Shut Eye Sleep Tracker: How Does It Work?

ShutEye is a sleep-tracking app that uses artificial intelligence algorithms to monitor sleep patterns and provide insights into sleep health. The app categorizes sleep into five stages: light sleep (stages 1 and 2), deep sleep (stages 3 and 4), and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep (stage 5). It detects and analyzes various sounds, movements, and sleep patterns, including snoring, sleep talking, breathing changes, and sleepwalking, to produce a detailed sleep report. ShutEye also offers features such as guided meditation, relaxing music, and nature sounds to help users fall asleep and improve their overall sleep quality.

Sleep stages

Sleep is divided into two main phases: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. NREM sleep is further divided into three stages, while REM sleep is one stage. Each sleep stage is characterised by distinct patterns of brain activity, eye movements, and muscle tone.

The first sleep phase is NREM sleep, which is composed of three stages. The first stage, N1, occurs when a person first falls asleep. This stage typically lasts from one to seven minutes and the body and brain activities start to slow down, with brief periods of movement. It is easy to wake someone up during this stage, but if uninterrupted, they can quickly move into the second stage. As the night goes on, a sleeper may not spend much more time in this stage as they progress through the sleep cycles.

The second stage, N2, is still considered light sleep but is deeper than the first stage. During this stage, brain waves slow down further and have noticeable pauses between short bursts of electrical activity. Experts believe that these bursts are the brain's way of organising memories and information from when the person was awake. N2 accounts for about 45% of total sleep time, and each subsequent N2 stage is usually longer than the last.

The third stage, N3, is the deepest stage of NREM sleep, and it is difficult to wake someone up during this stage. Brain waves during this stage are slow but strong, and the body takes advantage of this deep sleep to repair injuries and strengthen the immune system. N3 makes up about 25% of total sleep time in adults, but babies and children need more of this stage. As people age, they need less of this restorative sleep.

After progressing through the three stages of NREM sleep, the body then enters the REM sleep stage. This is when most dreaming occurs. After the first REM cycle, the body starts a new sleep cycle and returns to either stage one or stage two NREM sleep. A typical sleep cycle lasts about 90 to 120 minutes, and a person will go through four to six sleep cycles per night.

Snoring detection

ShutEye is a sleep tracker that uses artificial intelligence algorithms to monitor and improve your sleep. It recognises, calculates, and analyses the files recorded by the microphone to produce your sleep status information. The app detects various sounds you make during the night, including snoring, and provides a snoring report with a graph representing your snoring decibels throughout the night. It also analyses the duration and noise level of your snoring, helping you identify any sleep conditions associated with snoring, such as sleep apnea.

The accuracy of snoring detection by snoring apps has been the subject of several studies. One such study examined the snoring detection accuracy of Snore Clock, a paid snoring detection app for smartphones. The app provides information on variables such as sleep duration, snoring duration, snoring loudness, and maximum snoring loudness. The study found that the mean accuracy rate for snoring detection by SnoreClock was 95%, with the mean snoring rates calculated by the app being only 0.3% less than those calculated using a manual method.

Another popular snoring detection app is SnoreLab, which has been downloaded by millions of people. SnoreLab records, measures, and tracks your snoring, providing a "Snore Score" and allowing you to compare snoring across nights. It also measures the impact of factors such as alcohol consumption on your snoring and provides information about snoring remedies.

Overall, snoring detection is a valuable tool for monitoring sleep and identifying potential sleep disorders. While the accuracy of snoring apps can vary, they offer a simple and feasible option for people to examine their snoring habits and work towards improving their sleep quality.

Sleep apnea risk

ShutEye is a sleep tracker app that uses artificial intelligence algorithms to monitor and analyse your sleep patterns and provide you with valuable insights on your health. It categorises your sleep into five different stages: light sleep (stages 1 and 2), deep sleep (stages 3 and 4), and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep (stage 5). By tracking your movement and sleep sounds, ShutEye can determine the duration and quality of each stage of your sleep cycle and provide you with a detailed report. This includes a snoring report, a sleep consistency report, and a sleep apnea risk report.

Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder that occurs when the upper airway muscles relax during sleep, blocking the airway and preventing adequate breathing. This can result in pauses in breathing that last for 10 seconds or more until the reflexes kick in and breathing resumes. Sleep apnea can have significant health consequences and is directly linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic issues. It is often associated with obesity, as fat deposits in the neck and tongue can obstruct the airway. However, it is important to note that not everyone with sleep apnea is obese, and other factors such as age, family history, lifestyle habits, and certain health conditions can also contribute to the development of sleep apnea.

