Samsung Gear Sport: Tracking Sleep, Enhancing Performance

The Samsung Gear Sport is a fitness tracker that can monitor your sleep. It has built-in trackers for steps, diet, and other health factors. The sleep tracker records your sleep using motion data, and it can also detect and record snoring if you keep your phone nearby. The watch face is always on by default, and it has a battery life of up to four days. The Samsung Gear Sport also has advanced sleep tracking with REM measurements and stress tracking. However, some users have reported issues with the sleep tracking function, including erratic heart rate tracking and gaps in sleep data.

Samsung Gear Sport's sleep tracking accuracy

The Samsung Gear Sport sleep tracking feature is part of the Samsung Health app. It uses the onboard accelerometer to detect movement and combines this with user data acquired from its sensor array. It can also sample body temperature throughout the night, and this data is used in several other metrics.

The Samsung Health app provides a sleep score, which is a number between 1 and 100. The higher the sleep score, the better the sleep. This score is based on five factors: total sleep time, sleep cycles, sleep consistency, blood oxygen levels, and snoring data. The app also provides a word-based description of the sleep score, as well as sleep symbols. The sleep stage data can be viewed in chart and graph form, showing the duration of each sleep phase and the movements during sleep.

To ensure accurate sleep tracking, the watch should be positioned the width of two fingers above the ulna bone on the wrist. A snug fit will improve blood oxygen and heart rate monitoring and increase tracking accuracy.

Some users have reported issues with the sleep tracking feature, including erratic heart rate tracking and gaps in the data. However, others have found it to be effective in tracking their sleep patterns and improving their sleep habits.

Comparison with Fitbit's sleep tracking

The Samsung Gear Sport is a fitness watch designed for Samsung fans, with a heart-rate monitor, accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS, barometer, ambient light sensor, and water resistance up to 50 meters. It also has sleep-tracking capabilities, although some users have found this feature confusing and inaccurate.

When compared to Fitbit's sleep tracking, the Samsung Gear Sport falls short in terms of accuracy. Users have reported that the Fitbit sleep tracker records significantly more deep sleep, with an average of 60 minutes per night compared to 20-30 minutes recorded by the Samsung watch. The Samsung watch also seems to have issues with tracking sleep consistently throughout the night, with some users reporting gaps of a couple of hours where their sleep was not tracked at all.

In terms of features, the Fitbit Charge 6 offers an ECG app for heart health, SpO2 monitoring for blood oxygen levels, and a Daily Readiness Score that analyzes activity levels, sleep data, and heart rate variability to determine the body's readiness for a workout. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, on the other hand, provides insights into sleep stages, sleep scores, and blood oxygen levels. It also includes the Samsung BioActive Sensor, which combines a heart rate sensor, an electrical heart rate signal, and a bioimpedance sensor. Additionally, the Galaxy Watch 7 has advanced water resistance for tracking swimming workouts.

While the Samsung Gear Sport may not be as accurate as Fitbit in sleep tracking, it does offer a range of other features and sensors that make it a comprehensive fitness watch. However, for users specifically looking for in-depth sleep tracking, Fitbit might be the better option. It's worth noting that Fitbit offers a range of devices at different price points, including more affordable options compatible with iPhones, whereas the Samsung watch is designed for Android phones.

REM tracking

The Samsung Galaxy Watch is a great sleep tracker. It can monitor your sleep, including the quality and length of your sleep, and the factors contributing to a good or bad night's sleep. The watch uses the onboard accelerometer to detect movement and combines this with user data acquired from its sensor array.

The watch can track the various sleep stages, including Awake, REM, Light, and Deep sleep cycles. REM tracking uses heart rate variability (HRV) to help define this period of sleep. To access REM tracking, go to the Samsung Health app on the Galaxy Watch, scroll or twist down to heart rate, tap on the three-dot menu icon, and then on the gear icon to access settings. Choose the 'Always' option and then go to bed to track your sleep. You should now see REM zones in your sleep stats.

REM sleep is related to mental recovery. A figure of 60% or above will contribute to a high sleep score. Samsung believes adults should aim for between 3 to 7 sleep cycles per night to achieve this, with each cycle lasting around 90 minutes.

The watch can also track blood oxygen saturation during sleep, which is an important metric for gauging your body's efficiency. The higher the blood oxygen value, the more oxygenated your blood is, which is a good sign of health.

Heart rate tracking

The Samsung Galaxy Watch has a built-in heart rate tracker that allows you to monitor your heart rate by beats per minute with a redesigned BioActive Sensor. The watch can also be set to automatically record your heart rate throughout the day and display your average heart rate. This data is used to help you understand your sleep patterns.

To access heart rate tracking on the Samsung Galaxy Watch, you can follow these steps:

• Go into the Samsung Health app on the Galaxy Watch.
• Scroll or twist down to find the "Heart Rate" section.
• Tap on the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner.
• Select the gear icon to access the settings.
• Choose the "Always" option to enable continuous heart rate monitoring.

It's important to note that enabling continuous heart rate monitoring may impact the battery life of your Samsung Galaxy Watch. Additionally, the watch provides the option to disable the heart rate sensor during physical activities, which can help conserve battery and improve accuracy.

The heart rate data collected by the Samsung Galaxy Watch can be utilized for various purposes, including sleep tracking and stress monitoring. The watch offers advanced sleep tracking capabilities, including REM measurements, which rely on heart rate variability (HRV) data to help define your sleep periods. This information can provide insights into your sleep quality and duration.

Furthermore, the Samsung Health app includes stress tracking, which may also utilize heart rate data. By monitoring your heart rate patterns and changes throughout the day, the watch can help you identify periods of high stress and offer breathing exercises to promote relaxation.

Stress tracking

The Samsung Galaxy Watch offers stress tracking as one of its health features. This feature is also available on the Gear S3, Gear Sport, and the Galaxy Watch series with Tizen. The watch can monitor your stress levels and even suggest breathing exercises. However, this feature is only available on models with a heart rate sensor.

To access stress tracking on the Samsung watch, you first need to open the Samsung Health app. From there, scroll down to heart rate and tap on the three-dot menu icon, then select the gear icon to access settings. Choose the 'Always' option and your heart rate will be measured throughout the day. This will allow you to view a chart showing how your heart rate changes over a 24-hour period, which can be useful for understanding your stress levels.

It's important to note that some users have reported issues with erratic heart rate tracking. In some cases, turning off the auto-stress tracking feature has helped to resolve this problem. However, this may not be an ideal solution as you shouldn't have to avoid using certain features to get accurate results from others.

Frequently asked questions