Evie Summers
Sleep trackers are devices that monitor and record sleep patterns and quality. They can be worn on the body or placed in bed. Sleep trackers can help you determine how long and how well you sleep, and how often you experience sleep interruptions. They can also help identify sleep problems and track progress to see how well different strategies work over time. Many fitness trackers, such as Fitbit models, the Apple Watch, and the Motiv Ring, also track sleep efficiency by measuring your movements throughout the night. If you're looking for a dedicated sleep tracker, options include smart mattresses and sleep sensors, such as the iFit Sleep HR or Eight Sleep Tracker.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of tracker | Wearable trackers, pillow clips, bedside trackers, smart mattresses, dedicated sleep sensors, fitness trackers, phone apps |
| Tracker capabilities | Sleep duration, sleep quality, sleep phases, environmental factors, lifestyle factors, heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, blood oxygen levels, sleep goals, sleep coaching |
| Tracker uses | Identifying sleep problems, tracking sleep patterns, improving sleep quality, setting sleep goals, tracking sleep progress |
| Tracker limitations | Not measuring sleep directly, accuracy issues, not providing advice on improving sleep habits |
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What You'll Learn
Wearable sleep trackers
Smartwatches and Fitness Trackers:
- Apple Watch: The built-in sleep tracker in the Apple Watch offers basic sleep tracking features. You can also use third-party sleep tracking apps for more comprehensive insights.
- Fitbit: Fitbit offers various models, such as the Fitbit Sense 2, that can track your sleep efficiency by measuring movements, heart rate, and body temperature.
- Garmin Vivosport: This fitness tracker from Garmin can monitor your sleep habits and provide insights into your sleep patterns.
Ring-Type Devices:
- Oura Ring: The Oura Ring 4 is a stylish and lightweight ring that tracks sleep and daily activities. It monitors metrics such as heart rate, temperature trends, and blood oxygen levels. To access all features, a monthly membership is required.
- SLEEPON Go2Sleep 3: This silicon ring syncs with your phone to monitor blood oxygen levels, heart rate, and sleep stages. It also offers insights into sleep quality and blood glucose levels.
Dedicated Sleep Sensors:
- IFit Sleep HR: This dedicated sleep sensor fits under or over your mattress to track movement, heart rate, and respiratory rate. It provides insights into sleep duration and sleep cycles.
- Eight Sleep Tracker: The Eight Sleep Mars+ smart mattress tracks your movement and heart rate, and also offers premium features such as heating and cooling modes.
When choosing a wearable sleep tracker, consider your specific needs and preferences. Some devices may offer more comprehensive tracking features, while others focus on convenience and ease of use. Additionally, keep in mind that these devices have limitations in terms of accuracy and should be used as a tool to gain insights into your sleep habits rather than a definitive diagnosis of sleep disorders.
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Environmental factors
Temperature
The temperature of your bedroom can significantly impact your sleep. Most sleep trackers can monitor temperature trends, and this data can be used to adjust your environment for optimal sleep. For example, keeping your bedroom cool, between 60-68°F, is generally recommended for a comfortable sleep.
Light
Natural and artificial light sources can influence your sleep. Sleep trackers with light sensors can detect the amount of light in your bedroom, helping you understand how light affects your sleep quality. For instance, you may discover that even a small amount of light from a window or electronic device disrupts your sleep.
Noise
Ambient sounds, such as noise from the street or a noisy appliance, can disturb your sleep. Some sleep trackers can monitor noise levels, helping you identify any disruptive sources. Creating a quiet environment is essential for a good night's rest.
Humidity
The humidity level in your bedroom can also impact your sleep quality. While not all sleep trackers measure humidity, those that do can help you determine if dry air or excessive moisture is affecting your sleep. Maintaining a comfortable humidity level may improve your sleep environment.
Air Quality
Air pollution and indoor air quality can influence your sleep, especially if you have respiratory or cardiovascular issues. Some sleep trackers may not directly measure air quality, but they can help you identify patterns where changes in your environment, including air quality, affect your sleep.
By considering these environmental factors and utilizing a sleep tracker's capabilities, you can gain valuable insights into how your surroundings impact your sleep. This knowledge can then be used to make informed adjustments to create a more conducive sleep environment.
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Lifestyle factors
Sleep trackers can be a great way to gain insight into your sleep patterns and quality. They can help you understand how certain lifestyle choices and factors impact your sleep. Here are some key considerations for the "Lifestyle Factors" aspect of setting up a sleep tracker:
- Dietary Habits: Sleep trackers can help you understand how your dietary choices affect your sleep. This includes factors such as caffeine intake, alcohol consumption, and the timing of your meals. By logging these factors, you can identify any patterns or correlations between your diet and sleep quality.
- Exercise: The amount and type of physical activity you engage in during the day can impact your sleep. Sleep trackers can help you determine if there is an optimal amount of exercise for you and whether exercising at a particular time of day improves your sleep.
- Stress Levels: Stress and sleep have a bidirectional relationship. Sleep trackers that allow you to log stress levels or detect changes in heart rate variability can provide insights into how stress affects your sleep and vice versa. This information can help you develop strategies to manage stress and improve sleep quality.