The ShutEye app helps users identify their risk for sleep apnea by analysing their sleep data, including breathing and snoring patterns. It provides a sleep apnea risk assessment and offers solutions to address the issue if a risk is detected. This feature is particularly important as undiagnosed sleep apnea can have severe health implications. Obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form, can range from mild to severe, and its severity determines the course of treatment.

Several factors can increase an individual's risk for sleep apnea. These include age, as the risk increases with advancing age due to changes in the brain's control of breathing and the accumulation of fatty tissue in the neck and tongue. Family history and genetics also play a role, as certain genetic conditions and skull, face, and upper airway characteristics can predispose individuals to sleep apnea. Sex is another factor, with men being more susceptible to sleep apnea than premenopausal women. However, after menopause, hormonal changes cause weight accumulation in typically male areas, increasing the risk for women.

Lifestyle habits, such as alcohol consumption and smoking, can also elevate the risk of sleep apnea. Alcohol relaxes the muscles in the mouth and throat, potentially blocking the upper airway. Additionally, endocrine disorders or changes in hormone levels, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or high insulin levels, can affect the size and shape of the upper airway, increasing the risk. Certain health conditions, including heart failure, stroke, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, can impact how the brain controls the airways and chest muscles, raising the risk for central sleep apnea specifically.

Privacy and data sharing

ShutEye is committed to ensuring that users' privacy is a top priority. The app gives you full control over your data with customisable settings. You can decide to keep your recordings private or share them with friends. ShutEye also ensures that your recordings are kept secure for your personal use and are never shared with third parties.

ShutEye utilises advanced sleep-tracking technology, recognising, calculating, and analysing files recorded by your microphone through artificial intelligence algorithms to produce your sleep status information. This includes monitoring your movement and sleep patterns to determine the duration and quality of each stage of your sleep cycle. The app also detects various sounds you make during the night, such as snoring, sleep talking, breathing changes, sleepwalking, coughing, and more. These audio clips are available for you to listen to and review in your sleep report, along with a graph representing your snoring decibels and a noise level report.

While sleep tracking can be beneficial for some, it is important to consider potential privacy implications and data sharing practices. Sleep trackers collect sensitive information about your sleep habits and may have access to other personal data on your device. It is essential to review the privacy policies and data handling practices of any sleep-tracking app before granting access to your information. Additionally, be aware that no sleep tracker can provide the same level of medical monitoring as a sleep clinic, and their diagnostic capabilities may be limited.

ShutEye offers a comprehensive sleep-tracking experience, providing insights into your sleep patterns, snoring habits, and even potential sleep conditions like sleep apnea. The app also includes relaxing music, nature sounds, and guided meditation to help you unwind and improve your sleep quality. With its advanced features and secure data handling, ShutEye is a popular choice for those seeking to understand and enhance their sleep.

Relaxing sounds

The ShutEye sleep tracker app offers an extensive library of relaxing sounds, bedtime stories, and guided sleep meditations to help you fall asleep faster and achieve deeper, more restorative sleep. The app includes soothing music, nature sounds, and guided meditations to help you destress after a long day and improve your overall sleep quality.

ShutEye's relaxing sounds feature offers a variety of options to cater to different preferences. The app provides mellow remixes of popular songs, allowing you to unwind with familiar melodies. Additionally, the app includes an array of nature sounds, such as ocean waves, that create a calming ambiance to ease your mind and body into sleep.

The bedtime stories available on ShutEye are skillfully crafted to help you transition into a peaceful slumber. These stories are designed to be soothing and often incorporate meditative elements, guiding you towards a state of relaxation. The app also offers ASMR story options, providing a unique sensory experience that can enhance your relaxation and prepare your mind and body for sleep.

Guided sleep meditations are another key component of ShutEye's relaxing sounds offering. These meditations are led by experts and are designed to help you calm your mind, relax your body, and drift off to sleep. The meditations often include breathing exercises, visualization techniques, and gentle movements to induce a state of tranquility and prepare you for a good night's rest.

ShutEye's extensive library of relaxing sounds, bedtime stories, and guided meditations provides a comprehensive toolkit to enhance your sleep experience. By combining soothing audio experiences with sleep tracking technology, ShutEye offers a holistic approach to improving your sleep quality and overall well-being. The app empowers you to customize your sleep environment, creating the ideal conditions for a restful and rejuvenating sleep.

Frequently asked questions