Colin Snow
Sleep tracking is a popular way to monitor your sleep patterns and quality. Sleep trackers come in many forms, from wearables like rings, wristbands, and smartwatches to headbands, bedside devices, and mats that go under your mattress. They can record a variety of metrics, including sleep duration, sleep phases and quality, heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), body temperature, blood oxygen rate, and more. While sleep tracking can be a helpful tool for optimising your sleep, it's important to remember that trackers may not always be entirely accurate, and they should not be used as a replacement for medical care.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To help people experiment with their sleep patterns and find what works for them |
| Devices | Wearables like rings, smartwatches, headbands, wristbands, and devices kept beside the bed or under the mattress |
| Metrics | Sleep duration, sleep quality, sleep phases, heart rate, heart rate variability, body temperature, blood-oxygen rate, menstrual cycles, snoring, sleep sounds, sleep talks, coughing, sleep movements, sleep goals, and sleep history |
| Benefits | Help establish a bedtime routine, increase awareness of sleep, and encourage healthy sleep behaviour |
| Limitations | Sleep trackers are not always precise and can be inaccurate. They are also not suitable for people with sleep anxiety |
| Recommendations | Sleep trackers should fit into your life, be easy to use, and comfortable to wear during sleep |
What You'll Learn
Wearables and devices
Wearable sleep trackers are ideal for people who want to understand their sleep patterns and make improvements. They are also useful for athletes who want to optimise their rest to maintain peak performance during the day. Sleep trackers usually record the time and duration of your sleep, how much time is spent in each sleep phase (such as REM or deep sleep), and how often you wake or move during the night.
Many sleep trackers also double as fitness trackers or smartwatches. They can track a range of other metrics, including heart rate, heart-rate variability (HRV), body temperature, blood-oxygen rate, respiratory rate, and menstrual cycles. An accompanying app can deliver analyses of your sleep and activity levels, often in the form of a "sleep score," along with recommendations for improvement.
Some of the most popular wearables include products from Fitbit, Apple, Garmin, and Samsung. Fitbit's sleep-tracking features include nightly trends, bedtime reminders, sleep goals, and a silent alarm that vibrates to wake you during your optimal sleep stage. The Apple Watch Series 9 also provides sleep tracking, and the Pixel Watch offers a sleep score out of 100. The Oura Ring is another popular option, with infrared light beams that accurately measure heart rate and HRV. The Ultrahuman Ring Air also impressed testers with its accuracy and the valuable advice provided in the accompanying app.
If you are interested in a device that tracks other health vitals and metrics in addition to its sleep-tracking features, look for a wearable that measures blood oxygen levels, heart rate, HRV, respiratory rate, temperature, and other health data.
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Free and paid apps
While sleep tracking apps can be a useful tool to help you understand your sleep patterns, it's important to remember that they don't provide completely accurate readings and shouldn't be relied on as the only source of information about your sleep. With that being said, there are a variety of free and paid apps available that can help you track your sleep.
SleepScore is a popular sleep tracking app that is available for a fee. It offers detailed sleep-stage data and a smart alarm that wakes you up slowly. The app also allows you to set sleep goals and provides advice for reaching them. However, SleepScore currently only works with iPhone 6 and higher and a limited number of Android phones.
Sleep Cycle is another well-known sleep tracking app, available on iOS and Android. It offers features such as sleep analysis, detailed sleep statistics, and a smart alarm. Sleep Cycle uses sound analysis to identify sleep states and track your movements in bed. The app also has a library of sleep stories, relaxation guides, and calm sleep sounds. While Sleep Cycle provides many features, it has been criticised for a lack of transparency about its research.
If you're looking for a free option, PrimeNap is a highly-rated sleep tracking app that offers a range of features, including tracking overall sleep quality and breaking down time spent in different sleep cycles. It also has a smart alarm feature that wakes you up during light sleep, which is said to help you feel more refreshed. Another free app is Pillow, which can be used with an Apple Watch or by placing your phone or iPad on your bed to track movement from your mattress. However, Pillow has been found to sometimes overestimate the amount of deep sleep.
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Accuracy and limitations
Sleep trackers can be a useful tool for those who want to learn more about their sleep patterns and experiment with ways to improve their sleep. However, it is important to recognise their limitations and understand that they are not a replacement for medical care.
Accuracy
Sleep trackers can provide reasonably accurate estimates of total sleep duration. Devices with a heart-rate sensor, such as the Oura Ring, Ultrahuman Ring Air, and Whoop 4.0, have been found to be more accurate at measuring heart rate and heart-rate variability. The Oura Ring also has three hospital-grade sensors: infrared photoplethysmography sensors for heart rate and respiration, a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) sensor for body temperature, and a 3D accelerometer for movement. The Ultrahuman Ring Air has a medical-grade temperature sensor, a PPG (photoplethysmography) sensor, and a motion-sensing IMU (inertial measurement unit).