- Bed Partners and Pets: The presence of a bed partner, such as a spouse or a pet, can significantly impact your sleep. Sleep trackers can help you determine if you sleep better alone or with someone else in the bed. This information could be useful for making decisions about your sleeping arrangements.
- Environmental Factors: Some sleep trackers can record environmental factors such as room temperature, lighting, and noise levels. By tracking these factors, you can identify optimal sleep conditions and make adjustments to your bedroom environment for better sleep.
- Daily Activities: Sleep trackers can also monitor your daily activities, including sedentary time, social media use, reading, internet browsing, and screen time. This information can help you understand how your daily habits and routines influence your sleep quality.
- Substances: In addition to caffeine and alcohol, sleep trackers can help you understand the impact of other substances on your sleep. This includes tracking the use of nicotine, medications, or supplements that may interfere with your sleep patterns.
When setting up your sleep tracker, be sure to enable the lifestyle factor prompts to input information about these activities. This will provide a more comprehensive view of your sleep habits and help you make informed decisions to improve your sleep hygiene and overall well-being.
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Sleep apps
SleepScore
SleepScore is available on iOS and Android and was rated by Wirecutter as the best sleep-tracking app for 2025. It was praised for its user-friendly setup, clear analysis of sleep trends, and actionable advice for achieving specific sleep goals. The app asks you to set a wake-up alarm and then prompts you with questions about your day, such as caffeine intake and exercise, before automatically starting to track your sleep.
SleepWatch
SleepWatch was recommended by Verywell Mind as the best Apple Watch app for sleep tracking. It integrates seamlessly with the Apple Watch, collecting data automatically without the need to manually start tracking before bed. SleepWatch uses information such as sound, bedtime, heart rate, and movement data from the Apple Watch to track your sleep cycles and provide an easy-to-understand analysis of your sleep.
Oura Ring
The Oura Ring is a smart ring that you wear on your finger all day and night to track your sleep and recovery patterns. It measures heart rate, movement, and temperature to identify your sleep stages. The Oura Ring has been found to be 96% accurate when all data points are recorded and used in combination with its sleep-tracking algorithm. The app provides insights into sleep efficiency, restfulness, readiness, latency, and more. To access all data and insights, a monthly membership is required.
Sleep Cycle
Sleep Cycle is an intelligent alarm clock app that wakes you up during your lightest sleep phase, helping you feel more energised. It provides a detailed analysis of your sleep patterns, detecting sounds like snoring and coughing. It also offers premium features such as relaxing sleep sounds and meditations. Sleep Cycle gives you a daily sleep score based on your sleep quality and allows you to set sleep goals, providing insights to help you achieve them.
Ultrahuman Ring Air
The Ultrahuman Ring Air is a lightweight ring that impressed Wired with its accuracy in tracking sleep. It is similar to the Oura Ring but does not require a subscription. It provides valuable advice in the accompanying app to help you improve your sleep.
Smartwatches and Fitness Trackers
Smartwatches and fitness trackers from brands like Fitbit, Apple, Garmin, and Samsung can also track your sleep. These devices collect data on heart rate, heart rate variability, movement, breaths per minute, and skin temperature. While they may lack some of the advanced features of dedicated sleep apps, they can still provide insights into your sleep trends over time.
It is important to note that sleep apps should not be used as a replacement for medical advice or a clinical sleep study. If you have concerns about your sleep or suspect a sleep disorder, consult a healthcare professional.
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Smart mattresses
Full-body sensors in smart mattresses increase accuracy and provide a detailed impression of your sleep. They can track your heart rate, movement, breathing, and snoring. Some smart mattresses can even track the sleep of two people at once, differentiating between the two. However, the accuracy of sleep tracking can be disrupted by the movements of children or pets.
It is important to note that smart mattresses may not be compatible with mattress toppers or pads. These accessories can create a barrier between the mattress sensors and your body, reducing the accuracy of the sleep tracking.
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Frequently asked questions
Sleep trackers can be worn on the body or used in bed. Examples of wearable sleep trackers include the Apple Watch, Fitbit models, the Motiv Ring, Garmin's Vivosport, the Oura Ring 4, the WHOOP 4.0, and the Eight Sleep Tracker. Examples of sleep trackers that are used in bed include the iFit Sleep HR and smart mattresses.
Sleep trackers monitor sleep patterns and quality by tracking movement, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen levels, and skin temperature. They can also track the phases of your sleep and time your alarm to go off during a period when you’re sleeping less deeply.
Sleep trackers can help you identify your sleep patterns and make changes to your sleep habits to improve your sleep quality. They can also help you determine how long you are sleeping and how much deep, restful sleep you are getting.
The setup process for a sleep tracker will depend on the device or app you are using. For example, to set up sleep tracking on an Apple Watch, you must first update your watch's software to watchOS 7 or later. Then, open the Watch app on your phone, select "Sleep", and turn on the "Use this Watch for Sleep" feature.
