Apple Health Sleep Tracking: How Does It Work?

Apple Health can track your sleep by measuring the number of times you breathe per minute and analysing patterns of movement throughout the night. To use this feature, you must wear your Apple Watch for at least one hour each night. You can also set up sleep tracking on your iPhone without a wearable device. This involves inputting your typical bedtime and wake-up time, which the Health app uses as a reference point to gauge your sleep duration and schedule. The app also considers contextual cues, such as your bedtime routine and device usage patterns.

Setting up sleep tracking

Using an Apple Watch

If you have an Apple Watch, you can track your sleep by wearing it to bed. This option is available during setup if you've paired your Apple Watch with your iPhone beforehand. If you pair your Apple Watch after setup, you can still turn on sleep tracking later. To receive sleep data, you must wear your Apple Watch for at least one hour each night.

To turn on sleep tracking, open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap the My Watch tab, then tap Sleep. Then, tap Track Sleep with Apple Watch to enable this setting.

Using the Health app

To set up sleep tracking in the Health app, open the app and tap Browse at the bottom of the screen. Tap Sleep, then tap Get Started. Set your sleep schedule by adjusting your typical bedtime and wake-up time, then tap Next. You can also choose whether to receive Sleep Mode reminders to help you wind down before bedtime. Tap Next, then Done to confirm your settings.

You can also access your sleep data from the Summary page in the Health app if you have Sleep saved to your Favorites list. Here, you can view a summary of your sleep data, including your average bedtime, wake-up time, and time spent in bed.

Additional Customizations

You can further customize your sleep tracking by creating multiple sleep schedules, such as one for weekdays and another for weekends. You can also adjust your Wind Down and Sleep Goal as needed. Additionally, you can turn on Charging Reminders to receive notifications to charge your Apple Watch before your wind-down time.

Viewing sleep history

To view your sleep history, you need to open the Health app on your iPhone or iPad. The app icon is white with a red heart. If you're using an iPhone, tap Browse at the bottom of the screen. If you're on an iPad, tap the sidebar to open it. Then, tap 'Sleep'. If you've saved Sleep as a favourite, you can access it from the Summary page in the Health app.

The bar graph is set to 'D' for 'daily' by default. 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' and select a category to review additional sleep details. You can view the time and percentage you spent awake or in REM, Core, or Deep sleep.

You can also open the Health app and tap 'Sleep', then tap 'Edit' below 'Your Schedule' to change your schedule. However, note that the changes will only apply to your next wake-up alarm, after which your normal schedule will resume. You can also turn off the next wake-up alarm in the Alarms app.

If you have an Apple Watch, you can also go to the Sleep app 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.

Respiratory rate tracking

Apple Watch Series 3 or later with watchOS 8 can measure and track your respiratory rate while you sleep. To enable this feature, you must first turn on sleep tracking and wear your Apple Watch to bed. The watch will then automatically measure and record the number of breaths you take per minute.

To set up sleep tracking, open the Health app on your iPhone and tap “Browse” at the bottom of the screen. Tap “Sleep” and then “Get Started” to begin the setup process. You will be prompted to set your sleep schedule by adjusting your typical bedtime and wake-up time. You can also choose to enable Sleep Mode reminders to help you wind down before bedtime. Once you have reviewed and confirmed your settings, return to the Health app and go to the Summary tab to view your sleep data.

To specifically view your respiratory rate data, open the Health app on your iPhone or iPad. Tap “Browse” at the bottom of the screen, then tap “Respiratory” and select “Respiratory Rate.” Here, you will be able to see the number of breaths you take per minute while sleeping.

It is important to note that for accurate results, it is recommended to turn on Charging Reminders to ensure your Apple Watch is charged before your wind-down time. Additionally, wearing your Apple Watch for at least one hour each night is necessary to receive sleep data.

Sleep schedules

To set up your sleep schedule, open the Health app on your iPhone and tap "Browse" at the bottom of the screen. Then, tap "Sleep" and follow the onscreen instructions. You'll be prompted to set your sleep schedule by adjusting your bedtime and wake-up time according to your usual routine. If you'd like, you can also choose to receive Sleep Mode reminders to help you wind down before bedtime. Once you've made your selections, review your settings and confirm them.

After setting up your sleep schedule, you can always go back and make adjustments as needed. To do this, open the Health app and tap "Sleep." Tap Full Schedule & Options, and then tap Wind Down or Sleep Goal under Additional Details. From here, you can adjust your times using the plus and minus buttons.

Additionally, you can change your next wake-up alarm from the Clock app or directly within the Health app. To do so, open the Health app, tap "Sleep," and then tap a schedule in "Full Schedule & Options." Tap Edit under the schedule you wish to update, and adjust your bedtime and wake-up times using the curved slider. If you'd like, you can also turn on an alarm and customize its sound, volume, and haptics.

Sleep data

To track your sleep data using Apple Health, you need to set up sleep tracking. This can be done by opening the Health app on your iPhone and tapping Browse at the bottom of the screen. Tap Sleep and then Get Started. You will then be able to set your sleep schedule by adjusting your bedtime and wake-up time according to your typical routine. You can also choose whether you want Sleep Mode reminders to help you wind down before bedtime. Once you have set up sleep tracking, you can wear your Apple Watch to bed, and it will track your sleep data.

Sleep tracking is available on watchOS 8 or later. You can view your sleep history by opening the Health app on your iPhone or iPad and tapping Browse. If Sleep is saved as one of your Favourites, you can access it from the Summary page in the Health app. You will be able to see a bar graph of your sleep history for the past day, week, month, or six months. You can also tap Show More Sleep Data to view additional details such as the time and percentage you spent awake or in REM, Core, or Deep sleep.

If you want to change your sleep schedule, you can do so by opening the Health app and tapping Edit below Your Schedule. You can also change your Wind Down and Sleep Goal as needed on your iPhone or Apple Watch. If you have an Apple Watch Series 3 or later with watchOS 8, you can also track your Respiratory Rate. This will measure and record the number of times you breathe in a minute.

It is important to note that if you do not wear your Apple Watch to sleep, your graph might not show any data. Additionally, you must wear your Apple Watch for at least one hour each night to receive sleep data.

Frequently asked questions