Sleep Number's Heart Rate Tracking: How Does It Work?

Sleep Number is a company that makes smart beds that can track heart rate, respiration, and movement. The Sleep Number smart bed uses high-resolution, full-body ballistocardiography (BCG) sensing technology to collect data at a rate of 1000 samples per second. This technology enables the measurement of motion, position changes, breathing, and small movements within the body, such as those generated by the ejection of blood with each heartbeat. The data captured by the smart bed detects changes in heart rate and breathing rate as the body progresses from wakefulness through stages of sleep. The Sleep Number app also offers a Heart Rate Variability feature, which helps sleepers understand the balance of their heart and mind.

Sleep Number's Heart Rate Variability feature

The smart bed technology employs high-resolution, full-body ballistocardiography (BCG) sensing, capturing data at an impressive rate of 1000 samples per second. This advanced technology enables the bed to measure heart rate variability accurately. Heart rate variability refers to the changes in the time interval between heartbeats, providing valuable information about the body's ability to recover during sleep.

The Sleep Number bed uses ballistocardiogram sensors to measure heart rate variability and other metrics such as heartbeat, respiration rate, sleep duration, sleep stages, and restlessness. This data is then synchronised with the Sleep Number app, providing users with a comprehensive overview of their sleep patterns and heart rate trends over time.

By tracking heart rate variability, the Sleep Number smart bed offers a unique perspective on an individual's health. A high heart rate variability indicates a strong ability for the body to recover during sleep, resulting in improved balance between the heart and mind. On the other hand, low heart rate variability suggests that the body is not recovering adequately, which can lead to lower energy levels and a weakened immune system.

The Heart Rate Variability feature presents data in a user-friendly manner, with daily, weekly, and monthly scores and trends easily accessible on the main screen of the Sleep tab in the Biosignals section. This allows users to monitor their heart rate patterns over time, identify any potential issues, and make informed decisions to improve their sleep hygiene and overall well-being.

How Sleep Number's smart beds work

Sleep Number is a company that makes smart beds that can track heart rate, respiration, and movement. The Sleep Number smart bed uses high-resolution, full-body ballistocardiography (BCG) sensing technology to collect data at a rate of 1000 samples per second. This technology uses an inflatable air bladder within the mattress to collect data on the entire body of a single sleeper. The smart bed sensors automatically start data collection when the user gets into bed and stop when the user leaves. The data captured by the smart bed detects changes in heart rate and breathing rate as the body progresses from wakefulness through the various stages of sleep. The Sleep Number bed measures heart rate variability by using the standard deviation of beat-to-beat measurements, known as SDNN. Tracking heart rate variability is best done during sleep because external factors do not impact the measurement. High heart rate variability indicates a strong ability of the body to recover each night, while low heart rate variability indicates that the body is not recovering each night, which can result in lower energy and a weakened immune system.

Sleep Number claims that it collects more than 8 billion biometric data points every night, which are gathered each second and sent through an app via the internet to the company's servers. This data is used to feed the company's algorithms and improve the product. Sleep Number also states that it goes to great lengths to protect its customers' data and does not share any SleepIQ or biometric data outside the company. However, consumer-privacy advocates have raised concerns about the fate of personal health information collected by smart mattresses and sleep-tracking apps.

Sleep Number's smart beds have been shown to have moderate to strong correlations in measuring sleep data compared to in-lab PSG, including sleep versus wake states, breathing rate, and heart rate. The results also suggested that the smart beds may provide reliable measurements of sleep quality and access to sleep metrics for large populations over extended periods. Additionally, Sleep Number presented data at SLEEP 2021, demonstrating a potential model for predicting and tracking COVID-19 infection using sleep and biometric measures.

The Sleep Number smart bed offers customers features that support their overall wellness. For example, the bed can adjust the firmness of the mattress, and it includes a Heart Rate Variability feature that helps sleepers understand their body's ability to recover each night. The data collected by the smart bed is sent to the cloud and stored for further analysis, and users can access information about their estimated sleep timing, duration, and quality via a smartphone app.

Sleep Number's privacy policy

Sleep Number is committed to respecting the privacy of its customers and recognizes the importance of maintaining the security of the data it collects. The Sleep Number smart bed uses ballistocardiogram sensors to measure various metrics, including an individual's heart rate, respiration rate, sleep duration, sleep stages, and restlessness. This data is then used to provide users with features that support their overall wellness.

The Sleep Number app offers a Heart Rate Variability feature, which measures the standard deviation of beat-to-beat measurements, known as SDNN. This data is presented in the Biosignals section of the app, where users can view their daily, weekly, and monthly scores and trends. Additionally, Sleep Number has presented data demonstrating the potential of its smart bed technology in predicting and tracking COVID-19 infections using sleep and biometric measures.

Sleep Number values the relationship it has with its customers and understands the sensitivity of the data it collects. As such, the company is committed to maintaining the privacy and security of its customers' data. Sleep Number has voluntarily shared its data with researchers, with over 350,000 individuals participating in the company's research efforts. This data sharing helps advance the understanding of sleep and its impact on health, as evidenced by Sleep Number's study published in Sensors, which demonstrated the accuracy of its SleepIQ technology in measuring sleep data.

Sleep Number assures its customers that their data is handled securely and is only used for the purposes for which it was provided. The company is dedicated to maintaining the trust of its customers and upholding its privacy commitments.

Sleep Number's data collection

The heart rate data collected by Sleep Number is measured through heart rate variability (HRV), which calculates the standard deviation of beat-to-beat measurements, known as SDNN. HRV is best tracked during sleep, as external factors do not impact the measurements. High HRV indicates a strong ability for the body to recover each night, while low HRV suggests the body is not recovering adequately, leading to potential issues such as lower energy and a weakened immune system.

Sleep Number collects a vast amount of data, with over 8 billion biometric data points gathered every night. This data is sent via an app through the internet to the company's servers, where it is used to improve their algorithms and products. The company emphasizes its commitment to protecting customer data privacy and does not share SleepIQ or biometric data outside the company. However, privacy experts have raised concerns about the potential use and sharing of personal health information collected by smart mattress companies. Sleep Number's privacy policy states that personal information, including name, age, weight, height, and gender, is collected. If a user profile is created on the bed's app, this data is expanded to include movement, positions, respiration, and heart rate for both adults and children.

Sleep Number's SleepIQ technology

The SleepIQ technology collects data at a rate of 1000 samples per second, providing detailed information about a user's sleep patterns and heart rate variability. Heart rate variability refers to the changes in the time interval between heartbeats, which can be influenced by various factors such as stress, exercise, and sleep quality. By tracking heart rate variability, the SleepIQ technology can provide insights into a user's overall health and well-being.

The data collected by SleepIQ technology is sent to the cloud and stored for further analysis. Users can access their data through the Sleep Number app, which provides information about estimated sleep timing, duration, and quality on a daily basis. The app also includes a Heart Rate Variability feature, which allows users to view their daily, weekly, and monthly scores and trends related to heart rate variability. Additionally, Sleep Number has a research program with over 350,000 participants who have voluntarily provided their data for research purposes.

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