Limitations
Sleep trackers do not directly measure sleep quality. They often rely on actigraphy, which measures movement and inactivity as a surrogate for estimating sleep. This means that they can mistake periods of inactivity for sleep, and they are less reliable for specific sleep stages. For example, they may not accurately capture how long it takes to enter REM sleep or the duration of pre-REM sleep. Additionally, the tightness of the device on the wrist or finger can skew readings. Sleep trackers placed on mattresses can only detect you when you sleep on the bed, and they may not account for naps. They are also unable to distinguish between sleep and lying awake in bed.
While sleep trackers can provide useful insights, they should be used as a tool for experimentation and reflection rather than a replacement for medical advice. If you have concerns about your sleep quality or sleep-related disorders, it is recommended to consult a medical professional.
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Benefits and risks
Tracking your sleep can provide insight into your sleep patterns and quality. Sleep tracking devices can monitor sleep duration, sleep quality, respiration rate, heart rate, movements, and sleep stages. This data can help identify patterns, trends, and potential issues or sleep disorders. For example, you might discover that you're getting less sleep than you thought, or that you're waking up multiple times during the night.
Sleep tracking can also help you understand the impact of lifestyle factors on your sleep. Some trackers prompt you to enter information about activities that can affect sleep, such as caffeine intake, stress levels, and diet. This can help you identify any lifestyle habits that may be disrupting your sleep and make changes to improve your sleep quality.
While sleep tracking can provide valuable insights, it's important to remember that these devices don't directly measure sleep quality. They often estimate sleep based on inactivity or movement. For exact data about your sleep habits, a medical sleep study is required, which monitors brain waves to analyze the different stages of sleep.
Additionally, while sleep tracking can be a useful tool, it may also cause stress and anxiety for some people. The data provided by sleep trackers may induce anxiety about sleep onset, duration, or quality. It's important to remember that sleep tracking should be used as a tool to guide you towards improving your sleep and overall well-being, rather than a source of stress or self-criticism.
Overall, sleep tracking can be beneficial for gaining insight into your sleep patterns and making informed decisions to improve your sleep quality and overall health. However, it's important to consult a healthcare professional if you have concerns about your sleep, as they can provide personalized advice and guidance.
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Interpreting data
Sleep trackers can provide a lot of data, but it's important to remember that they don't provide medically accurate information. They can, however, help you identify trends and patterns in your sleep habits. For example, if you notice that your sleep time decreased abruptly two weeks ago, you can reflect on any changes in your stress levels, environment, or daytime habits that might have caused this change. This can help you mitigate similar occurrences in the future.
Sleep trackers typically provide data on the time and duration of your sleep, how much time is spent in each sleep phase (such as REM or deep sleep), and how often you wake or move during the night. Some trackers also provide data on heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), body temperature, blood oxygen rate, and menstrual cycles. It's important to note that while trackers can be fairly accurate for total sleep duration, they are less reliable for specific sleep stages.
When interpreting heart rate variability (HRV) data, it's important to understand that variation is normal, and HRV fluctuates more as the body goes through the different sleep stages. Lower HRV has been associated with anxiety disorders, so this data can provide insight into your sleep quality and overall health. However, it should not be used as the sole indicator of health or stress, as HRV values naturally fluctuate, and focusing too much on HRV may lead to unnecessary stress.
Some trackers also allow you to input lifestyle factors, such as caffeine consumption, meal times, and stress levels, which can help you identify how these factors impact your sleep. Environmental factors, such as light and temperature, can also be recorded by some devices and may provide additional insights into your sleep habits. By experimenting with different routines and comparing the data, you can use sleep trackers to optimise your sleep habits and establish a consistent sleep routine.
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Frequently asked questions
There are many sleep trackers available in the market, such as wrist-based trackers, rings, smartwatches, headbands, and bedside devices. Some popular options include the Apple Watch, Garmin watches, Whoop 4.0, and Eight Sleep.
Sleep trackers use different technologies to measure sleep, such as actigraphy, which measures movement, or heart rate variability (HRV), which records the milliseconds between each heartbeat. They can track sleep duration, sleep quality, sleep phases, and environmental factors.
Sleep trackers can be inaccurate and may not provide medically accurate data. They are generally less reliable for specific sleep stages, such as deep and REM sleep. For medically accurate sleep data, a polysomnography test is recommended.
Sleep trackers can increase awareness of sleep habits, encourage healthy sleep behaviours, and help establish a bedtime routine. They can also provide insights into how external factors, such as caffeine consumption or stress, impact sleep quality.
