Iphone's Health App: Tracking Sleep, How?

The iPhone's Health app can be used to track your sleep. However, it is important to note that the iPhone alone will only give an estimation of the time in bed and is not intended to track sleep quality. For more detailed sleep tracking, Apple Watch can be used in conjunction with the Health app. The Apple Watch can track sleep by measuring the number of times you breathe in a minute and recording the time spent in each sleep stage. This data is then added to the Health app, where it can be viewed in a bar graph showing start and end times for sleep, as well as a history of your sleep on a weekly or monthly basis.

Using the Apple Watch

To track your sleep using the Apple Watch, you must first enable the 'Track Sleep' function. 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 'Track Sleep' later.

Once 'Track Sleep' is enabled, you must wear your Apple Watch to bed for at least one hour each night. The watch will then automatically measure and record the number of times you breathe in a minute, as well as track your sleep duration. You can also set up charging reminders to remind you to charge your watch before your wind-down time and notify you when it's fully charged.

To view your sleep data, open the Health app on your iPhone or iPad. Tap 'Browse' at the bottom of the screen, then tap 'Sleep'. Here, you can view your sleep history, including the time and percentage you spent awake or in REM, Core, or Deep sleep. You can also see your sleep average over the last 14 days and your sleeping heart rate.

In addition to the built-in sleep tracking feature, there are also third-party apps available for the Apple Watch that offer more advanced sleep tracking features. These include Sleep++, SleepWatch, AutoSleep, Pillow, HeartWatch, and Sleep Tracker. These apps can provide more detailed information about your sleep, such as sleep stages, sleep disruptions, and blood oxygen levels.

Third-party apps

While the Apple Health app can track your sleep, it only provides basic data on the length of sleep. Third-party apps can provide much more detail about how you sleep. These apps can be used in conjunction with an Apple Watch or other gear, or some use the iPhone itself as a sleep monitor device.

Sleep Cycle is one such app that uses the iPhone as a sleep monitor to measure different stages of sleep, quality of sleep, and even snore times. It can be connected to Apple Health by opening Settings in Sleep Cycle, toggling on Apple Health, and allowing the permissions you want. Other apps that use the iPhone as a sleep monitor include Pillow and HeartWatch.

Other third-party apps work with other gear, such as an Apple Watch or a Beddit mat, to detect movement or details like heart rate and room temperature. Sleep++ is one such app that can detect movement and create a granular view of your sleep. It is a free app ($1.99 without ads) that tries to gauge both the duration and quality of each night's sleep. It can also be synced to the Health app. Other apps that work with the Apple Watch include AutoSleep, Sleep Watch, and Sleep Tracker.

Fitbit, Motiv Ring, and Oura Ring are also touted for their ability to track sleep via their own apps.

Sleep schedules

Setting Up a Sleep Schedule:

• Open the Health app on your iPhone.
• Tap "Browse" at the bottom of the screen.
• Tap "Sleep". If you don't see it, tap “Get Started” under "Set Up Sleep".
• Tap "Full Schedule & Options".
• Tap "Edit" under the sleep schedule.
• Drag the curved slider to set your desired bedtime and wake-up times. The slider will turn orange if the schedule does not meet your predefined sleep goal.
• Tap "Alarm" to turn on the alarm and adjust the sound, volume, and haptics according to your preferences.
• Tap "Done" to save your sleep schedule.

Viewing and Editing Your Sleep Schedule:

• Open the Health app and tap "Sleep".
• Tap a schedule in "Full Schedule & Options".
• Tap "Edit" under the schedule you want to update.
• Adjust your "Bedtime" and "Wake Up" times using the curved slider. Ensure your schedule meets your sleep goal; otherwise, the slider will turn orange.
• Make any necessary changes to the alarm settings, such as sound, volume, or haptics.
• Tap "Done" to save the updated sleep schedule.

Multiple Sleep Schedules:

You can create multiple sleep schedules to accommodate different routines, such as one schedule for weekdays and another for weekends. To set up multiple schedules, follow these steps:

• Go to the Sleep app on your Apple Watch or the Health app on your iPhone.
• Tap "Browse" and then "Sleep".
• Set up your first sleep schedule as mentioned above.
• To add another schedule, tap “Add Schedule” and repeat the setup process.

By utilizing the sleep scheduling feature on your iPhone, you can better manage your sleep patterns and work towards achieving your sleep goals. Remember that consistent sleep schedules contribute to a healthier sleep routine and overall well-being.

Respiratory rate

The Apple Watch Series 3 or newer running watchOS 8 and above can track your sleep respiratory rate. To do this, you must wear your Apple Watch to bed and turn on Track Sleep with Apple Watch. The watch will then automatically measure and record the number of breaths you take per minute while you sleep.

To view your respiratory rate data, open the Health app on your iPhone or iPad and tap Browse at the bottom of the screen. Then, tap Respiratory and tap Respiratory Rate. Here, you can view your hourly, day, week, month, etc. respiratory rate information. You can also tap on Show More Respiratory Rate Data to see the hourly average ranges, respiratory rate during sleep, and the overall range of the metric.

It is important to note that the Apple Watch Respiratory Rate feature is for adults only and is not available for children under 18 years old. Additionally, standalone Apple Watches that don't have a paired iPhone using Family Setup cannot track sleep and, therefore, cannot record respiratory sleeping rates.

Sleep history

To view your sleep history on an iPhone, you must first enable the "Sleep Focus" feature. You can do this by opening the Health app on your iPhone and tapping "Browse" at the bottom of the screen. Then, tap "Sleep" and "Get Started" (below "Set Up Sleep").

Once you have enabled Sleep Focus, you can view your sleep history by opening the Health app and tapping "Browse" at the bottom of the screen. Tap "Sleep" to view your sleep data. By default, the bar graph is set to "D" for daily. 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. You can also tap "Show More Sleep Data" and select a category to review additional sleep details, such as the time and percentage you spent awake or in REM, Core, or Deep sleep.

The iPhone alone will only give you an estimation of your "time in bed" and is not attempting to measure how much you sleep. It estimates the time spent in bed based on your sleep schedule and screen activity. If you want a more detailed analysis of your sleep, you can use a third-party app, such as Sleep Cycle, Sleep++, or Beddit, which can provide more information about your sleep quality, sleep stages, and sleep disruptions.

If you have an Apple Watch, you can also use it to track your sleep and view your sleep history in the Health app. With the Apple Watch, you can measure and track your respiratory rate and view your sleep history for the past 14 days.

Frequently asked questions