Fitbits and Google Pixel Watch series automatically detect your sleep when your body is completely at rest and you haven't moved for about an hour. It is recommended that you wear your Fitbit moderately snugly and higher up on your wrist (towards your elbow) for the most accurate readings.

However, if you are looking for alternatives to the Fitbit for sleep tracking, there are several options available:

• Oura Ring: This is a wearable tracker that collects a lot of data about your body and sleep. It offers accessible data, useful guidance, and comfort. The Oura Ring costs $300 to $550, depending on the design and finish, and requires a monthly subscription to access most of its data and recommendations.
• Whoop Strap 4.0: This device provides accurate and consistent tracking, along with a large amount of easily digestible data. It offers multiple wearing options, a long battery life, and an easy-to-use app. The Whoop Strap 4.0 also tracks REM stages, efficiency, heart rate, and respiratory rate.
• Garmin Watch: The Garmin Forerunner 265S and the Venu Sq 2 are two options from Garmin that offer sleep tracking. While the Venu Sq 2 has been found to be uncomfortable to wear to bed and sometimes struggles to differentiate between rest and sleep, the Forerunner 265S provides accurate deep sleep detection.
• Apple Watch Series 8: While this watch was found to be uncomfortable to wear during sleep and did not always accurately measure sleep time, it offers seamless interaction with other Apple devices.

Frequently asked questions